Dennis Farina

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. He actually got his start working for director Michael Mann as a police consultant on his early works, which lead 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.

Trivia

• His role on Crime Story was as a Chicago police officer. Prior to becoming an actor, he was a member of the Chicago police department.
• His birthday falls on February 29, which only occurs in Leap years.