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Midnight Run star Dennis Farina dies at 69
Chicago-born former detective played a host of Hollywood tough guys.
Dennis Farina, star of 'Law & Order', has died at the age of 69.
The Chicago-born, Italian-American actor, who was a real-life police detective in the city before turning to acting in his late 30s, passed away in Scottsdale, Arizona, after suffering a blood clot on his lung.
The 'Law & Order' star - he played Detective Joe Montana - made his move into acting after working as police consultant for director Michael Mann on the 1981 film 'Thief', in which he was given a small role.
He continued to moonlight on the city's theatre scene before Mann gave him his break on his series 'Crime Story'.
From there, Farina went on to play a host of big screen tough guys, notably mob boss Jimmy Serrano in 'Midnight Run' and Ray 'Bones' Barboni in 'Get Shorty', and then later Lieutenant Colonel Walter Anderson in 'Saving Private Ryan'.
He also appeared in Guy Ritchie's crime caper 'Snatch', and most recently in the HBO series 'Luck', alongside Dustin Hoffman.
[Gandolfini laid to rest in New York]
For three decades, Farina was a character actor who displayed remarkable dexterity, charm and toughness, making effective use of his craggy face, husky frame, ivory smile and ample mustache.
He could be as dapper as Fred Astaire and as full of threat as Clint Eastwood. His gift has been described as wry, tough-guy panache, and audiences loved him for it.
"Sometimes you can take those dramatic roles and maybe interject a little humour into them, and I think the reverse also works," he said in a 2007 interview with the Associated Press.
"One of the funny things in life to me is a guy who takes himself very seriously."
Born on February 29 1944, Farina was raised in a working-class neighborhood of Chicago, the seventh child of Italian immigrants.
After three years in the US Army, he served with the Chicago Police Department for 18 years, both as a uniformed officer (he was there for the 1968 Chicago riots) and a burglary detective, before he found his way into acting as he neared his 40s.
His publicist Lori De Waal said: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of a great actor and a wonderful man.
“Dennis Farina was always warmhearted and professional, with a great sense of humour and passion for his profession. He will be greatly missed by his family, friends and colleagues.”
'Law & Order' producer Dick Wolf added: “I was stunned and saddened to hear about Dennis' unexpected passing this morning.
“The Law & Order family extends sympathy and condolences to his family. He was a great guy.”
He is survived by Marianne Cahill, his wife of 35 years, three sons, and six grandchildren.
