Dennis Farina born in Chicago, Illinois, to Sicilian-American parents Joseph Farina, a doctor, and his wife Yolanda Donati. His father was from Villalba, Sicily. He had three brothers and three sisters.
Farina served three years in the United States Army, followed by 18 years in the Chicago Police Department's burglary division, from 1967 to 1985. Farina was a police consultant for director, Michael Mann's early work.
He first became interested in acting after he got a small role in one of Mann's movies. His big-screen debut was in 1981's "Thief."
From there he went on to secure roles in "Miami Vice, He then started acting at various Chicago theaters. Farina quite the force when Mann offered him a role in the Crime Story series. Other films Farina has appeared in include Manhunter, Midnight Run, Striking Distance, Get Shorty, Out Of Sight, Saving Private Ryan, Big Trouble, Snatch, The Mod Squad, and Stealing Harvard.
In 2004 he got the role of Joe Fontana in Law And Order. Farina has three sons with his ex-wife, Patricia. Their names are Dennis Jr., Michae

Source: Wikipedia.org