Farina joins Law & Order

Actor Dennis Farina's luck is beginning to turn around. The former Chicago police officer hadn't appeared in any major projects for some time, then was forced to withdraw from Collateral, the thriller starring Tom Cruise, after a car accident.

Now Farina has been recruited to join Law & Order, as Jerry Orbach is leaving the cast.

Farina says he was already a fan of the show and liked the emphasis on the crime stories rather than the characters' personal lives.