Law & Order's Dennis Farina Dead at 69

Was a real cop before playing one on TV
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Jul 22, 2013 2:30 PM CDT
Law & Order 's Dennis Farina Dead at 69
Joan Allen, Dustin Hoffman, John Ortiz and Dennis Farina are shown in a scene from HBO's "Luck." Farina died suddenly on Monday, July 22, 2013 after suffering a blood clot in his lung.   (Gusmano Cesaretti)

Dennis Farina, a onetime real Chicago cop who as a popular actor also played a cop on Law & Order, has died. Farina died this morning in a Scottsdale, Arizona, hospital after suffering a blood clot in his lung, according to his publicist, Lori De Waal. He was 69. Born Feb. 29, 1944, in Chicago, Farina was a city detective before he found his way into the acting profession as he neared his forties. For three decades, Farina was a character actor who made effective use of his craggy face, steel-gray hair, ivory smile and ample mustache.

Among his many TV portrayals was Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order during the 2004 to 2006 seasons. He also starred in the 1980s cult favorite Crime Story and was a regular in the 2011-12 HBO drama Luck. Farina appeared in films including Get Shorty, Saving Private Ryan, Midnight Run, and Out Of Sight. He recently completed shooting a comedy, Lucky Stiff. (More Law & Order stories.)

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