Dennis Farina was shaped by his home, Chicago, Illinois, and was a well-known cigar aficionado. It was this and more that the late Dennis Farina took with him to the screen, where he solidified his position in the hearts of millions with many mobster-chasing cop roles and cop-evading mobster roles. Let’s take a look at his best work:

10. Law and Order (2004-2006)


Dennis Farina was pulled into Law and Order as Detective Joe Fontana when Jerry Orbach, who played Lennie Briscoe, retired. He stayed on with the show for two years until 2006, at which point he decided to pursue other projects.



9. Unsolved Mysteries (2008-2010)


After Unsolved Mysteries’ host Robert Stack died of a heart attack, Dennis Farina took over hosting when the show was revamped on Spike. He continued to host the show until 2010 when the show ended.



8. Thief (1981)


James Caan plays Frank, a highly adept jewel thief. Frank gets an opportunity to get involved with the mob. Leo, played by Robert Prosky, offers to make Frank “a millionaire in four months.” Dennis Farina, playing Carl, shows up with a shotgun, enforcing Leo’s will on Frank and the most recent jobs he’s been given by the mob.



7. Luck (2011-2012)


The highly acclaimed yet short-running television show Luck, starring Dustin Hoffman as Chester “Ace” Bernstein, a mobster just released from a three-year prison sentence, and Dennis Farina as Gus Demitriou, his good friend and newly made owner of a the promising racehorse “Pint of Plain.” After being released from prison, Ace immediately begins planning a takeover of the Los Angeles Race Track Santa Anita. At the same time, Ace makes plans to get revenge on those responsible for wasting three years of his life in prison.



6. You Kill Me (2007)


Frank Falenczyk, played by Ben Kingsley, is having trouble with his work as a hit man in his Polish mob family in Buffalo, New York. Frank has a bad drinking problem that’s getting in the way of his work, and after being sent to San Francisco by the head of the family, Roman Krzeminski, played by Philip Baker Hall, to clean up his act, he admits to his crimes at Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. After coming to terms with his problem and finding love, Frank returns home to see his family’s old rivals in a new light. With his new love, Laurel Pearson, played by Tea Leoni, Frank confronts the upstart Irish mob that threatens his family’s work, led by Edward O’Leary, played by Dennis Farina.



5. Manhunter (1986)


The first film adaptation of Thomas Harris’ Red Dragon, Manhunter follows Will Graham, played by William Petersen, in his attempt to investigate the killer known as “The Tooth Fairy.” Will Graham had retired after he was attacked by Dr. Hannibal Lecktor, played by Brian Cox, but comes out of retirement to help his former FBI superior Jack Crawford, played by Dennis Farina, who needs help with the new serial killer case.



4. Snatch (2000)


In this film starring Benecio Del Toro as Franky “Four-Fingers,” Dennis Farina as Cousin Avi, Vinnie Jones as Bullet-Tooth Tony, Brad Pitt as Mickey O’Neil, Rade Šerbedžija as Boris “the Blade” Yurinov, and Jason Statham as Turkish, two very circular plots intertwine into one high-energy comedy-crime. The first plot deals with the search for a stolen diamond the size of a fist and a small-time boxing promoter who finds himself answering to a savage mobster.



3. Crime Story (1986-1988)


This television show, set in the early 1960’s, starred Dennis Farina as Lt. Mike Torello and Anthony Denison as Ray Luca. Torello, as head of a specialized organized crime force, is chasing mobster Denison as his work carries him from Chicago to Las Vegas.



2. Midnight Run (1988)


In an award-winning comedy, Dennis Farina plays mobster Jimmy Serrano, who is trying to get his money back from accountant Jonathan “The Duke” Mardukas, played by Charles Grodin. Bounty hunter Jack Walsh, played by Robert De Niro, was hired by bail bondsman Eddie Moscone, played by Joe Pantoliano. Before the bail was even posted by Moscone, Mardukas had embezzled $15 million from the Chicago mob, headed up by Jimmy Serrano. Jack’s job seems easy enough until the FBI approaches Mardukas about being a witness against Serrano, and Jack is approached by Serrano’s mob henchmen to bring Mardukas directly to Serrano instead.


Midnight Run was nominated for Best Motion Picture - Comedy/Musical, as well as Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy/Music for Robert De Niro’s performance.



1. Get Shorty (1995)


In this award-winning comedy, Dennis Farina is Ray “Bones” Barboni, a mobster who clashes with lead actor John Travolta, playing Chili Palmer. Originally, Chili worked as a loan shark under Barboni, and he headed west to catch Leo Devoe, played by David Paymer, to make good on a collection. At the same time, Chili finds that he might be able to pitch his job to a movie producer, which Barboni doesn’t appreciate.


Get Shorty won one Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actor in a Comedy/Musical. Dennis Farina himself won an American Comedy Award for Funniest Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture for his role in Get Shorty.