Ezekiel Dann Florek:
• Born in Flat Rock, Michigan, USA in 1950
• American actor and film director
• Best known for his role in the mystery crime drama series “Law & Order”
• Married to Karen Elaine Kosinski since 1983
• Honorary Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University and honorary Doctorate of Arts
• Has a net worth of over $10 million
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Who is Dann Florek – is he dead?
Ezekial Dann Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan USA, on 1 May 1950 – his zodiac sign is Taurus and he holds American nationality. He is an actor and a film director, probably still known best for his portrayal of Police Captain Donald Cragen in the mystery crime drama series “Law & Order” created by Dick Wolf, and which starred Jerry Orbach, Jesse L. Martin and Dennis Farina. The series aired from 1990 to 2010, with each episode following a crime observed from two points: the police investigation and court prosecution. It won 47 awards and was nominated for 203 others, including six Golden Globes.
Dann reprised his role in the series’ spin-off – “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.
Dann is certainly alive and well, hasn’t retired, but at 70 years of age in early 2021, is just a bit less active in the film industry.
Early life and education
Dann was raised alongside his brothers Leonard Jr. and Dave in Flat Rock, by their mother Darlene who was a housewife, and their father Leonard who was a chiropractor. Dave is also an actor, with around 90 credits to his name, perhaps still known best for his appearance in the 1989 action fantasy comedy movie “Ghostbusters II”.
Dann became interested in acting while attending a local high school, but also in many other activities including football, dancing and creative writing. It was his father who urged him to pursue a college degree, so upon matriculating in 1968, Dann enrolled at Eastern Michigan University, but from which he eventually dropped out, and moved to New York City to start acting in theatre plays, also practicing his acting skills at the prestigious Juilliard School.
Roles in movies
Dann spent around ten years performing solely in theatre, before making his debut film appearance with his portrayal of Larry in the 1982 drama “The Country Girl”, while the following years saw him play supporting characters in several films, such as the 1983 action crime adventure “Eddie Macon’s Run”, the 1985 crime drama “Baker”, and the 1986 comedy “Sweet Liberty”.
His first notable performance was in the hit 1987 mystery horror thriller “Angel Heart”, written and directed by Alan Parker and based on the novel by William Hjortsberg, which starred Robert De Niro, Mickey Rourke and Lisa Bonet. It follows Louis Cyphre, who has hired a private investigator to find the singer Johnny Favorite – the movie won two awards of the six it was nominated for.
In 1988, Dann appeared in the mystery crime thriller “Sunset” which starred Bruce Willis, while the same year saw him portray a supporting character in the romantic comedy “Moon Over Parador”, which starred Richard Dreyfuss and Raul Julia. In 1994 Dann played Mr. Slate in the hit family fantasy comedy “The Flintstones”, which starred John Goodman and Rick Moranis, and follows the family Flintstones who are living in a Stone Age world. The movie won six awards of the 16 it was nominated for.
A couple of his following roles were in the 1997 thriller “A Nightmare Come True, the action crime drama “Hard Rain”, and the war comedy “The Pentagon Wars” both in 1998.
In the following two decades, Dann appeared in several mediocre movies which failed to attract attention, or received poor reviews – three of his most recent roles in films have been in the 2013 comedy “Santorini Blue”, the 2014 short drama “Captain Blackout”, and the 2018 comedy “Disillusioned”.
Roles in TV series
Dann made his debut TV series appearance in the 1985 episode “Intestinal Fortitude” of the mystery crime drama “Hill Street Blues”, and the following years saw him make guest appearances in an episode or two of many series, such as the action crime drama “The Equalizer”, the action adventure comedy “CBS Summer Playhouse”, and the comedy “Mr. President”.
Dann gained recognition in 1988 when cast to portray the supporting character Dave Meyer in the drama “L.A. Law”, created by Terry Louise Fisher and Steven Bochco, and which starred Corbin Bernsen, Jill Eikenberry and Alan Rachins. It follows the lives of people working at one of the largest law companies in Los Angeles, and aired from 1986 to 1994, winning 45 awards including five Golden Globes.
In 1994, Dann played Ernest ‘Happy’ Talbot, one of the lead characters in the sports comedy “Hardball”, and he went on to make an appearance in various critically acclaimed series such as the comedy “Roseanne”, the family fantasy comedy “Sabrina the Teenage Witch”, and the historical action mini-series “From the Earth to the Moon”. In 1998, Dann was cast to star as Abraham Lincoln in the short-lived historical comedy “The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer”, which was cancelled after airing nine episodes, and he also portrayed the supporting character Coach Gerber in the hit family comedy “Smart Guy”.
The following years Dann focused on his roles in “Law & Order” and “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, and his most recent appearance in a TV series has been his portrayal of Colonel Walker in the 2015 episode “The Enemy Within” of the mystery science fiction drama “Under the Dome”.
Other credits
Dann has two producing and one directing credit. He directed the episodes “The Pursuit of Happiness”, “Big Bang” and “Bad Faith”, of the series “Law & Order” in 1993, ‘94 and ‘95, respectively, and then produced the 2013 movie “Santorini Blue”, and the 2014 film “Captain Blackout”.
He received special thanks for the 2004 short documentary movie “Law & Order: The First 3 Years”, in which he also made an appearance.
Dann can be seen featured in various other documentaries, including the 2002 short film “’Law & Order’: The Beginning”, and the 2007 series “TV Land Confidential”.
He has also appeared in a couple of talk-shows, including “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”, and “Today”, both in 2015.
Awards and nominations
Dann has been nominated for only a single award: a 2010 Prism Award for Performance in a Drama Episode for “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.
Love life and wife
Dann is more or less secretive when it comes to his love life, but it’s known that he’s been married to his other half, Karen Elaine Kosinski, for close to four decades now. Not a lot is known about Karen, except that she’s an artist.
The two met in the late 1970s / early 1980s and exchanged vows in front of their closest friends and family members on 25 July 1983. It’s believed by many that they decided not to have children because they both wanted to focus on their careers, however, there are also those who believe that either Dann or Karen (or both) are unable to have children – the two haven’t commented on the matter.
Dann hasn’t spoken about any other women he has perhaps been with, so as of March 2021, he’s married to Karen Elaine Kosinski, and doesn’t have children.
Hobbies and other interests
Dann was physically very active in his 20s and 30s, and even 40s, as he had several training sessions at the gym and also played various sports, while he eventually turned to golf and became one of the best golfers among his colleagues.
He is also a collector of antique golf clubs, which can be seen in his office in the series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”.
Dann is a musician too, who sang with several bands during his teenage years, and who also collects music memorabilia.
Dann eventually received a college degree – an honorary Bachelor of Arts from Eastern Michigan University on 13 December 2008, and the next day an honorary Doctorate of Arts.
He has his own favorite actors and actresses, some of whom are the late Robin Williams, Matt Damon and Julia Roberts, and some of his favorite movies are “Patch Adams”, “Good Will Hunting” and “Notting Hill”.
Age, height and net worth
Dann’s age is 70. He is bald and has brown eyes, his height is 6ft (1.83m) and he weighs around 180lbs (82kgs).
As of March 2021, his net worth has been estimated at over $10 million.