Wiki Biography / Profile Background
Introduction :
- Julia Lazar Franco was a creative artist who was well-known for marrying writer-actor, Tom Franco. Tom is the brother of well-known Hollywood names, James and Dave Franco.
- James Franco is a Golden Globe Award winning actor who has appeared in movies like “Oz: The Great and Powerful” and “James Dean.” Dave has worked on hit movies like “Now you see me” and “disaster Artist.” Julia’s husband Tom himself was part of “Basket Case 2” and some other films.
- Unfortunately, Julia passed away in San Francisco, California, on August 25, 2014. She was 56.
Personal Life, Parents and Family Details :
- Julia Lazar Franco was born in Vienna, Austria on November 7, 1957, and spent most of her early days there.
- Her parents were Imre Lazar (father), a famous movie director, and Marika Nagy(mother), an artist from whom Julia inherited her artistic calling.
- In the 1980s, she moved to the United States and she began to sing in a local rock band called Exit.
- From a relationship she had at the time with musician Richard Schoenherz, Julia gave birth to her only child, a daughter named Dawn. Julia raised Dawn in Bolinas, California.
- In the early 1990s, Lazar headed to India where she learned Yoga and cooked for the community. She came back to the U.S. in early 2000s.
Education : Qualifications, High School & College Info
- Always a free spirit who loved art in all its forms, Julia expressed herself in all forms of arts. However, it was with painting that she found her true calling. She had studied Painting and Life Drawing at the Academy of Fine Arts in Vienna, Austria.
- Julia also pursued Fashion for some time at the Hetzendorfer ModeSchule, back in her home in Vienna, Austria.
- She attended Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to learn more about cooking.
Tom & Julia :
- Tom Franco and Julia’s love for yoga, art and spiritual connection is what drew the couple together when they first met in 2003. Tom was running spiritual family retreats and Julia was participating and helping with the cooking.
- More than a decade later, in 2014, Julia got diagnosed with hepatitis C, liver cancer and was hospitalized with kidney failure. By then, Tom and Julie were already engaged. The two got married in the solarium near the ICU at UCSF Hospital, only a month before her death.
Career, Income, Salary and Net Worth :
- Julia practiced yoga regularly to connect mind, spirit and body. She practiced Siddha yoga teachings and worked for some time at the SYDA Foundation as a Food Service manager.
- Then, she founded and directed a company named 23Monkeytree. 23Monkeytree aimed to provide sustainable, green food cuisine products that enhance well-being.
- One of the last enterprises she worked for was the Firehouse Art Collective which she directed along with her partner Tom Franco. The organization’s purpose was to create a space where artists of all kinds could contribute to the community, while still making money and getting exposure for their work.
Interesting Facts, Height and Trivia :
- Julia’s involvement in her community was honored in a memorial service attended by over 300 people, who loved and recognized her creative and humble spirit.
- Her daughter Dawn Schoenherz-Rigoni is now married to a filmmaker and has a son. Dawn lives in Austria.
