Law and Order actor Dennis Farina dies at 69

 

 Farina's many films included Saving Private Ryan, Snatch and Get Shorty

Dennis Farina, the "tough guy" US actor who was a Chicago policeman for years before entering show business, has died at the age of 69.

He died in Scottsdale, Arizona, after developing a blood clot in his lung, publicist Lori De Waal said.
Farina was best known for his role as Det Joe Fontana on New York-based police show Law and Order.
He also appeared as a mobster in action comedies Midnight Run (1988) and Get Shorty (1995).
Actress Zooey Deschanel, with whom Farina worked on the US sitcom New Girl, said she had been "lucky to have witnessed his charm and brilliance".

He appeared in three seasons of Law and Order as Detective Joe Fontana

Actor John Cusack was among others to pay homage, remembering his fellow Illinoisan as a "great guy and a real Chicago character".
Former Cheers star Kirstie Alley said he had been "an awesome actor and person", while Denis Leary called him a "good cop, [a] great actor [and an] even better human being".
The current superintendent of the Chicago Police Force also paid tribute, saying he would "always be first and foremost a guy from the Near North Side who helped make this city safer".