James Farentino Dead at 73: 'The Final Countdown' Actor Died of Heart Failure [VIDEO]

The Final Countdown actor James Farentino died on Tuesday, of heart failure at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 73, a family spokesman told The Associated Press.

Before his death, Farentino appeared in dozens of movies and television shows and starred alongside Kirk Douglas and Martin Sheen in the 1980 science fiction film The Final Countdown. It was a movie that had a modern aircraft carrier that enabled traveling back in time to Pearl Harbor hours before the Japanese attack. He was also known for starring opposite Patty Duke in 1969's Me, Natalie.

Farentino's private life was also as dramatic as some of his roles.

According to the Los Angeles Times, Farentino, who is survived by his fourth wife, Stella, and two sons, David and Saverio, married and divorced three times. He married Stella in 1994. Farentino's relationship with ex-girlfriend Tina Sinatra landed him negative press and derailed his acting career for a short while, as he pleaded no contest to stalking Frank Sinatra's youngest daughter in 1994.

Farentino was charged with 24 misdemeanor counts of stalking, making harassing phone calls and violating a restraining order to stay away from her, the Los Angeles Times reported. That article also stated that the two had a five-year off-and-on relationship. Farentino was given 36 months' probation and ordered to take psychiatric and alcohol counseling.

The roles started to get smaller and smaller with less value, and it was like, 'What am I doing here?' Farentino told The Times in a 2003 interview regarding the brush with the law. My behavior was appalling - feeling so hurt and rejected that I was the victim when I really wasn't. So you inflict your pain on someone else to make them identify with you.

Farentino also said that people in show business, for years said, He's an alcoholic. He's a drunk. He stalked Tina.' Clamps were put on me in many ways.

The actor's 2003 comeback role in Boy Gets Girl had a story line that focused on a character stalked by an admirer.

Promising Newcomer

Prior to the fallout, Farentino won a Most Promising Newcomer Golden Globe in 1967 for his performance in the comedy The Pad and How to Use It. There were also recurring roles on hit shows such as Dynasty, ''Melrose Place, ''The Bold Ones: The Lawyers and ER.

Farentino's acting was again recognized in 1978, when he received a nod for an Emmy for his portrayal of Saint Peter in the television mini-series Jesus of Nazareth.

Farentino was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., in 1938. He is the son of a clothing designer and was trained for the stage at the American Academy of Dramatic Arts. Farentino's career launched in a 1961 Broadway appearance in Night of the Iguana. His most recent credit came in the 2006 TV movie Drive/II, according to reports.

Watch Farentino in The Final Countdown below: