Biography
Dennis Franz is an American actor. Born Dennis Franz Schlachta on 28 October 1944 in Maywood, Illinois, he graduated from Southern Illinois University Carbondale with a degree in speech and theatre. He began his professional career with Chicago’s Organic Theatre Company and was later discovered by director Robert Altman.
Franz is best known for portraying Detective Andy Sipowicz in the television series NYPD Blue (1993–2005). The role earned him four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. He had previously played two different characters on the NBC series Hill Street Blues (1983, 1985–1987) and appeared in its spin-off Beverly Hills Buntz (1987–1988).
His film credits include Dressed to Kill (1980), Blow Out (1981) as Manny Karp, Psycho II (1983), Scarface (1983), Body Double (1984), Die Hard 2 (1990) as Captain Carmine Lorenzo, The Player (1992) and City of Angels (1998).
