Actor Dennis Farina compiled over 70 film and television credits in his lengthy career, playing a variety of tough guy roles in films like "Midnight Run," "Get Shorty" and "Saving Private Ryan." Farina died on Monday at the age of 69.
"I realize that no one is going to come to me and ask me to be Julius Caesar or a romantic lead, but I think I'm a certain type of guy who looks a certain way and that's just the reality of things," Farina told Moviefone in 2011.
Born in Chicago, Farina didn't start acting at a young age. He was actually a Chicago police officer for 18 years, and was hired by Michael Mann to consult on the 1981 film "Thief." Mann gave Farina a small role in the film, kicking off a career that spanned three decades. Farina would work with Mann again a number of times, including on the film "Manhunter...
"I realize that no one is going to come to me and ask me to be Julius Caesar or a romantic lead, but I think I'm a certain type of guy who looks a certain way and that's just the reality of things," Farina told Moviefone in 2011.
Born in Chicago, Farina didn't start acting at a young age. He was actually a Chicago police officer for 18 years, and was hired by Michael Mann to consult on the 1981 film "Thief." Mann gave Farina a small role in the film, kicking off a career that spanned three decades. Farina would work with Mann again a number of times, including on the film "Manhunter...
- 7/22/2013
- by The Huffington Post
- Huffington Post
Chicago – Former Chicago police officer turned notable character actor, Dennis Farina has passed away at the age of 69, as confirmed by his publicist today to Indiewire. The actor will probably be most remember for a stint on “Law & Order” but he had a notable film career, working all the way to the end and doing great work in just the last few years.
Born in Chicago, Dennis Farina served with the Chicago P.D. for almost two decades before breaking into film by first serving as a consultant to Michael Mann before moving in front of the camera for the director’s “Thief.” He would also appear in “Crime Story” and “Miami Vice” before a decades-long career of notable character roles in films like “Midnight Run,” “Manhunter,” “Get Shorty,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Out of Sight,” and many more.
Farina had something of a comeback recently, getting a lead role in...
Born in Chicago, Dennis Farina served with the Chicago P.D. for almost two decades before breaking into film by first serving as a consultant to Michael Mann before moving in front of the camera for the director’s “Thief.” He would also appear in “Crime Story” and “Miami Vice” before a decades-long career of notable character roles in films like “Midnight Run,” “Manhunter,” “Get Shorty,” “Saving Private Ryan,” “Out of Sight,” and many more.
Farina had something of a comeback recently, getting a lead role in...
- 7/22/2013
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Veteran character actor Dennis Farina, best known for playing his fair share of weathered tough guys in films like "Out of Sight," "Get Shorty," "Midnight Run," has died at age 69, his publicist confirmed today. A former Chicago police officer, Farina is best known to most for his portrayal of Detective Joe Fontana in NBC's long-running drama series "Law & Order." Long relegated to supporting roles, Farina experienced a late career breakthrough in 2011 with the release of Joe Maggio's solemn character study "The Last Rites of Joe May," starring Farina as the titular short-money hustler clinging to the belief that he has a future in the game. In an interview with Indiewire, Farina said of the role, "Every character I’ve enjoyed doing, but this was another kind of character. Everybody likes to do that. Switch it up." Following that acclaimed turn, Farina continued his great run on the small screen...
- 7/22/2013
- by Nigel M Smith
- Indiewire
Chicago – One of the nice surprises of the Chicago International Film Festival was the opening night presence of a true Chicago-based film. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Dennis Farina as an aging small-time hood, taken in by single mother Jenny Rapp, portrayed by Jamie Anne Allman. The production was directed with sublime power by Joe Maggio.
Allman and Maggio were at the festival, circulating opening night and sitting down for interviews the next day. The film uses the city of Chicago as a character, but you won’t see Wrigley Field or the skyline. What you will see is the bitter winter on streets where people like Joe May live and survive.
HollywoodChicago.com got to talk with both Allman and Maggio, and got their keen insight into this excellent Chicago-based film.
