About Dennis Farina
Donaldo Gugliermo "Dennis" Farina (February 29, 1944 – July 22, 2013) was an American actor and Chicago police detective. Known for his roles as mobsters or police officers, his involvement in the entertainment industry began through his association with filmmaker Michael Mann, who employed Farina as an actor and technical advisor. After supporting parts in Mann's films Thief (1981) and Manhunter (1986), he was cast in the lead role of Lieutenant Mike Torello on the NBC television series Crime Story, produced by Mann. Farina's other notable roles included New York City Police Department Detective Joe Fontana in seasons 15 and 16 of Law & Order (2004–2006), Jimmy Serrano in Midnight Run, Ray "Bones" Barboni in Get Shorty, Abraham "Cousin Avi" Denovitz in Snatch, Walt Miller on New Girl, and Gus Demitriou on HBO's Luck. He also worked as a stage actor with the Steppenwolf Theater Company in Chicago. == Early life and police career == Farina was born on a leap day (February 29, 1944) in Chicago's Old Town neighborhood, the fourth son and youngest of the seven children of Joseph and Yolanda Farina. Farina's father, who was from Villalba, Sicily, was a Chicago-area doctor, and his mother a homemaker. They raised their children in a North Avenue home in Old Town, a working-class neighborhood with a broad ethnic mixture, with Italians and Germans the predominant ethnicities. Before becoming an actor, Farina served three years (from 1962 to 1965) in the United States Army during the Vietnam Era, followed by 18 years in the Chicago Police Department (1967 to 1985), during which he advanced from patrolman to detective. == Acting career == === Stage performances === In 1982, while still working as a detective, he made his stage debut in the Steppenwolf Theater Company production of A Prayer for My Daughter, directed by John Malkovich.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.