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Dennis Farina
Joe Fontana Skeleton
...as Joe Fontana
Character
Joe Fontana
Date of birth
February 29, 1944
Place of birth
Chicago, Illinois
Date of death
July 22, 2013
Place of death
Scottsdale, Arizona
IMDb profile

Dennis Farina was an actor who played Detective Joe Fontana in Law & Order. His character replaced Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) as a detective on the series. He first appeared in the Season 15 episode "Paradigm".

Farina starred as Marshall Sisco in the film Out of Sight (with Paul Calderon, Viola Davis, Nancy Allen, and Samuel L. Jackson). He was also the host of the Unsolved Mysteries (taking over for Virginia Madsen).

Before embarking on an acting career, Farina spent 18 years with the Chicago Police Department (just like his character Fontana).

He passed away on July 22, 2013 in a hospital in Scottsdale, Arizona after suffering a pulmonary embolism. Farina is buried at Mount Carmel Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois.

Farina also played Detective Joe Fontana in the Law & Order: Trial by Jury episode "Skeleton".


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