Introduction
Francis Capra (born 1983) is an American actor and formerly, a child-actor.
Early life and family
Francis was born on April 27, 1983, in New York City, New York. He grew up in the Bronx, and is of Italian and Domincan descent. His father was in jail for most of his childhood before his eventual shooting to death in 2003.
Francis is one of the four children, and his siblings are also in show-business:
- Chanel Capra, his sister, is a screenwriter and actress
- Asa Capra, his brother, is an animator and illustrator
- Ava Capra, his sister, is a Los Angeles based model and actress.
Francis attended Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic School, in Bronx, NY.
Acting career
Francis was discovered in 1993 by Robert De Niro and Chazz Palminteri when they were casting for the film A Bronx Tale. He played the character of 9-year-old Calogero Anello in A Bronx Tale. Thereafter, he began to work as a child actor and moved to Los Angeles with his family.
In 1994, Francis was nominated for a Young Artist Award at the Young Artist Awards for Best Youth Actor for his work in A Bronx Tale.
In 1995, he appeared as Elvis in Free Willy 2: The Adventure Home, and in 1996, as Max Connor in Kazaam.
From then on, he appeared in various television shows and television films, including NCIS, Castle, Sons of Anarchy, Heroes, Lincoln Heights, and Criminal Minds, Judging Amy, Crossing Jordan, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and The O.C.
In 2014, he played the character of Eli "Weevil" Navarro on the critically acclaimed TV series Veronica Mars.
He portrayed Jesse Murphy on the TV show Heroes, following in the footsteps of Veronica Mars co-star Kristen Bell.
In the later years, Francis created his own production company called Take Off Productions with fellow actor De'Aundre Bonds.
Awards and nominations
1994 – Nominated for a Young Artist Award at the Young Artist Awards for Best Youth Actor Co-Starring in a Motion Picture Drama for A Bronx Tale (1993).