Denis Leary sizzles on his firefighter drama 'Rescue Me'

NEW YORK - Fire somehow befits Denis Leary.

He plays New York City firefighter Tommy Gavin on Rescue Me, of course, and the promotional photography for this FX drama depicts him, in character, brazenly engulfed in flames.

But Leary is combustible in pretty much everything he does.

As a standup comic he's a truthtelling hothead. In films such as The Ref, Wag the Dog and The Thomas Crown Affair, along with the two animated Ice Age movies, he gives searing performances.

Not that he gets the respect he deserves. Leary's standup persona - enraged, rapid-fire, chain-smoking - remains lodged in the public mind, shortchanging him from credit due as an actor who …