Jamie Anne Allman, Jenny Rapp in “The Last Rites of Joe May”
Ms. Allman was born Jamie Anne Brown,...
Allman and Maggio were at the festival, circulating opening night and sitting down for interviews the next day. The film uses the city of Chicago as a character, but you won’t see Wrigley Field or the skyline. What you will see is the bitter winter on streets where people like Joe May live and survive.
HollywoodChicago.com got to talk with both Allman and Maggio, and got their keen insight into this excellent Chicago-based film.
Jamie Anne Allman, Jenny Rapp in “The Last Rites of Joe May”
Ms. Allman was born Jamie Anne Brown,...
- 12/6/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Dennis Farina is Chicago. Born and raised in the Windy City, his persona and manner is everything Chicago – bold, classy and the true urban Midwest. His latest film is “The Last Rites of Joe May,” which features another actor who got his start in Chicago theater, Gary Cole.
Last month, at the Chicago International Film Festival, both actors did a press day promoting their gritty Chicago-based film, which was directed by Joe Maggio. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Farina in the role of a lifetime, permeating the wintry streets of Chicago as an aging small time hustler that everyone assumes is dead after he comes back from an extended hospital stay. Gary Cole has a small but significant role as Lenny, a neighborhood boss.
HollywoodChicago.com sat down and interviewed the two Chicago acting icons regarding their film and careers.
Dennis Farina, Title Character in “The Last Rites of Joe May...
Last month, at the Chicago International Film Festival, both actors did a press day promoting their gritty Chicago-based film, which was directed by Joe Maggio. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Farina in the role of a lifetime, permeating the wintry streets of Chicago as an aging small time hustler that everyone assumes is dead after he comes back from an extended hospital stay. Gary Cole has a small but significant role as Lenny, a neighborhood boss.
HollywoodChicago.com sat down and interviewed the two Chicago acting icons regarding their film and careers.
Dennis Farina, Title Character in “The Last Rites of Joe May...
- 12/2/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – Dennis Farina is Chicago. Born and raised in the Windy City, his persona and manner is everything Chicago is – bold, classy and the true urban Midwest. His latest film is “The Last Rites of Joe May,” which features another actor who got his start in Chicago theater, Gary Cole.
Last month, at the Chicago International Film Festival, both actors did a press day promoting their gritty Chicago-based film, which was directed by Joe Maggio. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Farina in the role of a lifetime, permeating the wintry streets of Chicago as an aging small time hustler that everyone leaves for dead after he comes back from an extended hospital stay. Gary Cole has a small but significant role as Lenny, the son of one of Joe’s old contacts.
HollywoodChicago.com sat down and interviewed the two Chicago acting icons regarding their film and careers.
Last month, at the Chicago International Film Festival, both actors did a press day promoting their gritty Chicago-based film, which was directed by Joe Maggio. “The Last Rites of Joe May” stars Farina in the role of a lifetime, permeating the wintry streets of Chicago as an aging small time hustler that everyone leaves for dead after he comes back from an extended hospital stay. Gary Cole has a small but significant role as Lenny, the son of one of Joe’s old contacts.
HollywoodChicago.com sat down and interviewed the two Chicago acting icons regarding their film and careers.
- 12/2/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Chicago – The Chicago born-and-bred actor Dennis Farina has had many opportunities in his career to distinguish himself in a variety of roles, but never has he carried a film as well as his turn in the recent “The Last Rites of Joe May.” Farina imbues the title character with raw emotion, feral toughness and a touch of fear.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
What is distinctive about Joe May is that he is cut off from the world temporarily, and when he returns nobody misses him. To have lived with no connections of family, friends or colleagues is an intriguing notion to begin a story, and writer/director Joe Maggio puts the title protangonist through a road-to-Mount-Calvary situation that has the nobility of the King of Kings. This film is an exceptional character study, with the supporting cast providing a treasure trove of their own quirks, that Farina plays off on like a fine musical instrument.
