Dennis Farina

Dennis Farina (February 29, 1944 – July 22, 2013) was an American actor and former Chicago police officer. He was known for his role as Detective Joe Fontana on "Law &amp; Order". Farina was also in "Get Shorty", "Manhunter", "Eddie", and "Saving Private Ryan".
Early life.
Farina was born on February 29, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. He was of Sicilian descent. Farina was a police officer from 1967 through 1985.
Career.
Farina became an actor in 1981 as Carl in "Thief". He would later appear in 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".
Law &amp; Order.
The producers of the long-running television series "Law &amp; 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 &amp; Order" to work on other projects.
Personal life.
Farina was married to Patricia Farina from 1970 until they divorced in 1980. They had three children. Farina was arrested on May 11, 2008, for carrying a loaded .22 caliber pistol through Los Angeles International Airport security. On July 17, 2009, the judge in his case dismissed the charge and erased it from Farina's otherwise clean record.
Death.
Farina died on July 22, 2013 in a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona, from a pulmonary embolism. He was 69 years old. Farina is buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.