James Farentino facts for kids

Quick facts for kids James Farentino
Farentino in Cool Million in 1972
Born	Fred Ferrentino (1938-02-24)February 24, 1938 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Died	January 24, 2012(2012-01-24) (aged 73) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Years active	1962–2006
Spouse(s)	Elizabeth Ashley ​ ​ (m. 1962; div. 1965)​ Michele Lee ​ ​ (m. 1966; div. 1983)​ Debrah Mullowney ​ ​ (m. 1985; div. 1988)​ Stella Farentino ​ (m. 1994)​
Children	1

James Farentino (February 24, 1938 – January 24, 2012) was an American actor. He appeared in nearly 100 television, film, and stage roles, among them The Final Countdown, Jesus of Nazareth, and Dynasty.

Career

Born in Brooklyn, New York, Farentino attended local schools followed later by studying drama and acting in Catholic school.

In the 1950s and 1960s, he performed on the stage and a few TV roles. He starred in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour alongside Vera Miles and John Carradine (episode "Death Scene"). In 1969, he starred opposite Patty Duke in the film Me, Natalie. Farentino was one of the lawyers in NBC's TV series The Bold Ones (1969–1972), which also starred Burl Ives and Joseph Campanella. He made two appearances in the 1970s anthology television series Night Gallery, once with then-wife Michele Lee ("Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay"), and next with actress Joanna Pettet ("The Girl with the Hungry Eyes"). Also in 1970, Farentino appeared as Pick Lexington in The Men From Shiloh (the repackaged name of the popular long-running TV Western The Virginian) in the episode titled "The Best Man". In 1973, he appeared in the episode "The Soft, Kind Brush" of the romantic anthology series Love Story. During the 1970s, he appeared on NBC's Cool Million.

In 1978, he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie for his portrayal of Simon Peter in the miniseries Jesus of Nazareth. In 1980, Farentino starred in The Final Countdown with Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen, and then played Juan Perón opposite Faye Dunaway's Eva Perón in the 1981 television film Evita Perón. Farentino appeared as Frank Chaney in the short-lived 1984 ABC series Blue Thunder, based on the 1983 film of the same name, starring Roy Scheider. He starred as Dr. Nick Toscanni on the second season of Dynasty from 1981 to 1982. In the late 1990s, he appeared as the estranged father of lead character Doug Ross on ER.

Personal life

Farentino was married to:

• Elizabeth Ashley (September 1, 1962 – 1965; divorced)
• Michele Lee (February 20, 1966 – 1982; divorced); one child, David (b. July 6, 1969).
• Debrah Farentino (June 15, 1985 – 1988; divorced)
• Stella Farentino (August 3, 1994 – his death); Stella filed for divorce in 1998 due to "irreconcilable differences", but later withdrew her petition. Then, James himself filed for divorce in January 2001, also due to "irreconcilable differences"; however, the couple remained married until his death.

Death

On January 24, 2012, Farentino died of sequelae arising from a right hip fracture, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, following a long illness. He was 73 years old and died just one month before his 74th birthday.

Selected filmography

See also

In Spanish: James Farentino para niños