#Dennis franz movies series#
#Dennis franz movies tv#

His character, Detective Sal Benedetto, was killed at the end of the series' third season, but Bochco was such a fan of the actor that he brought him back three seasons later in an entirely different role. 'Hill Street Blues' would bring Franz his widest audience to date, and through some fairly unconventional means.

#Dennis franz movies series#

After a short stint as the coach of a minor league baseball team on the sitcom 'Bay City Blues' (NBC, 1983), Franz was cast as an unscrupulous detective on a new series by that show's producer, Steven Bochco. Other significant turns during this period were as the sleazy new manager of the Bates Motel in 'Psycho II' (1983) and a short-tempered adult film director in De Palma's ultra-violent and controversial 'Body Double' (1984).

After meeting Robert Altman during an audition, Franz enjoyed several small parts in the director's late-1970s and early '80s output, including 'A Wedding' (1978), 'A Perfect Couple' (1979) and 'Popeye' (1980).

#Dennis franz movies tv#

He was a flatfoot on the trail of Michael Caine's cross-dressing killer in De Palma's 'Dresssed to Kill' (1980) and made his TV debut as a hard-working Chicago beat cop in 'Chicago Story' (NBC, 1982). His burly frame and streetwise intensity made him a natural for figures on both side of the law, though policemen and detectives seemed to be his specialty. A 2002 version of the play was broadcast on Showtime.Franz began auditioning for film and television during the 1970s, making his debut in Brian De Palma's 'The Fury' in 1978. Franz, who also appeared in the original theater production, was among the credited writers for the play and its screenplay, along with future director Stuart Gordon of 'Re-Animator' fame (1985). In 1979, he appeared in a televised PBS production of the play 'Bleacher Bums,' which began life at the Organic Theater as a story conceived by actor Joe Mantegna. There, he was nominated for two Joseph Jefferson Awards in 19, which acknowledged excellence in Windy City theater. Eventually, he made his way back to acting via Chicago's acclaimed Organic Theater, which he joined in 1972. The experience was a difficult one for Franz, and he struggled with depression in the years following his discharge. Army, which shipped him to Vietnam for 11 months with the 82nd Airborne Division. After graduation, he was drafted into the U.S. Franz attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, where he majored in speech and theater. Franz landed the part - the girlfriend did not - and his future was set in stone. His impetus to audition for a part in a production of 'The Crucible' was his girlfriend at the time, who was also trying out for a role. Though he was a bonafide sports nut who played on the baseball, football and swim teams at Proviso East High School in Maywood, IL, he discovered a new passion - acting - in the 11th grade. The son of German immigrants who worked for the postal service, Dennis Franz Schlachta was born in Chicago, IL.