Dennis Farina was born on 29 February 1944, in Chicago, Illinois USA, to Yolanda Donati and Joseph Farina, of Italian descent. He was an actor and former police officer, best known for his roles in the film “Get Shorty”, and in the television series “Law & Order”. He passed away in 2013.
So just how rich was Dennis Farina? According to sources in mid-2016, Farina had established a net worth of over $8 million, the main source of his wealth having been his acting career.
Dennis Farina Net Worth $8 Million
Farina was raised in an Italian household, along with his six siblings. After his matriculation, he joined the US Army. Three years later, he began working as a police officer in the Chicago Police Department’s burglary division, a position he would hold for 18 years. While on the force, Farina was hired by director Michael Mann to work as a police consultant for his 1981 film “Thief”, and Farina also had a small part in the film, which was his entrance into the acting world. He left his job as a police officer and began performing in Chicago theater, continuing his collaboration with Mann in the director’s next projects during the 80s, such as the hit television series “Miami Vice” and “Crime Story”, and the film “Manhunter”. His net worth was well established.
In 1988 Farina landed a role in the action comedy film “Midnight Run”, playing the mob boss Jimmy Serrano and gaining popularity among worldwide audiences; his net worth started to rise.
One of Farina’s most memorable film roles was in the 1995 thriller comedy “Get Shorty” in which he played criminal Ray ‘Bones’ Barboni, and which earned him an American Comedy Award and significantly contributed to his net worth. His other notable roles of the ‘90s were in the films “Saving Private Ryan”, “The Mod Squad”, “Men of Respect”, “Striking Distance”, “Another Stakeout”, “That Old Feeling” and “Out of Sight”. These performances enabled him to establish himself as a recognized actor, and to amass considerable wealth.
The actor went on to land a number of major film roles in the next decade as well, including in the films “Snatch”, “Reindeer Games”, “Big Trouble”, “Stealing Harvard”, “Purple Violets” among others. He was also involved in television, starring as Victor Pellet in the television series “In-Laws” from 2002 to 2003. In 2004 he joined the cast of the hit television drama “Law and Order”, playing detective Joe Fontana until 2006, which reinforced his popularity and greatly added to his net worth.
In 2008 Farina began hosting the “Unsolved Mysteries” television show. As for films, in 2011 he took a lead role in “The Last Rites of Joe May”, and starred in the 2014 “Authors Anonymous”. As for the television, he starred in the short-lived television series “Luck”, another Mann project, and made occasional appearances in the hit series “New Girl”.
In his personal life, in 1970 Farina married Patricia Farina, with whom he had three children, one of them being the actor Joe Farina, before the couple divorced in 1980. He later started a long-lasting relationship with Marianne Cahill, with whom he lived until his death. Farina died of pulmonary embolism in 2013, being aged 69.
The actor was involved in controversy. Reportedly, in 2008 he was arrested on an L.A. airport, for carrying a loaded .22 caliber handgun, and was charged with attempting to carry a concealed and unregistered weapon on to a plane. After pleading no contest, Farina was sentenced to 24 months probation.
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