Abel Franco; Film Actor, Pasadena High School Drama Teacher

Abel Franco, 77, actor and former Pasadena High School drama teacher. Franco, who grew up in El Paso and East Los Angeles, had never intended to remain a teacher. He began as a substitute, but his students found him so inspiring that they petitioned the administration to make him a permanent teacher. Franco wound up teaching drama for 26 years at Pasadena High, retiring in 1988 to devote full time to acting and writing. He appeared in television commercials and several movies, including “Three Amigos” in 1986, “Death of an Angel” in 1985, “El Norte” in 1983 and “Zoot Suit” in 1981. Many of his students went on to successful careers in Hollywood, including actor Kevin Tighe, who once described his former mentor as “very hip. . . . He had lots of soul.” Pasadena High named its little theater after him. On June 15 at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena of complications from a stroke.