Dennis Franz Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Dennis Franz
Franz in 2008
Born	Dennis Franz Schlachta (1944-10-28) October 28, 1944 (age 80) Maywood, Illinois, U.S.
Alma mater	Wilbur Wright College Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1978–2005
Spouse(s)	Joanie Zeck (m. 1995)

Dennis Franz Schlachta (born October 28, 1944), known as Dennis Franz, is an American actor who is now retired. He is most famous for playing Detective Andy Sipowicz in the TV show NYPD Blue. This role earned him many important awards, including a Golden Globe Award and four Primetime Emmy Awards. He also played different police characters in the TV series Hill Street Blues.

Early life and Education

Dennis Franz was born on October 28, 1944, in Maywood, Illinois. His parents, Eleanor and Franz Ferdinand Schlachta, were immigrants from Germany. His mother was a postal worker, and his father was a baker and also worked for the postal service. Dennis has two older sisters, Heidi and Marlene.

He went to Proviso East High School in Maywood and graduated in 1962. During high school, he was very active in sports like baseball, football, and swimming. After high school, he studied at Wilbur Wright College. He then went to Southern Illinois University Carbondale, where he earned a degree in speech and theater in 1968.

After college, Dennis Franz joined the United States Army. He served for almost a year in Vietnam.

Acting Career Highlights

Dennis Franz started his acting journey at the Organic Theater Company in Chicago. Even though he performed in plays by Shakespeare, his look often led to him being cast as a police officer. He played a police officer many times in his career!

He also appeared as a guest star in popular TV shows like The A-Team and Hunter. A big part of his early career was on the TV series Hill Street Blues. He played two different characters on this show. First, he was Detective Sal Benedetto in 1982–1983. Later, he returned to the series in 1985 as Lt. Norman Buntz. He stayed until the show ended in 1987. He even starred as Norman Buntz in a short spin-off show called Beverly Hills Buntz.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Franz often worked with famous directors Brian De Palma and Robert Altman. He was in several of their movies. He also played Captain Carmine Lorenzo in the 1990 action film Die Hard 2. His last movie role was as Nathaniel Messinger in the 1998 film City of Angels.

Franz at a rehearsal for the 1994 Emmy Awards

Dennis Franz won four Emmy Awards for his amazing performance as Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue. This show ran from 1993 to 2005. His character, Andy Sipowicz, was even ranked as one of the top TV characters ever! Franz also lent his voice to Captain Klegghorn, a police chief in the Disney cartoon Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series.

In 2001, he appeared on the TV game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. He won $250,000 for his chosen charity, the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance. He also appeared in commercials for Nextel, where he humorously pretended he didn't want to do commercials.

After NYPD Blue

After NYPD Blue finished in 2005, Dennis Franz decided to retire from acting. He wanted to focus on his personal life. He has mentioned that he might act again if the right role came along. He and his wife enjoy spending their summers at their lake home in Northern Idaho.

In 2012, he spoke at a Memorial Day concert, sharing stories about the experiences of veterans. In 2016, he made a surprise appearance at the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards with his former NYPD Blue co-star, Jimmy Smits. They presented the award for Best Drama Series to Game of Thrones.