Dennis Franz Schlachta (born October 28, 1944), known professionally as Dennis Franz, is an American retired actor best known for his role as NYPD Detective Andy Sipowicz in the ABC television series NYPD Blue (1993â2005), a role that earned him a Golden Globe Award, three Screen Actors Guild Awards and four Primetime Emmy Awards. He also portrayed two different characters on the similar NBC series Hill Street Blues (1983, 1985â1987) and its short-lived spinoff, Beverly Hills Buntz (1987â1988).
Franz grew up in Illinois as the son of German immigrants Eleanor and Franz. Franz’s first step into acting was taken in his high school’s version of “The Crucible.” However, he didn’t go back on stage till many years later. Franz later attended college, and after graduating, enlisted in the U.S. Army.
While serving, Franz was a member of the 82nd Airborne Division and served in Vietnam. His unit saw combat, and the experiences he had overseas left a profound mark on him.
“I was curious about the military service and went into the Army,” said Franz. “[It] was a very traumatic, life-changing experience⦠I’m not as frivolous as I once was. I experienced death over there, and losing friends. I got as close to being shot as I care to. I could feel and hear bullets whizzing over my head, and that shakes you up quite a bit.”
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