American character actor Dennis Farina died today from a blood clot in the lung. He was 69.

You may not recognise the name but I’m sure you know the face. Chicago born Farina made a living out of portraying tough guys on both sides of the law. He was either a mafia hood or a police detective. Although he was often cast as a bad guy, he could play the role with a comical edge in films such as Midnight Run (88) with Robert De Niro and Charles Grodin, Get Shorty (95) as mob boss Ray ‘Bones’ Barboni alongside John Travolta and British gangster movie Snatch (2000) with Brad Pitt.

Acting wasn’t Farina’s first choice. He actually started his career as a Chicago police detective which lasted eighteen years. This experience helped him get the job of consultant on a crime movie called Violent Streets (81) which starred another tough guy James Caan. The director of the film was Michael Mann and he offered Farina an acting part in the movie. Mann was so impressed that he cast Farina as the main character Lt. Mike Torello in the TV series Crime Story (86-88). Michael Mann then cast him as the original FBI Agent Jack Crawford in the 1986 thriller Manhunter which was later played by Scott Glenn in Silence of the Lambs. Manhunter was also the first film to feature the infamous Dr. Hannibal Lecktor played by British actor Brian Cox.

More recently TV viewers may have seen Farina as Det. Joe Fontana in Law and Order (2004-2006) and he also had a recurring role in the American hit comedy New Girl (2013). New Girl star Zooey Deschanel said on twitter "I am completely devastated about Dennis Farina's passing, I was lucky to have witnessed his charm and brilliance."

Farina is survived by three sons from his marriage to Patricia Farina, six grandchildren and his longtime partner, Marianne Cahill.