Dennis Farina, cop turned actor was 69

Dennis Farina was a police officer and detective in Chicago for 18 years before he turned full-time to acting — playing mostly, but not solely, cops or gangsters. He died today in Scottsdale, Arizona after suffering a blood clot in his lung, according to publicist Lori De Waal. He turned pro through his association with director Michael Mann, appearing in the 1981 crime movie, "Thief," with James Caan. Farina portrayed Lt. Mike Torello in all 43 episodes of Mann's "Crime Story" in 1986-88 — "the saga of a Chicago police detective's efforts to stop a young hood's ruthless rise in the ranks of organized crime." Farina was also in Mann's "Miami Vice." He played Ray 'Bones' Barboni in "Get Shorty," Jimmy Serrano in "Midnight Run," and Detective Joe Fontana in a a few seasons of "Law and Order" after Jerry Orbach left. Chicago Tribune, IMDb

And let's note: He's a Feb. 29 leap baby.