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Dennis Farina Dead at 69

Photo: Patrick McMullan

Actor Dennis Farina died this morning in Scottsdale, Arizona, from a pulmonary embolism, his publicist tells the AP. He was 69.

Farina was a Chicago police officer for almost twenty years before he became an actor. He got his big break in 1981’s Thief, which is where he met Michael Mann; Mann would later cast Farina as the lead in Crime Story and in a recurring role on Miami Vice, and the two reunited to work on HBO’s Luck in in 2012. Farina was the first person to play Jack Crawford in the Hannibal Lecter franchise in 1986’s Manhunter, and he played several other law enforcement officers over the course of his career, including a two-season stint as Detective Joe Fontana on Law & Order. His other credits include Midnight Run, Get Shorty, Out of Sight, Snatch, and Saving Private Ryan. His most recent role was as Nick’s father on New Girl.

Dennis Farina Dead at 69