Born:
February 29, 1944
in
Chicago
Best Known For:
Law & Order.
Early-life:
Dennis Farina was born in Chicago on February 29, 1944, to Italian-American parents. He was raised in a large family alongside three brothers and three sisters. Farina served 18 years as a policeman in Chicago before becoming an actor. He began his career in showbusiness working for director Michael Mann as a police consultant on Mann's early works. This led to an interest in acting and he was cast in a small role in the 1981 film Thief. Farina proceeded to moonlight as an actor in the Chicago theatre scene before Mann chose him for his Crime Story series.
Career:
Farina went on to become a famous face in film, often as a mobster or police officer. One of his most well-known movie characters was Jimmy Serrano, the mob boss from Midnight Run. Other movies in his filmography included Manhunter, Striking Distance, Another Stakeout, Get Shorty, Saving Private Ryan, Snatch and Out of Sight. He starred as Det Joe Fontana on long-running TV series Law & Order from 2004 to 2006.After leaving the crime drama, he starred in a number of films, including What Happens in Vegas and Knucklehead. He died on July 22, 2013 at the age of 69.
Quote:
'Some people approach acting with all these things in their head, making it more complicated than it needs to be, way too cerebral. I don't want to know that an actor lived in a cave for 12 days so that he could prepare for a part.'
Trivia:
Farina was the father of three sons, Dennis, Michael and Joseph, from his 10-year marriage to Patricia, which ended in divorce in 1980.