Dennis Farina, the police officer turned star of TV's Law & Order, has died at age 69, his publicist confirmed Monday.

Lori De Waal, his representative, says Farina died Monday morning in a Scottsdale, Ariz., hospital after suffering a blood clot in his lung. He was 69.

Farina was born in Chicago in 1944 and served on the city's police force for 18 years.

He appeared in films including Get Shorty, Saving Private Ryan, Midnight Run and countless TV shows.

Among his many TV portrayals was Det. Joe Fontana on Law & Order.