03:36 AM EDT 03/06/2012

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Actor James Farentino Dies

Actor James Farentino Dies

Originally posted 01/25/2012 10:55AM

James Farentino, a handsome, darkly intense actor who also made headlines thanks to his fiery private life, died of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital on Tuesday after a lengthy illness, a family spokesman told the Associated Press. He was 73.

A "Most Promising Newcomer" Golden Globe winner in 1967, Farentino racked up 100 TV credits, including his 1978 Emmy-nominated Saint Peter on the mini-series Jesus of Nazareth (said to be his favorite role) and recurring roles on Dynasty, Melrose Place, The Bold Ones: The Lawyers and ER, as the estranged father to George Clooney's character.

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