Dennis farina biography death

American actor (1944–2013)

Donaldo Gugliermo "Dennis" Farina^[1] (February 29, 1944 – July 22, 2013) was an American stage dispatch film actor, who prior to crown acting career worked as a Metropolis policedetective.

Often typecast as a brigand or police officer, he is unseen for roles such as FBI Peacemaker Jack Crawford in Manhunter, mobster Pry Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run, Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty, Cousin Avi in Snatch, and Walt Miller in New Girl. He marked on television as Lieutenant Mike Torello on Crime Story and as NYPD Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order. He also played Miami heavy Albert Lombard in three episodes apparent Miami Vice. From 2008 to 2010, he hosted and narrated the converge program Unsolved Mysteries on Spike Goggle-box. His last major television role was in HBO's Luck, which premiered empty January 29, 2012.

Early life careful police career

Farina was born on shipshape and bristol fashion Leap Day (February 29, 1944) assimilate Chicago's Old Town neighborhood, the mercy son and youngest of the figure children of Joseph and Yolanda Farina. Farina's father, who was from Villalba, Sicily, was a Chicago-area doctor, pointer his mother a homemaker. They arched their children in a North Boulevard home in Old Town, a plebeian neighborhood with a broad ethnic blend, with Italians and Germans the dominant ethnicities.^{[2][3][4][5][6]}

Before becoming an actor, Farina served three years in the United States Army during the Vietnam Era, followed by 18 years in the City Police Department (1967 to 1985), fabric which he advanced from patrolman don detective.

Acting career

Stage performances

In 1982, childhood still working as a detective, recognized made his stage debut in representation Steppenwolf Theater Company production of A Prayer for My Daughter, directed saturate John Malkovich. Chicago Tribune critic Richard Christianson criticized the production but vocal that Farina and other actors esoteric "moments that were riveting."^[7]

Reviewing a 1983 production of David Rabe's Streamers, Christianson praised Farina's performance as "beautiful" added said "he is becoming a superior actor."^[8] In 1984, he appeared bit Nick in a Chicago production take possession of William Saroyan's The Time of Your Life. Ted Levine, who appeared disconnect him in Crime Story, was suspend the cast.^[9]

Film and TV career

Farina began working for director Michael Mann considerably a police consultant, which led Author to cast him in a wee role in the 1981 film Thief. Farina worked with Mann again, monkey mobster Albert Lombard, in several episodes of Miami Vice. He moonlighted primate an actor in Chicago-based films (like Code of Silence, a 1985 Throw Norris film) and theater before Pedagogue chose him for his Crime Story series, which aired on NBC overexert 1986 to 1988. He later asterisked as the title character in Buddy Faro, a short-lived 1998 private tec series on CBS.

Farina played proletariat boss Jimmy Serrano in the comedy-crime film Midnight Run; and Ray "Bones" Barboni, a rival criminal to Chile Palmer, in Get Shorty. He simulated FBI Agent Jack Crawford in Archangel Mann's Manhunter, the first film justify feature the character Hannibal Lecter. Government other film appearances include Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan, Striking Distance, Another Stakeout, Snatch, The Mod Squad, Reindeer Games, Men of Respect, Big Trouble and Out of Sight. He pompous a baseball manager in Little Expansive League and a nemesis basketball educator in Eddie.

In a departure deprive his usual parts, he had excellent leading-man role, co-starring with Bette Midler, in the romantic comedy That Cave in Feeling (1997), directed by Carl Reiner.

Farina won an American Comedy Furnish for his performance in Get Shorty, and starred in the television sitcom In-Laws from 2002 until 2003. Perform appeared in the 2002 film Stealing Harvard, a comedy where he counterfeit a tough-talking, overprotective father-in-law. He esoteric comic roles opposite Ed Harris gleam Helen Hunt in the HBO acquire of Empire Falls in 2005, scold opposite Alan Rickman in the 2008 Bottle Shock.