Rating: 3.5/5.0
What is distinctive about Joe May is that he is cut off from the world temporarily, and when he returns nobody misses him. To have lived with no connections of family, friends or colleagues is an intriguing notion to begin a story, and writer/director Joe Maggio puts the title protangonist through a road-to-Mount-Calvary situation that has the nobility of the King of Kings. This film is an exceptional character study, with the supporting cast providing a treasure trove of their own quirks, that Farina plays off on like a fine musical instrument.
- 11/27/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
In The Last Rites Of Joe May, the great character actor Dennis Farina stars as a small-time hustler who’s lost everything in a quest for the big score. Emerging from the hospital after a six-week bout with pneumonia, Farina heads out into the blustery Chicago winter and squeezes onto a public bus. His close friends or family members are either estranged or dead. After slogging up to his dingy three-floor walk-up, he discovers it’s been rented out to another tenant. It gets worse: His belongings have been destroyed, his impounded car has been sold at auction, and he ...
- 11/3/2011
- avclub.com
Chicago – The 47th Chicago International Film Festival wrapped on Oct. 20, 2011 with a spectacular showing of the new film “The Artist”. Over the past two weeks, HollywoodChicago.com has been covering the red carpets and publishing exclusive portraits of the stars and directors.
From red carpets before a film, to perspective tributes on directors and performers, they stood before the lens of HollywoodChicago.com and photographer Joe Arce. Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All images © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com.
CIFF1: Dennis Farina on the Red Carpet for ‘Last Rites for Joe May,’ October 6th, 2011 CIFF2: Gary Cole, ‘Last Rites of Joe May,’ at 2011 Chicago International Film Festival CIFF3: Billy Zane walks the Red Carpet on Opening Night, October 6th, 2011 CIFF4: Marshall Allman of ‘True Blood’ participates on Opening...
From red carpets before a film, to perspective tributes on directors and performers, they stood before the lens of HollywoodChicago.com and photographer Joe Arce. Click “Next” and “Previous” to scan through the slideshow or jump directly to individual photos with the captioned links below. All images © Joe Arce of Starstruck Foto for HollywoodChicago.com.
CIFF1: Dennis Farina on the Red Carpet for ‘Last Rites for Joe May,’ October 6th, 2011 CIFF2: Gary Cole, ‘Last Rites of Joe May,’ at 2011 Chicago International Film Festival CIFF3: Billy Zane walks the Red Carpet on Opening Night, October 6th, 2011 CIFF4: Marshall Allman of ‘True Blood’ participates on Opening...
- 10/24/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Dennis Farina in .The Last Rites of Joe May ., distributed by Tribeca Film. Photo Credit: Jay Silver
Chicago Film To Open 47th Chicago International Film Festival
With The Last Rites Of Joe May
Chicago, Il.Cinema/Chicago today announced that the 47th Chicago International Film Festival will officially open with The Last Rites Of Joe May, showcasing a tour-de-force performance from longtime film and Chicago theater actor Dennis Farina (Get Shorty, Snatch, Midnight Run). Acclaimed indie director and Festival veteran Joe Maggio will walk the red carpet with Mr. Farina and actors Gary Cole (Office Space, Pineapple Express) and Jamie Anne Allman (.The Killing., The Notebook) to present the Chicago Premiere of the film at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park (205 E Randolph Street.Chicago) on Thursday, October 6th 2011 at 6pm, with the official presentation to begin at 7pm. Additional surprise guests will be announced.
.The Last Rites Of Joe May...
Chicago Film To Open 47th Chicago International Film Festival
With The Last Rites Of Joe May
Chicago, Il.Cinema/Chicago today announced that the 47th Chicago International Film Festival will officially open with The Last Rites Of Joe May, showcasing a tour-de-force performance from longtime film and Chicago theater actor Dennis Farina (Get Shorty, Snatch, Midnight Run). Acclaimed indie director and Festival veteran Joe Maggio will walk the red carpet with Mr. Farina and actors Gary Cole (Office Space, Pineapple Express) and Jamie Anne Allman (.The Killing., The Notebook) to present the Chicago Premiere of the film at the Harris Theater in Millennium Park (205 E Randolph Street.Chicago) on Thursday, October 6th 2011 at 6pm, with the official presentation to begin at 7pm. Additional surprise guests will be announced.
