Spencer Lofranco | Source: Getty Images
Spencer Lofranco, Star of ‘Gotti’ and ‘Jamesy Boy,’ Dies at 33
He was handsome, talented, and on the brink of a comeback — but now, the Canadian actor’s life has been tragically cut short, leaving behind more questions than answers.
Spencer Lofranco — best known for his intense turns in “Jamesy Boy” and “Gotti” — died suddenly on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at just 33 years old.
Spencer Lofranco attends the “King Cobra” premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival at Regal Battery Park 11 on April 16, 2016, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
While fans reel in disbelief, officials in British Columbia have launched an active investigation into the cause of his untimely death, which remains undetermined.
Adding to the haunting silence, Spencer’s brother, Santino Lofranco, confirmed the devastating news via an emotional Instagram post — only to later make his account private, scrubbing the heartfelt tribute from public view. Their father, Rocco Lofranco, a prominent personal injury attorney in Toronto, has yet to make a statement.
Spencer Lofranco attends “The Cinema Society” screening of DreamWorks Studios’ “People Like Us” on June 25, 2012, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
But behind the flashes of the paparazzi and the shimmer of his on-screen success, Spencer’s life was anything but picture-perfect. Born on October 18, 1992, in Toronto, Ontario, Spencer was the son of opera singer Amy Lofranco and attorney Rocco (Rocky) C. Lofranco.
His parents divorced when he was still a child, and he and his older brother, Santino, were raised in Thornhill, Ontario. From ninth to twelfth grade, Spencer attended military school, a far cry from the glamorous industry he’d one day enter.
Actor Spencer Lofranco attends Angeleno’s Issue release party on April 12, 2016, in West Hollywood, California | Source: Getty Images
“My mom growing up was a dancer, an opera singer, and she also did acting,” Spencer told Interview Magazine in January 2014. “Growing up, sometimes my mom would take me to auditions and I would sit in the waiting room with her.”
But not everyone in the family supported his theatrical leanings. “My dad didn’t want me to be an actor; he wanted me to be a hockey player and become a lawyer. That didn’t happen,” expressed Spencer.
Spencer Lofranco attends the “King Cobra” premiere with fellow actors at Regal Battery Park 11 on April 16, 2016, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
Despite a childhood spent in waiting rooms, it wasn’t until age 17 that Spencer fully realized acting was his true calling. “I was always a funny guy, always trying to make people laugh and always the center of attention,” he shared with Interview Magazine.
“I guess I was being an actor my whole life. I finally realized what I was doing and it was just getting me in trouble. I went to summer acting classes. Then I did a year conservatory at New York Film Academy and then that’s when I got ‘Jamesy Boy,'” added Spencer.
Spencer Lofranco is pictured at the “Gotti” premiere on June 14, 2018, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
Before that breakout, however, Spencer made his feature debut in the 2013 indie romantic comedy “At Middleton,” starring alongside Andy García and Vera Farmiga.
He played Conrad Hartman, a high school senior touring a college campus. The film premiered at the Seattle International Film Festival, putting him on the radar of casting directors.
Spencer Lofranco is seen at the “People Like Us” screening, circa June 25, 2012 | Source: Getty Images
His first starring role came in 2014’s “Jamesy Boy,” where he portrayed James Burns, a teen navigating life between juvenile detention and redemption.
The same year, he appeared as Harry Brooks in Angelina Jolie’s searing World War II drama “Unbroken,” opposite Mary-Louise Parker, Domhnall Gleeson, and Ving Rhames.
Mary-Louise Parker and Spencer Lofranco attend the Contentmode HopeNorth benefit at The Jane Hotel on April 19, 2012, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
More gritty roles followed: the thriller “Home,” Southern drama “Dixieland” (which premiered at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival), and 2016’s controversial biopic “King Cobra,” centered on the life of gay adult film actor Sean Paul Lockhart.
Spencer Lofranco is pictured at the Tribeca Film Festival, on April 16, 2016 | Source: Getty Images
Then came “Gotti” in 2018 — Spencer’s final on-screen performance — where he starred alongside John Travolta and Kelly Preston as John Gotti Jr., the reluctant heir to a criminal empire. The role should’ve launched him into the next tier of Hollywood. But behind the scenes, things were falling apart.
Just months after the release of “Gotti,” fans were stunned to discover Spencer living homeless on the Venice Beach boardwalk with his dog.
Spencer Lofranco attends the “Gotti” premiere on June 14, 2018, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
In a June 2018 YouTube video filmed by content creator Brennen Taylor, Spencer revealed, “I do art out here.” While he tried to remain upbeat, his words told a deeper story of survival and solitude. “You’re like fully exposed because everyone’s always walking around… There’s no privacy. It’s like if you lived in a glass house.”
But Spencer’s fall from grace may have started years earlier — in August 2013, when he was involved in a devastating hit-and-run.
Mary-Louise Parker and Spencer Lofranco share a hug at The Jane Hotel on April 19, 2012, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
According to CBS News, Spencer struck bicyclist Camille Banham with his SUV, leaving her with a broken hip and multiple fractures. He got out of the vehicle, apologized, and then fled the scene.
In a harrowing statement at his sentencing, Camille said, “I used to call what happened to me an accident, and it would’ve been an accident if Spencer had stayed and helped me after he got out of his car and saw me injured on the side of the road, but instead he chose to leave me.”
The judge increased Spencer’s sentence from 10 to 50 days of community service, added two years of probation, and ordered him to pay $161,000 in restitution.
RJ Mitte and Spencer Lofranco attend the “King Cobra” cast dinner on April 15, 2016, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
His defense attorney, Michael Levin, argued that the young actor was panicked, not malicious. “It was an accident. The crime here was not leaving his identification at the scene. That’s not what injured her, and for that reason you have to look at not so much the injuries as you have to look at what happened after and what happened after does not make him a monster.”
Even as his world unraveled, Spencer remained earnest in his devotion to storytelling. “I want to do real-life, candid films,” he told Interview. “I don’t want to be thrown into anything that could jeopardize my career. I want to be wise about what I choose.” He named Sean Penn, Leonardo DiCaprio, and River Phoenix as actors whose careers he hoped to emulate.
Spencer Lofranco is seen on April 15, 2016, in New York City. | Source: Getty Images
But his own story would end far too soon — not with a comeback, but with an unanswered tragedy, a brother’s silent tribute, and a legacy still haunted by promise and pain.
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