Franco was born in Palo Alto, California, the son of Betsy (née Verne), a poet, author and editor, and Doug Franco (1948-2011), who met as students at Stanford University. His maternal grandmother, Mitzi Levine Verne, runs the Verne Art Gallery, a prominent art gallery in Cleveland. Franco's father was of Portuguese and Swedish descent and Franco's mother is Jewish, a descendant of immigrants from Russia. Dave grew up in California with his two brothers, Tom Franco and Hollywood actor James Franco.
In 2006 Franco made his acting debut on The CW Drama television series "7th Heaven." He has since appeared in television shows such as Do Not Disturb and Young Justice. Franco has also had noticeable roles in films such as "Superbad," "Charlie St. Cloud" and "The Shortcut." He had been cast in The CW Teen Drama television series "Privileged." Franco was cast in an initial major recurring role. The CW did not renew the series for a second season due to low ratings.
Later on, Variety announced Franco was cast in a regular role for the ninth season of the ABC Sitcom series "Scrubs." Franco portrayed the role of Cole Aaronson, a medical student, whose family paid a large sum of money to Sacred Heart Hospital to receive an internship. His other screen credits include "Fright Night" and "21 Jump Street."
It was announced in 2012 that he is cast in the movie "Now You See Me." It is scheduled to be in theaters sometime this year.
