Norm Buntz, remaining until the show's end in 1987. Due to his popularity with fans, he returned in 1985 as Lt. Franz first played the role of Detective Sal Benedetto, a corrupt cop in the 1983 season, who later kills himself. He then guest-starred in shows such as "The A-Team." Other major roles were on the television series "Hill Street Blues" in which he played two characters over the run of the show. (By Franz's own count, the character of Detective Andy Sipowicz was his 27th role as a police officer). Although he has in the past performed Shakespeare, his "look" led to his being typecast early in his career as a police officer. He is the stepfather of Zeck's two daughters from her previous marriage.Franz began his acting career at Chicago's Organic Theater Company. In 1995, Franz married Joanie Zeck they met in 1982. (He spoke in the first person but it was not his own story.) He and his former NYPD Blue co-star Jimmy Smits made a surprise appearance at the 2016 Primetime Emmy Awards, presenting the award for Outstanding Drama Series to Game of Thrones. He spoke of wartime experiences and post-war trauma of veterans at a Memorial Day Concert in 2012. He and his wife spend their summers in their lake home in northern Idaho. He has told the New York Post he would be interested in returning to acting if given the right opportunity. Post- NYPD BlueĪfter the end of the show in 2005, Franz retired from acting to focus on his private life. He starred as Earl, the abusive husband, in the Dixie Chicks' music video "Goodbye Earl", and a role in country star Sammy Kershaw's music video "Queen of My Double Wide Trailer", as airport police captain Carmine Lorenzo in the 1990 film Die Hard 2 and as Nathaniel Messinger in the 1998 film City of Angels. The concept was that Franz "refused" to do the commercials, saying they were not something he did. On May 11, 2001, Franz was a contestant on a celebrity edition of the hit television game show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, winning $250,000 for his charity, the National Colorectal Cancer Research Alliance.įranz also was a commercial spokesman for Nextel in the early 2000s. The series ran from September 1996 to January 1997.įranz at a rehearsal for the 1994 Emmy Awards In 1996, while still on NYPD Blue, Franz appeared in the Disney cartoon Mighty Ducks: The Animated Series in which he provided the voice of Captain Klegghorn, the commanding officer and head of the Anaheim Police Department. 23 on Bravo's 100 Greatest TV Characters list. He appeared in three of Altman's films from this period, and five of De Palma's, most prominently as a low-budget movie director in Body Double (1984).įranz went on to win four Emmy Awards for his portrayal of Andy Sipowicz on NYPD Blue. He also starred in the short-lived Beverly Hills Buntz as the same character.ĭuring the late 1970s and early 1980s, Franz worked regularly with directors Brian De Palma and Robert Altman. Norman Buntz, remaining until the show's end in 1987. Franz returned to the series in 1985 as main character Lt. Franz first played the role of the corrupt Detective Sal Benedetto in the 1982–1983 season. Other major roles were on the television series Hill Street Blues in which he played two characters over the run of the show. He also guest starred in shows such as The A-Team. (By Franz's own count, the character of Andy Sipowicz was his 28th role as a police officer). Although he has in the past performed Shakespeare, his appearance led to his being typecast early in his career as a cop. Careerįranz began his acting career at Chicago's Organic Theater Company. He served eleven months with the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division in Vietnam. He attended Wilbur Wright College and Southern Illinois University Carbondale, graduating from the latter with a bachelor's degree in speech and theater in 1968.Īfter graduating from college, Franz was drafted into the United States Army. During his high school years, he was active in baseball, football and swimming. Franz is a 1962 graduate of Proviso East High School in Maywood.
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