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Dennis Franz

Dennis Franz was born on born October 28, 1944 and is an Emmy-, Screen Actors Guild-, and Golden Globe Award-winning American actor probably best known for his role as Andy Sipowicz, a gritty police detective in the television series NYPD Blue.

Franz was born Dennis Franz Schlachta in Chicago, Illinois and is a graduate of Southern Illinois University, Carbondale. After graduating Franz was drafted into the United States Army. He served eleven months with the 82nd Airborne Division in Vietnam.

Franz began his acting career at Chicago's famous Organic Theater Company. Although he has in the past performed Shakespeare, his "look" led to his being typecast early in his career as a police officer. By Franz' own count, the character of Detective Andy Sipowicz was his 27th role as a police officer.

Franz went on to win four Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue.

Applauded by many critics and fans alike and regarded as a very fine and under-rated actor.

What members say | Filmography

Dennis Franz - what members say

The A-Team - Vol. 1 review by from Uxbridge, England

A Show So Bad It Must Be Good 28 November 2004
...ee a star or two, well before their ascent to actual stardom, of course: namely Dennis Franz of 'NYPD Blue' fame, as a great bad-guy, who has more hair than you remembered.... Read customer review

Dressed to Kill review by A customer from Darlington England

Quaint ... 15 October 2006
...aight face, Nancy Allen reads her lines from a blackboard behind the camera and Dennis Franz delivers a hilarious OTT performance as the Noo Yoik cop in a bright orange lea... Read customer review

Blow Out review by from London

One of the best from both De Palma and Travolta 14 August 2004
... the script gives her and there's a couple of sleazy roles for John Lithgow and Dennis Franz. It's a slick, compelling thriller that De Palma looks unlikely to match. His r... Read customer review

Dennis Franz - filmography

City of Angels on DVD (1998)
Starring: Meg Ryan, Nicolas Cage, Dennis Franz
Director: Brad Silberling
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
Based in part on Wim Wenders' 1988 film Wings of Desire, this is the story of Seth (Cage), an angel who wanders the Los Angeles area invisible to humans. As the demise of an individual approaches he spends time near them and becomes visible while acting as their traveling companion during their ..read more »

67% from 14,540 members

American Buffalo on DVD (1996)
Starring: Dennis Franz, Dustin Hoffman, Sean Nelson
Director: Michael Corrente
Certificate:
A plot to steal a potentially valuable buffalo-head nickel binds together two mistrusting, disaffected schlubs and their young, would-be accomplice. David Mamet adapted the screenplay from his hard-biting 1975 stage play.

49% from 295 members

NYPD Blue - Season 2 (6 discs) on DVD (1994)
Starring: Dennis Franz
Director: Mark Tinker, Michael Robin
Certificate:
NYPD BLUE SEASON 2 chronicles the gritty, true to life cases of wthe Precinct, devoted keepers of the peace in New York City who don't play by the usual rules.

75% from 1,248 member

NYPD Blue - Season 1 (6 discs) on DVD (1994)
Starring: Dennis Franz, David Caruso, James McDaniel
Certificate:
The gritty details of life as a member of a New York City police unit. Features every episode from season one.

75% from 1,480 member

NYPD Blue - Season 3 (6 discs) on DVD (1994)
Starring: Dennis Franz, David Caruso, James McDaniel
Director: Carol Banker, Ed Begley Jr.
Certificate:
One of the most acclaimed and beloved dramas in television history, NYPD Blue has finally signed off from network TV. Relive all the passion, brotherhood, joy, and heartbreak of the 15th precinct as NYPD Blue is immortalized on DVD with Season 3. In this season Dennis Franz won his second of 4 ..read more »

76% from 815 members

In The Line Of Duty - Siege At Marion (1992)
Starring: Ed Begley Jr., Dennis Franz, Tess Harper
Director: Charles Haid
Certificate:
Bob Bryant (Dennis Franz) is a F.B.I. agent in charge of an operation to arrest Adam Swapp (Kyle Secor) and his brother Jonathan, who are suspects in the bombing of a Mormon Center in Utah. The brothers and their family hold-up on their farm with provisions and enough ammunition to withstand the ..read more »

