10 Mob Movie Actors Who Were Actually There
3. Chuck Adamson - Thief
Like Dennis Farina, film audiences were first introduced to former Chicago cop Chuck Adamson in Michael Mann's Thief, in which he played a crooked cop looking to extort James Caan's Frank to get a cut of the profits from his next score. Adamson is a pivotal figure in Mann's film history - more than just this one scene would intimate - as his time on the force directly inspired the premise of the filmmaker's magnum opus, Heat.
Adamson only had a few minor screen roles over the course of his film and TV career, primarily working instead as a technical advisor and screenwriter, but his presence undoubtedly had a huge impact on Mann's early work, the success of which drew from a seamless blend of style, emotion, and veracity.
If Caan and Tangerine Dream brought the vibes, then Adamson and Mann's curiosity brought the truth, kicking off a decades-spanning career for the latter and in the process cementing himself as one of the true great American filmmakers of the 20th century.
Beyond his friendship and collaborations with Mann as an advisor, Adamson also co-created the TV series Crime Story, which featured Farina in the leading role of Chicago detective Lt. Mike Torello. Adamson's co-creator on the show, Gustave Reininger, even went undercover to meet underworld figures when developing the series.