James Farentino

James Farentino (February 24, 1938 – January 24, 2012) was an American actor born in Brooklyn, New York, who worked across stage, television, and film over a career spanning several decades. He studied drama and acting, including coursework at a Catholic school, before beginning to perform on stage and in television during the 1950s and 1960s.

Farentino's Broadway career ran from 1961 to 1975 and included appearances in three notable productions: The Night of the Iguana, A Streetcar Named Desire, and Death of a Salesman, in which he starred. His stage work earned him a Theatre World Award in 1973.

On screen, Farentino built a substantial television résumé beginning in the 1960s. He appeared in The Alfred Hitchcock Hour alongside Vera Miles and John Carradine in the episode "Death Scene," and received a Golden Globe Award for Best Male Newcomer for his work in the 1966 film The Pad (and How to Use It). In 1969, he starred opposite Patty Duke in the film Me, Natalie and joined the NBC legal drama The Bold Ones, which also featured Burl Ives and Joseph Campanella, remaining with the series through 1972. That same year he appeared as Pick Lexington in The Men from Shiloh in the episode "The Best Man." He made two appearances on the anthology series Night Gallery during the 1970s — one with then-wife Michele Lee in "Since Aunt Ada Came to Stay," and another with Joanna Pettet in "The Girl with the Hungry Eyes." He also appeared in the Love Story episode "The Soft, Kind Brush" in 1973 and on NBC's Cool Million during the same decade.

His portrayal of Simon Peter in the 1978 miniseries Jesus of Nazareth earned him a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. In 1980, he starred alongside Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen in the film The Final Countdown. The following year he played Juan Perón opposite Faye Dunaway in the television film Evita Perón. From 1981 to 1982, Farentino appeared as Dr. Nick Toscanni in the second season of Dynasty, and in 1984 he starred as Frank Chaney in the ABC series Blue Thunder, based on the 1983 film of the same name. In the late 1990s, he appeared on ER as the estranged father of the character Doug Ross.

Farentino married Elizabeth Ashley in 1962; the couple divorced in 1965. He married Michele Lee in 1966, and the two had a son, David, in 1969, before divorcing in 1982. He subsequently married Deborah Mullowney in 1985, divorcing in 1988, and married Stella Farentino in 1994. In 1993, Farentino entered a plea of nolo contendere following charges of stalking Tina Sinatra, resulting in a restraining order. In July 1991, he was arrested in Vancouver, British Columbia, after Canada Customs intercepted a package containing 3.2 grams of cocaine addressed to his hotel room; he was charged with cocaine possession and released on bail. In 2010, he was arrested on suspicion of misdemeanor battery following an alleged assault.

Farentino died on January 24, 2012, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at the age of 73. His death followed complications from a broken hip, with contributing factors including diabetes, hypertensive arteriosclerotic cardiopulmonary disease, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.