15% from 4 members
Not currently released

The Package on DVD (1989)
Starring: Gene Hackman, Joanna Cassidy, John Heard
Director: Andrew Davis
Certificate:
Sgt. Johnny Gallagher is severely reprimanded after a breach in security allowed a terrorist attack on a disarmament conference. He is given the menial task of escorting a court-martialled soldier back to America. On the way he is beaten up and the soldier absconds. His investigations lead Johnny ..read more »

62% from 436 members

Kiss Shot on DVD (1989)
Starring: Whoopi Goldberg, Dennis Franz, David Marciano
Director: Jerry London
Certificate:
A single mother, threatened with house repossession, decides to try and make a quick killing as a pool-room hustler...

59% from 110 members

The A-Team - Vol. 1 on DVD (1983)
Starring: George Peppard, Dirk Benedict, Melinda Culea
Director: Gilbert Shilton, Dennis Donnelly, Michael O'He
Certificate:
A classic of 1980s television, THE A-TEAM follows the adventures of four Vietnam vets on the run from the U.S. military after being framed for "a crime they didn't commit." The group--consisting of leader John "Hannibal" Smith (George Peppard), con-man Templeton "Face" Peck (Dirk Benedict), tough-..read more »

68% from 1,874 member

Psycho 2 (1983)
Starring: Anthony Perkins, Vera Miles, Meg Tilly
Director: Richard Franklin
Certificate:
Norman Bates is coming home after spending 22 years in a mental institution. He plans to renovate the old Bates Motel, the place where his first murders occurred.

64% from 685 members
Currently unavailable

Blow Out on DVD (1980)
Starring: John Travolta, Nancy Allen, John Lithgow
Director: Brian De Palma
Certificate:
Brian De Palma's homage to Michelangelo Antonioni's classic art movie Blow-Up (1966) blends suspense and political paranoia when a Philadelphia soundman inadvertently records a murder. Former police technician Jack Terri (John Travolta) makes his living doing sound for slasher flicks. While ..read more »

61% from 1,851 member

Dressed to Kill on DVD (1979)
Starring: Michael Caine, Angie Dickinson, Nancy Allen
Director: Brian De Palma
Certificate:
Watch now: £2.49
In this Brian De Palma film that combines Hitchcock's slick premises with modern-day gore, a lonely wife (Angie Dickinson) follows the advice of her shrink (Michael Caine) and seeks comfort in a stranger. After a seductive, dangerous encounter, the wife meets a homicidal maniac. The prostitute (..read more »

58% from 1,140 member

NYPD Blue - Season 4 (6 discs) on DVD
Starring: Dennis Franz, Sharon Lawrence, Jimmy Smits
Director: Mark Tinker
Certificate:
In the fourth series of NYPD BLUE, Det. Adrianne Lesniak (Justine Miceli) is replaced by Det. Jill Kirkendall (Andrea Thompson), and James Martinez (Nicholas Turturro) begins a relationship with Gina Colon (Lourdes Benedicto). Before it even appeared on the airwaves, NYPD BLUE was the most ..read more »

76% from 577 members

Dennis Franz facts

5 most recent films

City of Angels - 3.5 stars
American Buffalo - 2.5 stars
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - 4.0 stars
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - 4.0 stars
NYPD Blue - Season 3 - 4.0 stars

5 highest-rated films

NYPD Blue - Season 4 - 4.0 stars
NYPD Blue - Season 3 - 4.0 stars
NYPD Blue - Season 1 - 4.0 stars
NYPD Blue - Season 2 - 4.0 stars
The A-Team - Vol. 1 - 3.5 stars

5 lowest-rated films

In The Line Of Duty - Siege At Marion - 1.0 stars
American Buffalo - 2.5 stars
Dressed to Kill - 3.0 stars
Kiss Shot - 3.0 stars
Blow Out - 3.0 stars

Most frequent co-stars

Amy Brenneman - 14 times - show films
David Caruso - 14 times - show films
James McDaniel - 14 times - show films
Sherry Stringfield - 14 times - show films
Ian Buchanan - 7 times - show films

Most frequent directors

Mark Tinker - 14 times - show films
Michael Robin - 7 times - show films
Carol Banker - 7 times - show films
Ed Begley Jr. - 7 times - show films
none - 7 times - show films