James Farentino is an American actor. He has appeared in almost a hundred roles, among them in The Final Countdown, Jesus of Nazareth and Dynasty.
Farentino starred opposite Patty Duke in the 1969 film Me, Natalie. He was nominated for the 1978 Emmy Award for Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Comedy or Drama Special for his portrayal of Saint Peter in Jesus of Nazareth. He appeared as Frank Chaney in the short-lived 1984 ABC series Blue Thunder, based on the 1983 film of the same name starring Roy Scheider. (The 11-episode series, which also starred a then-unknown Dana Carvey, was released on DVD in August 2006.) In the late 1990s, he appeared as Doug Ross' estranged father Ray on ER.
He has been married to:
Farentino was charged with stalking his former girlfriend Tina Sinatra (youngest child of Frank Sinatra) in 1993; a restraining order was issued against him after he entered a plea of "no contest".
Farentino was arrested in Vancouver, British Columbia on July 23, 1991 after the Royal Canadian Mounted Police intercepted a package containing 3.2 grams of cocaine being sent to his hotel room. Farentino was in town filming the TV movie Miles From Nowhere. He was charged with cocaine possession and released on bail.
