Dennis Farina: Law & Order Star Dies Aged 69 Jul 23rd 2013, 00:56
Dennis Farina, the ex-cop who went on to play a police officer in Law & Order, has died at the age of 69.
His representative Lori De Waal said he died on Monday morning at a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, after suffering a blood clot in his lung.
Born in February 1944 in Chicago, Farina was a city police officer before turning to acting in his late 30s.
He started out with a small role in the Michael Mann film Thief, and went on to appear in films including Get Shorty, Saving Private Ryan and Midnight Run.
He played Detective Joe Fontana in Law & Order, and before that he starred in the 1980s period police drama Crime Story, produced by Mann.
He also played a private detective in the short-lived series Buddy Faro.
In recent years he co-starred in the HBO drama Luck, another Mann project, and guest-starred on New Girl, where he played the father to Jake Johnson's Nick.
In a statement, Law & Order executive producer Dick Wolf said: "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."
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