Homicide Life On The Street Others / Characters

Homicide: Life on the Street Main Character Index
Main Characters | Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice | Criminals | Others

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Family Members

Pembleton Family

Mary Pembleton

Portrayed by: Ami Mari Brabson

Pembleton's beloved wife and main confidant.

Lady Macbeth: Subverted. While she doesn't hesitate to encourage Pembleton's ambition, she makes it clear she'll support him no matter what he does and will occasionally talk him out of taking an opportunity for a promotion if it's clear he doesn't want it.
Nice Girl: Unlike her husband, she's friendly, spunky, sweet-natured, and generally pleasant to be around.

Bayliss Family

Jim Bayliss

Portrayed by: David Morse

Bayliss's beloved cousin and a family man whose shooting of a Turkish exchange student becomes a high-profile case because of the possible racial motivations.

Anti-Villain: Jim is a genuinely decent, caring man, but he shot an innocent teenager due to his own prejudices.
Freudian Excuse: It's initially implied his racism stems from his brother Kurt's death in the Gulf War, but Jim eventually reveals that it's been ingrained since he grew up with a similarly racist father. Notably, neither of these are treated as excuses, but rather explanations for his crimes.
Hair-Trigger Temper: He has a fairly bad temper. He easily gets frustrated when dealing with people who have heavy accents or speak foreign languages, and gets so angry with an officer trying to handcuff him that he shoves him to the ground.
Innocent Bigot: Deconstructed. Pembleton points out that Jim is unaware of his own racism, but that this makes him even more dangerous because of how deeply it's engrained.
Bayliss: My cousin could not consciously kill someone.
Pembleton: I don't think it was premeditated. I think it was inherent. Jim's racism is so much a part of him, that he didn't have a chance to think about what he was doing. Jim is worse than a Klansman. 'Cause at least in their white sheets, they are recognizable. Your cousin's brand of bigotry is much more frightening because, like still water, it runs deep. He doesn't even see it himself.
My God, What Have I Done?: After the trial, Jim confesses to Bayliss that he's realized he killed Gershel out of racism, and he worries that his infant son will do the same.
Obliviously Evil: Jim genuinely thought that he was in danger from Hikmet Gershel, but Jim's short temper and racism resulted in him escalating the situation when he grabbed a gun; it's left deliberately unclear what happened immediately after that, but something led to Jim shooting Gershel and he's at least initially convinced he was acting in self defense.
Politically Incorrect Villain: Deconstructed. Jim isn't consciously racist and he's a genuinely kindhearted man, but he has deeply ingrained racism that results in him killing a teenager. Pembleton notes that Jim's more subtle brand of racism is more dangerous than an out-and-out bigot.

Shannon Bayliss

Portrayed by: Holly Cross-Valley

Jim's wife and Bayliss's sister-in-law.

Freak Out: She's a wreck after Jim shoots Gershel for understandable reasons, and she nervously blabbers on when Pembleton and Bolander interview her and starts laughing mirthlessly at one point after recounting one of Jim's racist jokes.
Nervous Wreck: She's understandably a total wreck after Jim shoots Gershel and openly worries about if he'll be arrested. During Jim's hearing, she also worries about the grand jury's verdict even though the trial is going in Jim's favor.

Kurt Bayliss

Bayliss's late cousin and Jim's brother, who died in the Gulf War.

Posthumous Character: He was killed prior to the series in the Gulf War, and only impacts the plot to provide a reason for Jim's racism.

Giardello Family

Charisse Giardello

Portrayed by: Theara Ward

Giardello's daughter.

Calling the Old Man Out: After Giardello becomes angry that she's marrying her boyfriend without his blessing, she angrily tells him that she doesn't care about his opinion on her marriage and calls him out on his overprotectiveness.

Felton Family

Beth Felton

Portrayed by: Mary B. Ward

Felton's needy, somewhat unstable wife.

All Take and No Give: She constantly demands emotional support and time from Felton, and rarely gives him anything in return.
Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: After Felton is shot, Beth waits by his bedside for him to wake up even though she had left him and is genuinely worried about him. When he wakes up, both Russert's presence and Felton's non-reaction to Beth proves to her that he doesn't love her, and she decides to leave with the kids once it's clear he'll be okay.
Awful Wedded Life: Felton is neglectful towards her and actively tries to avoid her because of her erratic behavior, and cheats on her with Russert. Meanwhile, Beth lashes out at everything he does, is deeply needy, and generally very difficult to be around. She does genuinely love Felton, but it's clearly toxic for both of them.
Put on a Bus: She leaves Felton for good after realizing he doesn't love her anymore, though she still lets him see his kids.

Crosetti Family

Beatrice Crosetti

Portrayed by: Heather Brown

Crosetti's daughter.

Bratty Teenage Daughter: Played with. Crosetti thinks she's this, but from what he says about her she seems more fed up with him being overprotective. When she does appear in person, she's a mostly nice if somewhat insensitive and slightly dim person.

