Dennis Farina

Dennis Farina (February 29, 1944 – July 22, 2013) was an American actor of film and television and former Chicago police officer. He was a character actor, often typecastas a mobster or police officer. His most known film roles are those of mobster Jimmy Serrano in the comedy Midnight Run and Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty. He starred on television as Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order. His latest TV role was in HBO's Luck, which premiered on January 29, 2012.

Early life

Farina was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Sicilian-American parents Iolanda, a homemaker, and Joseph Farina, a Sicilian immigrant doctor. He was raised in a large family and has three brothers and three sisters.

Before becoming an actor, Farina served 18 years in the Chicago Police Department's burglary division, from 1967 to 1985.

Career in show business

Farina began his work in show business working for director Michael Mann as a police consultant, which subsequently 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 theChicago 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.

Two of his most well-known movie characters are Jimmy Serrano, the mob boss fromMidnight Run, and Ray "Bones" Barboni, a rival criminal of Chili Palmer's in Get Shorty. He also played FBI Agent Jack Crawford in the first Hannibal Lecter crime film, Michael Mann's Manhunter.

Other movies in Farina's filmography include Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan (as Army Lieutenant Colonel Walter Anderson), Striking Distance, Another Stakeout, Little Big League, Snatch, The Mod Squad, Big Trouble and Out of Sight. He co-starred with Bette Midler in the romantic comedy That Old Feeling.

Farina has demonstrated quite a flair for comedy. He won an American Comedy Award for his performance in Get Shorty and starred in a television sitcom, In-Laws, from 2002-03. He had a comic role opposite Ed Harris and Helen Hunt in the HBO production ofEmpire Falls in 2005 and opposite Alan Rickman in 2008's Bottle Shock.

In early 2005, Farina provided the voice of aging boxer-turned-superhero Wildcat on Justice League Unlimited.

The producers of the long-running television series Law & Order hired Farina as Det. Joe Fontana after the retirement of Jerry Orbach's character Lennie Briscoe. Farina stayed with the show for two years, but his character was not as popular with viewers as Orbach's Lennie Briscoe had been. As a result, in May 2006, it was announced that Farina was leaving Law & Order to pursue other projects, including 2007's You Kill Me opposite Ben Kingsley and 2008's What Happens in Vegas with Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher.

His role of Detective Lt. Mike Torello on Crime Story was as a Chicago police officer, who was later seconded to the U.S. Justice Department. 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.

In October 2008, Farina became the new host of Unsolved Mysteries when it returned to television with a new five-season, 175-episode run on Spike TV. Farina replaced Robert Stack, who had hosted the series for its entire original 15-year run before his death in 2003. The series would include re-edited segments from previous incarnations on NBC, CBS, and Lifetime (all originally hosted by Stack) as well as several new original stories.

Farina played the title role in a 2011 independent film, The Last Rites of Joe May, written and directed by Joe Maggio, shot on location in Chicago.

He co-starred in the 2012 HBO horse-race gambling series Luck, with Dustin Hoffman, directed by Michael Mann. He also had a recurring guest role in 2013 in the television comedy series New Girl.

Personal life

Farina in May 2007

Farina was married to Patricia Farina from 1970 until their divorce in 1980. They have three sons: Dennis Jr, Michael, and Joseph. His youngest son, Joseph, is also an actor. He has two granddaughters, Brianna and Olivia, and four grandsons: Michael, Tyler, Matthew, and Eric.

Farina was a lifelong Chicago Cubs fan and played an avid fan in a 1988 revival of the successful 1977 Organic Theater Company stage play The Bleacher Bums which was written by and starred fellow Chicago actors Joe Mantegna and Dennis Franz.

Arrest

Farina was arrested on May 11, 2008, for carrying a loaded .22 caliber pistol through Los Angeles International Airport security. Farina was taken to LAPD's Pacific Division and booked on suspicion of carrying a concealed weapon, and bail was set at $25,000. He claimed he had simply forgotten the weapon was still in his briefcase and had never intended to take it on a plane. After police determined the weapon was unregistered, the charges were upgraded to a felony and bail was increased to $35,000.

On July 17, 2008, after reaching a plea agreement with prosecutors, Farina pleaded no contest and was sentenced to two years' probation. On July 17, 2009, the judge in his case dismissed the charge and expunged it from Farina's otherwise clean record.[citation needed]

Death

Mr. Farina died on July 22, 2013 in a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona after suffering a blood clot in his lung.

