Dennis Franz was a prime-time powerhouse on “NYPD Blue,” snaring four Emmys (and another four nominations) for his role as hot-tempered Detective Andy Sipowicz — partnered mostly with Bobby Simone (Jimmy Smits) — on the long-running ABC cop drama. When the series ended its 12-year run in 2005, Franz, only 61 at the time, vanished off the Hollywood grid — and hasn’t acted since.
The Post reached out to Franz, and he agreed to a rare interview in which he talks about what he’s doing these days.
The answer? Anything he wants — including watching lots of TV.
What are you up to these days?
As I’m talking to you, I’m getting my fishing gear together … and that’s a good part of what I do now. We have a home up in north Idaho, on a lake, and we’re there all summer long. We do a lot of swimming and fishing and enjoying the lake. We leave [Friday] to go back home to California and then we’re coming out to New York City for a month to catch up on a lot of theater. Last year we went to India and Argentina and Cuba and we go to Europe a lot. So we travel and spend time with our family. I have three grandkids who live a block from us and I’m with them every day. They come with us [to Idaho] for just about the entire summer and bring all their friends. Life is good.
Why did you retire?
What happened was, at the end of that [“NYPD Blue”] run, I needed a break. I was just tired. It was becoming a job, as much as I loved the work and the challenges and the creative process. At one point, in about the ninth season, I told [series creator] Steven Bochco that if we made it to Season 12, that’s a good number. When we finished up, I told my agents I needed a year off, and that year went by in about 10 minutes. I realized I’m pretty good at this and I’d like another year to think about what’s next — and during that second period of time, I sort of made my mind up that this is where I wanna be. I just wanted to live an enjoyable, irresponsible, spend-time-with-my-family kind of life. I haven’t regretted one minute of it. I’m pretty good at doing nothing.
Do you miss acting?
I miss the creative process, that certain satisfaction at the end of a long day when you think you’ve done something well and take pride in it. But I get satisfaction now by watching other people do it. I love seeing good work on TV. We’re clearly in the golden age of TV and there aren’t enough hours in the day. There’s too much good TV to watch.
What are you watching?
I love “Game of Thrones,” which isn’t even TV anymore, it’s so superior to everything. My wife and I plan our night around it … and watch each episode more than once. I’m a fan of “Downton Abbey,” “Call the Midwife,” “Mr. Selfridge” and I miss “Boardwalk Empire” and “Mad Men.” I was a fan of “Parenthood” — I thought that was great TV that got overlooked — and I like “Homeland,” “House of Cards,” “The Americans,” “How to Get Away with Murder,” “Empire,” “Power” and “Nashville.” I think Matt LeBlanc has been a revelation on “Episodes.”
I just wanted to live an enjoyable, irresponsible, spend-time-with-my-family kind of life. I haven’t regretted one minute of it. I’m pretty good at doing nothing.
- Dennis Franz on his retirement from acting
Have you tuned out cop shows after all those years on “NYPD Blue”?
I haven’t tuned them out. My dear friend Joe Mantegna is on “Criminal Minds” and I like all the Dick Wolf shows — “Chicago PD” and “Chicago Fire” — and I like “True Detective” a lot. I spread myself all over the place.
Have you been offered any TV roles in the past 10 years?
Yeah. It was hard in the beginning to always be saying no — then it got to be easier. My agents have an understanding; they’re still gonna knock on my door periodically to see if there are any home runs to get me off my butt, but so far that hasn’t presented itself … though I left my options open and didn’t say I was, for sure, closing the door and not leaving it open a crack. Have there been some temptations? Yes. I get offered a lot of TV series but that work is intense and hard … and I don’t want to make that my first priority anymore. I’m missing that actor’s gene. I’ve been offered guest roles and I don’t even want that responsibility.
How did winning four Emmys, and being nominated four other times, affect your career?
Honestly, on a personal level, if I said it didn’t change my life, I wouldn’t be telling the truth. It does, and it validates your dreams of being recognized as a legitimate actor and a player in a big game. I get that that’s now what you’re supposed to be chasing … and I would like to think that was not the motivation that drove me to work as hard as I did. It’s kind of a weird dichotomy. Personally, it was a tremendous honor and some of the biggest highlights of my life. Four times hearing my name being mentioned; it was a kick in the chest when my name was called out, and the fourth time was just as powerful as the first time for me and my family. It didn’t get old.
I get offered a lot of TV series but that work is intense and hard … and I don’t want to make that my first priority anymore. I’m missing that actor’s gene.
Are you still in touch with anyone from “NYPD Blue”?
Occasionally I run into Gordon Clapp [who played Detective Greg Medavoy] at a golf event, and I love seeing Jimmy Smits. I don’t see him often enough. I love him, period. He and Joe Mantegna are two of the big blessings in my life. They’re just great people.
Are you on social media?
I don’t even know how to operate a computer. I’m still living in the Dark Ages. I got as far as a flip phone, which frustrates my family. They wanna text me and I say, “If you love me, don’t text me.” I hate texting. It takes too much time. If you wanna talk to me, give me a call. I answer the phone all the time.
Are you comfortable with your legacy as Sipowicz?
I’m completely flattered when anyone says hello and remembers me from anything — and that’s Sipowicz, nine times out of 10. I was always flattered and honored to have had the opportunity to explore that character and find whatever success I found. Personally, I’m good with that for the rest of my days. A lot of people don’t even know my name. They only know me as Sipowicz — and I’m flattered.