Dennis Franz

Biography: Dennis Franz was born Dennis Franz Schlacta in Maywood, a suburb of Chicago. His father was a German immigrant and both he and Franz's mother were postal workers. He has two sisters, named Marlene and Heidi. He graduated from Southern Illinois University and was drafted into the military. He served 11 months in Vietnam in a reconnaissance unit, and after his service he suffered depression for some time. In 1972 he joined the Organic Theatre Company. Robert Altman discovered him at an audition and told him to go to Los Angeles, where he became part of Altman's resident company. He married his now former wife Joanie Zeck in 1982 and has supported her in raising her two daughters, Krista and Tricia.