.The Last Rites Of Joe May...
- 9/15/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Chicago- Earlier today, Cinema/Chicago announced that the 47th Chicago International Film Festival will premiere with the film “The Last Rites of Joe May.” The film stars longtime film and Chicago theater actor Dennis Farina.
“The Last Rites of Joe May” is the story of a hustler (played by Farina) who is shocked to see life went on normally without him when his friends and acquaintances thought he had died while Joe was in the hospital fighting pneumonia. Joe must now cope with living with new tenants who had moved in when Joe’s landlord thought he had died and the struggle of redefining a legacy that he realizes is less than stellar.
“The Last Rites of Joe May” was written and directed by Joe Maggio and co-stars Jamie Anne Allman, Meredith Droeger, Ian Barford, Chelcie Ross, and Gary Cole.
Maggio was humbled by the nomination and praised the city...
“The Last Rites of Joe May” is the story of a hustler (played by Farina) who is shocked to see life went on normally without him when his friends and acquaintances thought he had died while Joe was in the hospital fighting pneumonia. Joe must now cope with living with new tenants who had moved in when Joe’s landlord thought he had died and the struggle of redefining a legacy that he realizes is less than stellar.
“The Last Rites of Joe May” was written and directed by Joe Maggio and co-stars Jamie Anne Allman, Meredith Droeger, Ian Barford, Chelcie Ross, and Gary Cole.
Maggio was humbled by the nomination and praised the city...
- 9/15/2011
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Tribeca Film has acquired North American rights to Joe Maggio's drama "The Last Rites of Joe May." The film, which centers on a hustler (Dennis Farina) and his road to redemption, world premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival earlier this year. It will hit VOD and select theaters this October. Go here for indieWIRE's review. Full release below: Tribeca Film Acquires The Last Rites Of Joe May *** Dennis Farina ...
- 7/28/2011
- Indiewire
Trailers are an under-appreciated art form insofar that many times they’re seen as vehicles for showing footage, explaining films away, or showing their hand about what moviegoers can expect. Foreign, domestic, independent, big budget: I celebrate all levels of trailers and hopefully this column will satisfactorily give you a baseline of what beta wave I’m operating on, because what better way to hone your skills as a thoughtful moviegoer than by deconstructing these little pieces of advertising? Some of the best authors will tell you that writing a short story is a lot harder than writing a long one, that you have to weigh every sentence. What better medium to see how this theory plays itself out beyond that than with movie trailers? Becoming Chaz Trailer Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato are the film equivalent of sociological documentarians. If ever there was a duo who have damn well...
- 4/30/2011
- by Christopher Stipp
- Slash Film
By Sam Weisberg - April 28, 2011
No actor has mastered the art of muttering obscenities under his breath more expertly than Dennis Farina. In “Get Shorty,” “Snatch” and other films about low-life criminals, Farina, with his eagle-eyed glare, Charles Bronson-like mustache and clenched-teeth diction, has stolen every scene he’s in merely by spouting off an array of expletives. “The fucking airport,” he barks at a cab driver in “Get Shorty,” disgusted at being put upon to give simple directions. His every eyebrow twitch, stiff-necked shrug and sarcastic overemphasis on every word—as if he’s already explained what he’s saying three times—deliver the message: “I don’t give an inch for you—you give an inch for me.”
Happily, Farina’s signature macho style is put to good use for much of “The Last Rites of Joe May.” But the film, directed and written by Joe Maggio,...
