American actor. He won two Emmys for his work on the TV show “Hill Street Blues” in 1981 and 1982, the Golden Globe Award 1982 and a Viewers for Quality Television Award 1985 for his portrayal of Captain Frank Furillo. Travanti was inducted into the Wisconsin Performing Arts Hall of Fame 1994. “Hill Street Blues” debuted 1/15/1981 and finished 5/12/1987 after 147 episodes and 26 Emmy Awards.
Travanti spent much of his youth in Dubuque, Iowa with his brother Bob, his dad, John and mom Elvira DeAngelis Travanti. He attended the University of Wisconsin at Madison as a General Motors Scholar and graduated with a BA after which he went to the School of Drama at Yale University as a Woodrow Wilson Fellow 1961-62 and Loyola-Marymount University in Los Angeles for his MA in English. He joined the Army and served in the Army Reserve. His first film role was in “Who Killed Teddy Bear” in 1965. He starred on the New York stage in “Othello” opposite James Earl Jones the same year. Over the next several years he played in many popular TV shows, but his roles were limited to dumb or bad guys.
“Hill Street Blues” began on 1/15/1981 and ran for six and a half years through 5/12/1987 receiving more Emmy nominations than any other TV show. Like his character on “Hill Street Blues,” Travanti is a recovering alcoholic. Receiving a total of five Emmy nominations with two wins, five Golden Globe nominations, one win and the Quality TV Award, he appeared on the cover of “TV Guide” on 6/19/1982. In 1983 Travanti starred in the TV movie “Adam” the story of a missing boy, a story that helped Congress to pass a law allowing the FBI to use its files to find missing children. Travanti played Joe Hynes, a special prosecutor from New York City, in “Howard Beach: Making the Case for Murder” in November 1989. An ambassador to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for two decades, he was named National Campaign Chairman in 1988. His brother Bob has Multiple Sclerosis. He says he doesn’t want to write or direct, just do the best acting he can. He had a recurring role on “Poltergeist: The Legacy” in 1996-97 and January and February 1999 he was starring on stage in Highland Park, IL in “Old Wicked Songs.”
In 1995 he sold his Pacific Palisades house to Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver and he now has a home in Lake Forest, IL. Travanti gained a reputation for being long-winded and righteous, alienating many of the show’s writers and co-players. A person who tackles everything with passion, he moves at full speed, walks and exercises and tackles everything he does voraciously. He kicked the alcohol habit in 1973 along with sugar, salt and fried foods.
Link to Wikipedia biography