Dennis Franz (Blow Out) Blow Out

Dennis Franz (born October 28, 1944, Maywood, Illinois) played Manny Karp, the sleazy photographer, in Blow Out (1981).

Karp is the film's most morally bankrupt survivor

Manny Karp was hired to photograph Governor McRyan in a compromising position with Sally — a political dirty trick. He happened to be shooting when the assassination occurred, which means his photos are crucial evidence. But Karp's instinct isn't to reveal the truth; it's to profit from the situation. He sells his photos to magazines, destroying their evidentiary value. When the negatives might still prove something, they're stolen.

Franz plays Karp without a shred of self-awareness — a man who sees every situation through the lens of personal advantage. He's disgusting, and he's the only character in the film who comes through unscathed, which is De Palma's point about how the world actually works.

Franz appeared in three De Palma films in four years

Year	Film	Role
1980	Dressed to Kill	Detective Marino
1981	Blow Out	Manny Karp
1983	Scarface	Ernie

He would later appear in Body Double (1984) as Rubin, the film director. The four De Palma roles form a portrait of a particular type: the gruff, profane, amoral working-class man who navigates corrupt systems with ease because he has no principles to compromise.

NYPD Blue (1993–2005) would later give Franz a version of this type with a conscience — Detective Sipowicz as Manny Karp with a moral education.