No actor has mastered the art of muttering obscenities under his breath more expertly than Dennis Farina. In “Get Shorty,” “Snatch” and other films about low-life criminals, Farina, with his eagle-eyed glare, Charles Bronson-like mustache and clenched-teeth diction, has stolen every scene he’s in merely by spouting off an array of expletives. “The fucking airport,” he barks at a cab driver in “Get Shorty,” disgusted at being put upon to give simple directions. His every eyebrow twitch, stiff-necked shrug and sarcastic overemphasis on every word—as if he’s already explained what he’s saying three times—deliver the message: “I don’t give an inch for you—you give an inch for me.”
Happily, Farina’s signature macho style is put to good use for much of “The Last Rites of Joe May.” But the film, directed and written by Joe Maggio,...
- 4/29/2011
- by Screen Comment
- Screen Comment
New York, NY (April 21, 2011) – IFC Midnight announced today that the company has acquired U.S. distribution rights from sales and production outfit Xyz Films for director Dick Maas. evil Santa film Saint. The deal includes a theatrical component and was made prior to the movie.s North American premiere in the Cinemania section at the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival. Maas wrote the screenplay for the picture and produced with Tom de Mol. Starring Huub Stapel, Egbert-Jan Weeber, Caro Lenssen, Bert Luppes and Escha Tanihatu, the Dutch film premiered tonight at 9:00pm at the AMC Loews Village 7.
An original and delightfully gruesome slasher film, Saint re-imagines jolly old Saint Nick as a murderous bishop fulfilling a grisly prophecy under the December full moon. Packed with creative yuletide horror, Saint is a fun chiller that follows local teen Frank (Weeber) as he sets out on a bloody, high-energy battle to save Amsterdam...
An original and delightfully gruesome slasher film, Saint re-imagines jolly old Saint Nick as a murderous bishop fulfilling a grisly prophecy under the December full moon. Packed with creative yuletide horror, Saint is a fun chiller that follows local teen Frank (Weeber) as he sets out on a bloody, high-energy battle to save Amsterdam...
- 4/21/2011
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Starring the great Dennis Farina in one of the finest performances of his career, Joe Maggio's The Last Rites Of Joe May is a throwback to another era and another style of filmmaking. So much so that the observant among you should have no trouble picking up the film they're nodding to in the just released trailer for the picture.Small-time Chicago hustler Joe May (the incomparable Dennis Farina) always felt like a great destiny awaited him, but with his health ailing and his age advancing, he's never looked more like a bum. Broke and evicted, he's taken in by a troubled young mother and daughter, in whom he finds one last shot to be a hero. Pulsing with the spirit of classic urban dramas,...
- 4/20/2011
- Screen Anarchy
The Tribeca Film Festival announced selections for its World Narrative, World Documentary, and Viewpoints competitions at its 10th annual event, running from April 20 to May 1 in New York. Eighty-eight features (such as Angels Crest, with Jeremy Piven) and 61 short films from 32 different countries were selected from more than 5,600 submissions to screen at the festival. “In programming the Festival this year we had to make some incredibly difficult decisions, but we are excited about the quality, ingenuity, risk-taking and diversity of this year’s program,” David Kwok, Director of Programming, said in a statement. “We are particularly proud that we have...
- 3/7/2011
- by Jeff Labrecque
- EW - Inside Movies
I’d already made three feature films - Virgil Bliss (2001); Milk + Honey (2003); Paper Covers Rock (2008) - all of them indie character dramas, when Larry Fessenden of Glasseye Pix called and asked me if I had any horror scripts I’d be interested in making on a low budget. I’m not a horror guy. I mean, I love movies and there are certainly many horror films that I’ve enjoyed, but the thought of actually making a horror film seemed a bit of a stretch. That said, I’d never turn up the opportunity to make a movie, so I lied, said I had a script that needed a week of polishing. For the next seven days I wrote furiously, Glasseye accepted the first draft and my journey into the world of genre filmmaking was underway. Below I detail the single greatest tip I would pass along to anyone interested...
- 7/13/2010
- Makingof.com
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