Dennis Franz
| Dennis Franz | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Franz at a rehearsal for the 1994 Emmy Awards |
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| Born | Dennis Franz Schlachta October 28, 1944 Maywood, Illinois, United States |
| Residence | Coeur d'Alene, Idaho |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1978–2005 |
Dennis Franz (born October 28, 1944) is an American actor best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a hard-boiled police detective, in the television series NYPD Blue. He previously appeared as Lt. Norman Buntz on Hill Street Blues, and earlier played Detective Benedetto on the same show.
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Early life [edit]
Franz was born Dennis Franz Schlachta in Maywood, Illinois, the son of German immigrants[1][2][3] Eleanor, a postal worker, and Franz Schlachta, who was a baker and postal worker.[4] Franz is a graduate of Proviso East High School (in Maywood) and Southern Illinois University Carbondale.[5] After graduating from college, Franz was drafted into the United States Army. He served eleven months with the 82nd Airborne Division in Vietnam.[6]
Career [edit]
Franz began his acting career at Chicago's Organic Theater Company. Although he has in the past performed Shakespeare, his "look" led to his being typecast early in his career as a police officer. (By Franz's own count, the character of Detective Andy Sipowicz was his 27th role as a police officer). He has also guest-starred in shows such as The A-Team. Other major roles were on the television series Hill Street Blues in which he played two characters over the run of that show. Franz first played the role of Detective Sal Benedetto, a corrupt cop in the 1983 season, who later kills himself. Due to his popularity with fans, he returned in 1985 as Lt. Norm Buntz, remaining until the show's end in 1987. He starred in the short-lived Beverly Hills Buntz as the morally questionable Norman Buntz.
Franz had a small but memorable role as a grouchy movie director in Body Double (1984).
Franz went on to win four Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue. The character of Sipowicz was ranked #23 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters list.
In 1994 Franz made a cameo appearance as himself in The Simpsons episode "Homer Badman" - when Homer is accused of sexually harassing a babysitter, the case becomes tabloid fodder, generating an exploitative Fox telemovie, Homer S.: Portrait of an Ass-Grabber, in which Franz portrays Homer.
He starred as "Earl", the abusive husband, in the Dixie Chicks' music video "Goodbye Earl", as the obnoxious Captain Carmine Lorenzo in the 1990 action film Die Hard 2 and as Nathaniel Messinger in the 1998 film, City of Angels.
Filmography [edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Remember My Name | Franks | |
| 1978 | The Fury | Bob | |
| 1978 | A Wedding | Koons | |
| 1978 | Stony Island | Jerry Domino | |
| 1979 | A Perfect Couple | Costa | |
| 1979 | Bleacher Bums | Zig | TV movie |
| 1980 | Dressed to Kill | Detective Marino | |
| 1980 | Popeye | Spike | |
| 1981 | Blow Out | Manny Karp | |
| 1983 | Psycho II | Warren Toomey | |
| 1984 | Body Double | Rubin | |
| 1985 | Deadly Messages | Detective Max Lucas | TV movie |
| 1986 | A Fine Mess | Phil | Uncredited |
| 1987 | Tales from the Hollywood Hills | Louie | TV movie |
| 1989 | Kiss Shot | Max Fleischer | TV movie |
| 1989 | The Package | Lr. Milan Delich | |
| 1990 | "Die Hard 2" | Renny Harlin | Captain Carmine Lorenzo |
| 1990 | Nasty Boys, Part 2: Lone Justice | Lt. Stan Krieger | TV movie |
| 1991 | NYPD Mounted | Tony Spampatta | |
| 1991 | The Sid Story | Sid | |
| 1992 | In the Line of Duty: Siege at Marion | Bob Bryant | |
| 1994 | Moment of Truth: Caught in the Crossfire | Gus Payne | TV movie |
| 1995 | Texas Justice | Richard Haynes | |
| 1996 | Healing the Hate | Host | |
| 1996 | American Buffalo | Don Dubrow | |
| 1997 | Mighty Ducks the Movie: The First Face-Off | Captain Klegghorn | |
| 1998 | City of Angels | Nathaniel Messinger | Nominated—Blockbuster Entertainment Award for Favorite Supporting Actor – Drama Nominated—Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor |
References [edit]
- ^ SMOKE 03/98 - Dennis Franz
- ^ Gerard Gilbert (8 July 2002). "TV Heroes: #6: Dennis Franz". The Independent.
- ^ News-Record.com: Archives Search: 01 results for search "( (unq:"0EAF85A3C033421C") ) "
- ^ Dennis Franz Biography (1944-)
- ^ Utterback, Wayne (2007-04-19). "Emprace the 'Dark': Author, SIUC alumnus reprints book about Strip". Daily Egyptian. p. 7.
- ^ Dennis Franz - Trailer - Showtimes - Cast - Movies - The New York Times
External links [edit]
- Dennis Franz at the Internet Movie Database
- Archive of American Television extended video interview with Dennis Franz
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- 1944 births
- Actors from Chicago, Illinois
- American film actors
- American military personnel of the Vietnam War
- American television actors
- Best Drama Actor Golden Globe (television) winners
- American people of German descent
- Living people
- Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series Screen Actors Guild Award winners
- Southern Illinois University Carbondale alumni
- United States Army soldiers
- Emmy Award winners
- 20th-century American actors
- 21st-century American actors