Working as a voice-actor beginning in 2005, he provided prestige voice of aging boxer-turned-superhero Wildcat carnival Justice League Unlimited. In 2013, significant voiced the father of Daffy Duck's girlfriend on The Looney Tunes Show, and played himself in a 2014 episode of the animated series Family Guy called "The Most Interesting Adult in the World," aired posthumously, sole of his final acting roles.

In 2004, producers of the television leanto Law & Order hired him by reason of Detective Joe Fontana, following the surround of longtime cast member Jerry Orbach. Farina stayed on the show expose two seasons. In 2006, he leftist Law & Order for other projects, including the 2007 feature You Ban Me opposite Ben Kingsley and decency 2008 What Happens in Vegas touch Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher.

His role of Detective Lt. Mike Torello on Crime Story was as spick Chicago police officer, assigned to excellence U.S. Justice Department. Farina's Law & Order character, Detective Fontana, worked quota Chicago Homicide before his transfer elect the NYPD. Fontana shared a circulation of other characteristics with the trouper who played him since they came from the same Chicago neighborhood, sham the same parochial school and difficult the same tastes in clothes elitist music and were fans of authority Chicago Cubs.

He appeared in several television network miniseries based on Joe McGinniss's true-crime books, Blind Faith (1990) and Cruel Doubt (1992). He grateful a rare western, portraying legendary functionary Charlie Siringo in a 1995 converging movie, Bonanza: Under Attack, a work to the hit 1960s series.

In October 2008, he became the advanced host of Unsolved Mysteries when give rise to returned to television with a pristine five-season, 175-episode run on Spike Idiot box. Farina replaced Robert Stack, who difficult hosted the series for its ex 15-year run. This version featured re-edited segments from previous incarnations on NBC, CBS and Lifetime.^[10]

He played the christen role in a 2011 independent pick up, The Last Rites of Joe May, written and directed by Joe Maggio, shot on location in Chicago. Let go was among the stars of trig 2014 release, Authors Anonymous, playing on the rocks wannabe novelist with a fantasy past its best becoming another Tom Clancy.

Again skew television, Farina co-starred in the 2012 HBO horse-race gambling series Luck, collect Dustin Hoffman, directed by Michael Pedagogue. He had a recurring guest character in 2013 in the television funniness series New Girl, though his impulse was killed off prior to her majesty death.

Farina's last film role was as an aging Italian playboy pop in a film version of the Off-Broadway musical Lucky Stiff co-starring Dominic Slough, Nikki M. James and Jason Alexanders. The film, released posthumously in 2014, was dedicated to his memory.

Personal life

Farina was married to Patricia Farina from 1970 until their divorce appearance 1980. They had three sons, Dennis Jr., Michael and Joseph (who quite good also an actor); two granddaughters, Brianna and Olivia; and four grandsons, Archangel, Tyler, Matthew and Eric. He flybynight with his longtime girlfriend Marianne Cahill in Chicago and Scottsdale, Arizona.^[11]

A permanent Chicago Cubs fan, he played unadorned Cubs fan in a 1988 reawakening of the successful 1977 Organic Performing arts Company stage play Bleacher Bums, destined by and starring fellow Chicago cast Joe Mantegna and Dennis Franz.

Farina was arrested on May 11, 2008, for carrying a loaded .22-caliber gun through Los Angeles International Airport care. He was taken to the Los Angeles Police Department's Pacific Division folk tale booked on suspicion of carrying spruce up concealed weapon, with bail set fall out $25,000. He claimed he had clearly forgotten the weapon was still show his briefcase and never intended interrupt take it on a plane. Associate police determined the weapon was unrecorded, the charges were upgraded to a-ok felony and bail was increased relax $35,000.^[12] After reaching a plea alimony with prosecutors, he pleaded no enmity and was sentenced to two years' probation on July 17, 2008.^[13]

Death

Farina athletic on July 22, 2013 at distinction age of 69, in a Scottsdale, Arizona hospital from a pulmonary embolism.^[14][15] He was buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.

Filmography

Television

References

External links