WOMAN'S DAY

(April 7, 2003)

Law & Order: Criminal Intent star Vincent D'Onofrio has a special place in his heart for Oz

The imposing Vincent D'Onofrio had an apartment in Sydney beachside suburb Coogee in the late 1980s and early '90s. He also had a four year relationship with actress Greta Scacchi, that produced daughter Leila, now 10.

Although his relationship with Greta ended in divorce, New Yorker Vincent hasn't forgotten how to surf, sink a beer or enjoy the laid-back Aussie lifestyle. And he revisited those experiences when he reunited with Leila on a recent, two-week custodial visit.

"It's been five years since I was last here, and that's too long," gushes the 43 year old actor. "I miss the beaches and the culture. I came here originally to do a film back in the '80s, a ridiculous film called Salute of the Jugger with Rutger Hauer and Joan Chen. I had such a great time with the stunt guys that I got to know Sydney pretty well.

I have always come back to Australia. It just depends on where Greta and Leila live. It's one of those situations where sometimes Leila comes to me in New York, or England (her home) or I come here where her grandparents live."

His aplit with Greta, who has raised their daughter in the Sussex countryside, may have been acrimonious but there's no doubt Leila is the apple of her daddy's eye. Father and daughter had great fun relaxing on local beaches, visiting Wonderland Sydney (previously Australia's Wonderland) and- much to the amusement of guests - playing "ghosts" in his luxurious, five-star city hotel.

With her halo of blonde curls, Leila is a carbon copy of her mother and, says Vincent, she's just as smart. "Leila hasn't inherited my mind, but she has inherited my sense of humour for sure," jokes the actor, whose films include Men in Black, The Cell, The Player and Malcolm X.

I'm goofy and silly and don't take myself too seriously. But Leila's inquisitive, too, just like her mother. Really, she has Greta's intellect - and is she a very clever woman.

"At this point in time Leila doesn't want to be an actress, she wants to be a director."

Lured from the big screen by the promise of being able to develop the quirks and eccentricities of Criminal Intent's detective Rovert Goren, Vincent considers himself a worthy character actor but no leading man. Nor is he a fan of celebrity.

"I don't do celebrity things," says Vincent, who's now married to Carin van der Donk and father to three year old Elias. "I don't go to film premieres, don't go to parties, I don't do that stuff."

The good news for fans of the handsome actor is, given a decent film offer, he'd love to return to Aussie shores soon.