Filmography

Film Year Film Role Notes 1981 Thief Carl   1985 Code of Silence Dorato portrayed CPD officer-filmed in Chicago 1986 Jo Jo Dancer, Your Life Is Calling Freddy   Manhunter Jack Crawford   1988 Midnight Run Jimmy Serrano   1990 Men of Respect Bankie Como   1992 We're Talking Serious Money Sal   Mac Mr. Stunder   Street Crimes Brian   1993 Another Stakeout Brian O'Hara   Romeo Is Bleeding Nick Gazzara Uncredited Role Striking Distance Capt. Nick Detillo   1994 Little Big League George O'Farrell   1995 Get Shorty Ray "Bones" Barboni   1996 Eddie Coach John Bailey   1997 That Old Feeling Dan De Mora   1998 Out of Sight Marshall Sisco   Saving Private Ryan Lt. Col. Walter Anderson   1999 The Mod Squad Capt. Adam Greer   2000 Reindeer Games Jack Bangs   Preston Tylk Dick Muller   Snatch Abraham "Avi" Denovitz   2001 Sidewalks of New York Carpo   2002 Big Trouble Henry Desalvo   Stealing Harvard Mr. Warner   2004 Paparazzi Det. Burton   Scrambled Eggs Dr. Carlson Short film 2007 You Kill Me Edward O'Leary   Purple Violets Gilmore   National Lampoon's Bag Boy Marty Engstrom   2008 The Grand L.B.J. Deuce Fairbanks   Bottle Shock Maurice   What Happens in Vegas Banger   2010 Knucklehead Memphis Earl   2011 Last Rites of Joe May Joe May   Television Year Title Role Notes 1983 Through Naked Eyes Patrolman ABC TV-Movie 1984 Hard Knox April NBC TV-Movie/TV-Pilot 1984–1989 Miami Vice Albert Lombard Episode: One Eyed Jack Episode: Lombard Episode: "World of Trouble" 1985 American Playhouse Supervisor Episode: "The Killing Floor" Hardcastle and McCormick Ed Coley Episode: "Undercover McCormick" Hunter Vic Terranova Episode: "The Snow Queen" 1 & 2 Remington Steele Cop Episode: "Steele Trying" Final Jeopardy Policeman #2 NBC TV-Movie 1986 The Birthday Boy   Short TV-Movie Jack and Mike   Episode: Pilot Lady Blue Joe Kaufman Episode: "Sylvie" Triplecross Ernie (Veteran Cop) ABC TV-Movie 1986–1988 Crime Story Lt. Mike Torello 44 episodes 1987 Six Against the Rock Robert Stroud NBC TV-Movie 1988 Open Admissions Fred CBS TV-Movie 1989 China Beach Lt. Col. Edward Edward Vincent Episode: "All About E.E.V." The Case of the Hillside Stranglers Angelo Buono, Jr. NBC TV-Movie 1990 Blind Faith Prosecutor Kelly NBC TV-Movie People Like Us Elias Renthall NBC TV-Movie 1991 Perfect Crimes Armand Zaro NBC TV-Movie/Unsold TV-Pilot 1992 Drug Wars: The Cocaine Cartel Mike Cerone NBC TV-Movie Cruel Doubt Tom Bereton NBC Miniseries Tales from the Crypt Antoine Episode: "Werewolf Concerto" 1993 The Disappearance of Nora Denton CBS TV-Movie A Stranger in the Mirror   ABC TV-Movie 1994 One Woman's Courage Craig McKenna NBC TV-Movie The Corpse Had a Familiar Face Det. Harry Lindstrom CBS TV-Movie 1995 Out of Annie's Past Charlie Ingle TV-Movie Bonanza: Under Attack Charley Siringo NBC TV-Movie 1997 Bella Mafia Don Roberto Luciano CBS TV-Movie 1998 Buddy Faro Buddy Faro 13 episodes 2002–2003 In-Laws Victor Pellet 15 episodes 2004–2006 Law & Order Det. Joe Fontana 46 episodes 2005 Justice League Unlimited Wildcat Voice Role Episode: "The Cat and the Canary" Empire Falls Walt Comeau HBO Miniseries 2011–2012 Luck Gus Demitriou HBO 2012 New Girl Walt Miller FOX 2013 The Looney Tunes Show (TV series) Frank Russo (voice) Cartoon Network