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• Dennis Franz is an American actor. Having portrayed mostly police officers in television and movie dramas during his career, he won four Primetime Emmy Awards for his role as Detective Andy Sipowicz on the groundbreaking ABC television drama NYPD Blue. Franz, born Dennis Franz Schlachta, grew up in Chicago and served for 11 months in the United States Army with both the 81st and 102nd Airborne divisions during the Vietnam War. Upon returning home, he immersed himself in acting with the Organic Theater Company in Chicago. Eventually, he would make numerous guest star appearances on television shows such as Chicago Story and The A Team. Franz has also appeared in such films as Die Hard 2, Blow Out, and Body Double.

• Fast Facts:

  1. Born: October 28, 1944
  2. Graduated from Southern Illinois University
  3. Was the only cast member of NYPD Blue to be in every episode
  4. Won critical praise for his appearance in Dixie Chicks video Goodbye Earl
  5. Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor: 1994, 1996, 1999
  6. Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor: 1997

• Let's Be Careful Out There

  In 1983, Hill Street Blues was one of the cornerstones of NBC's prime time schedule. Franz was cast as Detective Sal Benedetto, a dirty cop within the Hill Street Department, for a five episode run, before the character was killed off. The audience response to this character, specifically Franz's portrayal of him, was so overwhelming that the producers of the show brought Franz back as a different character. This character, Lt. Norman Buntz, remained a fixture on the show until the series ended, and then NBC even tried to spin-off his character as part of another series.

• Cop Number 27

  But nothing could have prepared him, or America television viewers, for the role of a lifetime. Franz was approached in 1991 by famed television series creator Steven Bochco to play a gruff New York City detective. Franz was weary, having already played a police officer in 26 previous television series and/or films. But Franz read David Milch's pilot script for NYPD Blue and decided to give the series a shot. The rest is history. The Andy Sipowicz character, with its various complexities in dealing with relationships, alcoholism, bigotry, authority, and the changing landscape of New York City in the 1990s and early 2000s, was a character for the ages. And Franz's intensely gripping and realistic portrayal of that character earned him 4 Emmy Awards and secured his place in the annals of television history.

• Related Mahalo Pages

  NYPD Blue | Hill Street Blues | Jimmy Smits | Angie Dickinson | Body Double | Die Hard 2 | Bruce Willis | City of Angels | Meg Ryan | Nicolas Cage | Mark-Paul Goesslaar | Ricky Schroder | Daniel J. Travanti | Betty Thomas | Steven Bochco | Dressed to Kill | The Fury

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