Munch Family

Bernard Munch

Portrayed by: Joey Perillo

Munch's resentful undertaker brother.

The Resenter: He openly resents Munch for being their mother's favorite child, and bickers with him constantly about it.
The Unfavorite: He resents Munch for being the favorite child and repeatedly insults him over it.

Howard's Family

Wesley Howard

Portrayed by: Michael Currie

Howard's father. He's a rather gruff and terse retired oysterman who has a somewhat distant relationship with his daughter.

Jerk with a Heart of Gold: He's not so much a jerk as he is bad at expressing his emotions, but he's mostly cold with Howard until he confesses how proud he truly is of her.
So Proud of You: At the end of "The Last of the Watermen", he tearfully confesses to Howard how proud he is of her and how much he loves her.

Josh Howard

Portrayed by: John C. Hansen

Howard's younger brother, who followed the family tradition and became an oysterman.

Et Tu, Brute?: He feels personally betrayed when Howard arrests his friend for murdering a conservationist. When she leaves and tries to reconcile with him, Josh curtly turns her away.

Russert's Family

Caroline Russert

Portrayed by: Uncredited

Russert's young daughter.

Children Are Innocent: Caroline is a cheerful, average kid who is totally unaware of the thankless and often horrific work her mother does.

Mike Russert

Russert's late husband.

The Bore: Russert describes him as the most boring man she ever met. Hell, he was a tax accountant, the most boring job there is.
Disappeared Dad: To Caroline, on account of being dead.
The Lost Lenore: For Russert. His death continues to greatly impact her.
Posthumous Character: He died a year before the series from a heart attack.

Bolander's Family

Margie Bolander

Portrayed by: Dana Ivey

Bolander's ex-wife.

New-Age Retro Hippie: Bolander claims she divorced him after she became one of these. When she finally shows up in person, she shows no signs of being one, which can be chalked up to Bolander being an Unreliable Narrator.
Unresolved Sexual Tension: It's pretty clear Margie still deeply loves Bolander, but she's reluctant to get close to him again.

Kellerman's Family

Mike Kellerman Sr.

Portrayed by: Pat McNamara

Kellerman's father.

Good Parents: He's nothing but supportive and loving towards Kellerman.
Nice Guy: He's a jovial and amiable man who's fairly loving towards his son.
Stepford Smiler: He keeps up a happy face for his son, but he's still working a dead-end job at a bottle factory which he desperately wants to quit because his arthritis makes every day on the job a living hell, but can't because he's too poor to do so.

Lewis's Family

Barbara Lewis

Barbara Lewis (nee Shivers)

Portrayed by: Karen Lewis

Lewis's wife, who he marries at the end of the fourth season. The two's marriage quickly begins disintegrating as their personalities prove incompatible.

Awful Wedded Life: Her and Lewis argue constantly after they're married, and she quickly comes to loathe him.
Disproportionate Retribution: She leaves Lewis because he wouldn't get rid of his prized painting of Teddy Prendergrass. Admittedly, he did have to take time to decide whether the painting was more important to him than her.
Satellite Character: She's mostly characterized by her relationship with Lewis, and never appears without him, and even then only in short scenes.

Others

Matt Rhodes

Portrayed by: Tony Todd

An ambitious reporter investigating the white glove murders.

Chuck Cunningham Syndrome: He disappears after the end of the white gloves murder arc.
Everybody Has Standards: His conversation with Russert makes it clear he genuinely believes that going public with the white glove murders is the best course of option, since he feels keeping the public in the dark is only going to put more people in danger.
Immoral Journalist: He threatens to go public with the white gloves, crucial evidence in the white gloves murders, and repeatedly forces Russert to make deals with him to delay it. He eventually decides to tell the public anyway, forcing her to put the investigation into overdrive.
Intrepid Reporter: Subverted. He clearly thinks he's being this by going public with the fact Catherine Goodrich's death was the work of a serial killer, but as Russert points out he'll just cause a panic and expose crucial evidence needed to be kept secret for the sake of the investigation in the process.
Karma Houdini: In spite of all his sleaziness, he gets exactly what he wants out of the white glove murders; a juicy story in the form of Pamela Wilgis's live confession.
Smug Snake: He's an oily, slimy bastard who can't keep himself from salivating at the juicy story the white glove murders will make.

Dawn Daniels

Portrayed by: Rhonda Overby

A local television news reporter.

Flat Character: Rhonda doesn't get much characterization, mostly serving as a stand-in whenever a news reporter is needed to comment on the plot of the episode.

Dennis Knoll

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Portrayed by: Christopher Meloni

The leader of a team of bounty hunters, who has a history with Sheppard.

Affably Evil: Knoll is folksy and laid-back, but totally amoral.
Friendly Enemy: A one-sided variant with the detectives. Knoll is amiable with them and treats them like they're his buddies, but they all despise him with a burning passion.
Identical Stranger: Meloni is much better known as Stapler from the show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit which is set in the same universe as Homicide is.

