Dennis Farina
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| Dennis Farina | |
|---|---|
| Image:Dennis Farina by David Shankbone.jpg | |
| Birth name | Dennis Farina |
| Born | February 29 1944 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Spouse(s) | Patricia Farina (1970-1980) 3 Children |
Dennis Farina[1] (born February 29, 1944) is an American film and television actor. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or cop.
Contents |
[edit] Biography
[edit] Early life
Farina was born in Chicago, Illinois to Italian American parents Yolanda, a homemaker, and Joseph Farina, a doctor.[2][3] He was raised in a large family and had three brothers and three sisters.
[edit] Career
Farina began his work in show business working for director Michael Mann as a police consultant on Mann's early works. This led to an interest in acting when Mann cast him in a small role in the 1981 film Thief. Farina proceeded to moonlight as an actor in the Chicago theater scene before Mann chose him for his Crime Story series. Farina played the mobster Albert Lombard in Michael Mann's other television show Miami Vice.
One of his most well-known movie characters is Jimmy Serrano, the mob boss from Midnight Run. Other movies in Farina's filmography include Manhunter, Striking Distance, Another Stakeout, Get Shorty, Saving Private Ryan, Big Trouble, Snatch, The Mod Squad and Out of Sight. He has also acted opposite Bette Midler in the romantic comedy That Old Feeling. In early 2005 Farina provided the voice of aging boxer-turned-superhero Wildcat on Justice League Unlimited.
Farina starred as Det. Joe Fontana on NBC's long-running television series Law & Order from 2004 to 2006. In May 2006, it was announced that Farina was leaving Law & Order to pursue other projects.
His role of Lt. Mike Torello on Crime Story was as a Chicago police officer. Farina's Law & Order character, Joe Fontana, worked for Chicago Homicide before his transfer to the NYPD. As is common on Law & Order, Fontana shares a number of other characteristics with the actor who plays him: they hail from the same Chicago neighborhood, attended the same parochial school, and have the same tastes in both clothes and music (Dean Martin).
[edit] Personal life
Farina is the father of three sons: Dennis, Joseph and Michael, from his first marriage. He was an officer of the Chicago Police Department serving from 1967 to 1985. When Farina quit the force, he became a detective. He has one granddaughter, Bryona and three grandsons Michael, Matthew and Eric. Dennis is a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and played an avid fan alongside Dennis Franz in the play "The Bleacher Bums" for a few years.
[edit] Filmography
[edit] Television
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
| 1981 | Thief | Carl | |
| 1983 | Through Naked Eyes | Patrolman | |
| 1984 | Hard Knox | ||
| 1985 | Final Jeopardy | Policeman# 2 | |
| Remington Steele | Cop | Episode: Steele Trying | |
| Hunter | Vic Terranova | Episode: The Snow Queen Part 1 Episode: The Snow Queen Part 2 | |
| Hardcastle and McCormick | Ed Coley | Episode: Undercover McCormick | |
| The Killing Floor | Supervisor | ||
| 1986 | Crime Story | Lt. Mike Torello | |
| Triplecross | Veteran Cop, Ernie | ||
| Lady Blue | Joe Kaufman | Episode: Sylvie | |
| The Birthday Boy | |||
| 1987 | Six Against the Rock | Robert Stroud | |
| 1986-1988 | Crime Story | Lt. Mike Torello | |
| 1988 | Open Admissions | Fred | |
| 1989 | The Case of the Hillside Stranglers | Angelo Buono | |
| China Beach | Lt. Col. Edward Edward Vincent | Episode: All About E.E.V. | |
| 1984-1989 | Miami Vice | Albert Lombard | Episode: One Eyed Jack Episode: Lombard Episode: World of Trouble |
| 1990 | People Like Us | Elias Renthall | |
| Blind Faith | Prosecutor Kelly | ||
| 1992 | Tales from the Crypt | Antoine | Episode: Werewolf Concerto |
| Cruel Doubt | Tom Brereton | ||
| Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel | Mike Cerone | ||
| 1993 | A Stranger in the Mirror | ||
| The Disappearance of Nora | Denton | ||
| 1994 | The Corpse Had a Familiar Face | Detective Harry Lindstrom | |
| One Woman's Courage | Craig McKenna | ||
| 1995 | Perfect Crimes | Armando Zarro | |
| Bonanza: Under Attack | Charley Siringo | ||
| Out of Annie's Past | Charlie Ingle | ||
| 1997 | Bella Mafia | Don Roberto Luciano | |
| 1998 | Buddy Faro | Buddy Faro | |
| 2002-2003 | In-Laws | Victor Pellet | |
| 2005 | Empire Falls | Walt Comeau | |
| Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Det. Joe Fontana | Episode: Skeleton | |
| Justice League Unlimited | Wildcat | Episode: The Cat and the Canary | |
| 2004-2006 | Law & Order | Det. Joe Fontana |
[edit] References
- ^ His name is sometimes given as Donaldo Guglielmo Farina. However, this is incorrect - it has never been his name.
- ^ http://www.cigaraficionado.com/Cigar/CA_Profiles/People_Profile/0,2540,49,00.html
- ^ http://www.filmreference.com/film/59/Dennis-Farina.html
[edit] External links
- Dennis Farina at the Internet Movie Database
- Dennis Farina at Yahoo! Movies
- Dennis Farina - Hollywood.comde:Dennis Farina
fr:Dennis Farina gl:Dennis Farina no:Dennis Farina pl:Dennis Farina sv:Dennis Farina
