His rep, Lori De Waal, tells the Associated Press that Farina had suffered a blood clot in his lung.
A Chicago native from a large Sicilian-American family, Farina served for 18 years on the Chicago police force’s burglary division before turning to acting when he was 37.
While his most famous role was probably that of Det. Joe Fontana on Law & Order from 2004 to 2006, Farina racked up an impressive list of credits that included the movies Saving Private Ryan for director Steven Spielberg, That Old Feeling with Bette Midler, Get Shorty with John Travolta, and Midnight Run with Robert DeNiro.
Most recently he was in the short-lived Michael Mann HBO drama series Luck, with Dustin Hoffman.
In 2008, Farina made headlines when he pleaded no-contest for carrying a loaded .22-caliber handgun in his briefcase through Los Angeles International Airport security. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and given a $510 fine.
He said at the time that he had forgotten the weapon was in the case.
According to IMDB, he married was married to Patricia Farina from 1970 until their divorce in 1980. They had three sons, including the actor Joseph Farina.
They, along with six grandchildren, survive him.