Eli Devilbiss

Dr. Eli Devilbiss

Portrayed by: Sean Whitesell

A doctor who treats Thormann after he's shot. He later returns various times getting involved in the detectives' investigations.

Nice Guy: He's nothing but polite and calm when dealing with often very desperate people, and he clearly cares greatly for his patients.

Katherine Goodrich

An activist who founded a shelter for abused women and received a Samaritan of the Year Award for her work. Her murder is the main focus of the first three episodes of Season 3.

Posthumous Character: Her death drives the plot of the White Gloves murder arc in Season 3.
You Need to Get Laid: Sister Magdalene remarks that Catherine was very chaste, and that it would have been good for her if she had gotten laid.

Sister Magdalena Weber

Portrayed by: Pamela Payton-Wright

A nun and one of Catherine Goodrich's colleagues.

Be as Unhelpful as Possible: Her refusal to give the detectives any information on the abuse victims Catherine was working with severely hinders their investigation into her murder.
Nice Girl: She's kind to Pembleton and tries to help him through his Crisis of Faith.

Adena Watson

An 11-year old girl with a bright future ahead of her. Her brutal murder and the investigation into it serves as the primary focus for most of Season 1.

The Cameo: During the finale movie, her spirit appears running past Giardello during the afterlife scene.
Death of a Child: She's brutally murdered and violated with a pipe by an unknown assailant. Her killer is never caught, though it may or may not have been Risley Tucker.
Genki Girl: By all accounts, Adena was energetic and filled with life.
Posthumous Character: She's dead before she ever appears onscreen, but her high-profile murder drives the plot of Season 1 and her death continues to impact Bayliss for the entire series.
Trademark Favorite Food: Peaches, which she constantly bought from Risley Tucker's stand.

Sam Thorne

Portrayed by: Joe Morton

A crusading journalist and a friend of Giardello's, who runs The Black Voice, a local newspaper.

Boom, Headshot!: He's shot in the head by a hitman.
Friend in the Press: Despite being a fierce critic of the police, he and Giardello maintain a close friendship with Sam even being willing to assist Giardello on occasion.
He Knows Too Much: After he digs too deep into how a Columbia drug cartel that is infiltrating Baltimore's drug trade, the cartel has him assassinated.
Iconic Outfit: He's always seen wearing a trenchcoat and fedora.
Intrepid Reporter: He's a journalist who works hard to expose the issues with Baltimore, frequently putting his life at risk to go after very powerful people. It eventually gets him killed when he goes after a Colombian drug cartel and ends up assassinated as a result.
Parents as People: He's a good man, but his dedication to journalism resulted in him neglecting his daughter.
Vitriolic Best Buds: With Giardello. The two are friends, but Giardello frequently gets annoyed with how anti-police Sam is and how frequently he badgers his detectives.

Jeremy Wade

Congressman Jeremy Wade

Portrayed by: Dick Stilwell

A Congressman and a major supporter of the BPD who files false kidnapping charges to cover up a secret relationship with one of his aides.

Armored Closet Gay: He keeps his relationship with an aide a secret because his sexuality would turn away his conservative supporters. When he breaks his aide's arm in a fight, he tries to frame him for kidnapping out of fear he'll reveal their relationship as revenge.
Corrupt Politician: He tries to frame his boyfriend for kidnapping him so he won't reveal that they were in a relationship, and he tries to use his influence over Harris to accomplish this.
Domestic Abuse: He broke his boyfriend's arm during a fight, which resulted in Wade trying to frame him for kidnapping out of fear he'd expose their relationship as revenge.
Improperly Paranoid: He's afraid his boyfriend will reveal their relationship to get revenge on Wade for his abuse. Unbeknownst to Wade, he has no intention of doing so, not wanting to ruin his career and simply wanting to quietly move on.
Karma Houdini: While he's indicted for filing false kidnapping charges, it's implied that he'll face no real consequences over it.

Felicia

Munch's oft-mentioned but never seen girlfriend. They have an on-again off-again relationship and frequently fight, but somehow always get back together. They eventually permanently break up when Munch accidentally kills her tropical fish collection.

The Ghost: She's never seen onscreen and generally only mentioned by Munch, though she is heard getting into a screaming match with him in "Night of the Dead Living".
Put on a Bus: When Munch gives her a Jack Dempsey fish to add to her collection of tropical fish, it winds up eating the rest of her collection. She breaks up with Munch, and is never heard from again.

Robert Ellison

Portrayed by: Robin Williams

A tourist and family man whose wife was murdered during a mugging.

Jerkass: Justified. Ellison is confrontational towards everyone involved in investigating his wife's death because he feels they're disrespecting her memory and he is somewhat neglectful of his kids's emotions, but he is still grieving and he clearly blames himself for his wife's death, which happened in front of him.

Characters / Homicide Life On The Street Others

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