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Dennis Farina

Birth Name:
Dennis Farina
Birth Place:
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Profession
Actor, Soundtrack, Producer
Dennis Farina

Fast Facts

  • In addition to his American Comedy Award for his comedic role in "Get Shorty," he was presented in 2011 with the Commitment to Chicago Award
  • Born and raised in a Chicago neighborhood as the seventh child of two Italian immigrants
  • Died at the age of 69 in a Scottsdale, Ariz․, hospital after suffering a blood clot in his long
  • Had an interest in acting after working as a police consultant for director Michael Mann, and was casted in the film "Thief․"
  • Quote: "One of the funny things in life to me is a guy who takes himself very seriously․"
  • Quote: "If I'm characterized as a character actor, that's fine with me․ Whatever they want to call me is fine․ In the kind of roles I do, you can do them and walk away from it and have a really nice time․"
  • Quote: "Some people approach acting with all these things in their head, making it more complicated than it needs to be, way too cerebral․ I don't want to know that an actor lived in a cave for 12 days so he could prepare for a part․"
  • As a result of being a police officer before his acting career, he was known to play police officers and mobster-type characters
  • He is best recognized for his "Law & Order" character, Detective Joe Fantana
  • Known as a character actor who could be both charming and tough
  • Shortly before passing away, he completed filming on the comedy film "Lucky Stiff․"
  • While acting in "Thief," he was also working as a police officer and a security guard to supplement his income
  • Prior to acting, he served for the Chicago Police Department in the burglary division for 18 years
  • Only celebrated his real birthday every four years, as it fell on Leap Day

Awards

  • 1996Actor - Outstanding Performance by a Cast:Nominated
  • 1996American Comedy Award - Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture:Winner
  • 1997Stinker Award - Worst On-Screen Couple:Nominated
  • 2013OFTA Television Award - Best Guest Actor in a Comedy Series:Nominated
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