Donaldo Guglielmo "Dennis" Farina (born February 29, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois) is an Italian-American film and television actor, starring since 2004 as Detective Joe Fontana on NBC's Law & Order. He is a character actor, often typecast as a mobster or police officer—the latter an appropriate choice, as Farina was an officer of the Chicago Police Department serving from 1967 to 1985. When Farina quit the force, he was a detective.
Farina was born in Chicago to a large Italian family and had two brothers and three sisters. He is divorced and currently has a 'companion'. He is father of three sons, Dennis, Joseph and Michael, from his first marriage.
Farina actually got his start working for director Michael Mann as a police consultant on his early works, which led to an interest in acting when Mann cast him in a small role. Farina proceeded to moonlight as an actor in the Chicago theater scene before Mann chose him for his Crime Story series.
Other movies in Farina's filmography include Manhunter, Midnight Run, Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Saving Private Ryan, Big Trouble, Snatch, and The Mod Squad.
Television police drama starring two female cops as partners. Their contrasting personalities (one is tough and the other sensitive) strengthen them as a team, allowing e...
David Garrison (born June 30, 1952) is an American actor, who played the character Steve Rhoades on the television show Married with Children from 1987 to 1990.