Dennis Farina, a former police officer who became a star of LAW & ORDER, died today at the age of 69, his publicist Lori De Waal confirmed.Farina died Monday morning in a Scottsdale, Arizona, hospital after suffering a blood clot in his lung. He was 69.
Born February 29, 1944, in Chicago, he was a city police officer before turning to acting in his late 30s.
Farina appeared in films including Get Shorty, Saving Private Ryan and Midnight Run.
Among his many TV portrayals was Det. Joe Fontana on LAW & ORDER. He also starred in the 1980s cult favorite, CRIME STORY and most recently was in the HBO drama series LUCK.