Beginning his career as a sultan of TV sleaze, Dennis Franz rose from character actor to one of television's most enduring leading men with ability to convey his troubled characters' redemptive qualities. This paunchy, stubble-faced, often slovenly and perennially middle-aged actor initally cornered the film and TV market on playing cheap detectives and cops gone to seed. His world-weary demeanor suggests that he's been around and flirted with corruption, but there's often a virtuous lining beneath the surface dissipation.

Franz first made his mark in TV with a searing two-part guest spot on