Entertainment

Dennis Farina, star of 'Law & Order,' dead at 69

Monday, July 22, 2013

FILE - In this Jan. 25, 2012 file photo, Dennis Farina arrives at the premiere for the HBO television series "Luck" in Los Angeles. Farina died suddenly on Monday, July 22, 2013, in Scottsdale, AZriz., after suffering a blood clot in his lung. He was 69. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

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Associated Press

SCOTTSDALE, Ariz. (AP) - July 22, 2013 (WPVI) -- Dennis Farina, a former Chicago cop who as a popular actor played a cop on "Law & Order," has died.

Lori De Waal, his representative, says Farina died Monday morning in a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital after suffering a blood clot in his lung. He was 69.

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Born Feb. 29, 1944, in Chicago, he was a city police officer before turning to acting in his late 30s.

Farina appeared in films including "Get Shorty," ''Saving Private Ryan" and "Midnight Run."

Among his many TV portrayals was Det. Joe Fontana on "Law & Order." He starred in the 1980s cult favorite, "Crime Story" and most recently was in the HBO drama series "Luck."