Line #262 Characters/HillStreetBlues


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4
5	[[foldercontrol]]
6
7	!Regular cast
8
9	[[folder:Capt. Frank Furillo]]
10	!!! '''Played By''': Creator/DanielJTravanti
11
12	The cool-headed captain of the Hill Street precinct and general main focus character of the series.
13
14	----
15
16	* TheAlcoholic: Revealed to be in recovery in the season 1 finale. Has a relapse during season 4.
17	* AlliterativeName: ''F''rank ''F''urillo.
18	* ByTheBookCop: Furillo is very conscientious about following regulations and ethical guidelines to the letter, which puts him at odds with his superior, Chief Daniels. He is not above bending the rules or resorting to blackmail for specific reasons, though, such as keeping a psychologically disabled officer on the roster to allow him to retire with a full pension.
19	* FatherToHisMen: Furillo does everything he can to look out for the other officers in his precinct.
20	* IncorruptiblePurePureness: He is practically a paragon within the police department. He's immune to corruption and, against all odds, really is making a positive impact within Hill Street Precinct. Chief Daniels realizes that this makes Furillo the only officer who can be trusted to head a special commission into his conduct. No matter the outcome, at least it will be an honest one.
21	* OnlySaneMan: Rather than politics or glory, Furillo is focused on keeping the peace, meaning he's probably the only precinct commander in the city who's making a positive impact on the community.
22	* TheUnfavorite: In one Christmas episode, he takes Joyce to meet his parents, whom he hasn't visited in five years. They go out of their way to point out how great Frank's brother is, what with his multiple kids and stable marriage.
23	* WellDoneSonGuy: Frank is estranged from his father because of his divorce from Fay and his marriage to the career-oriented Joyce, but he wants very much to repair the relationship.
24	[[/folder]]
25
26
27	[[folder:Sgt. Phil Esterhaus]]
28	!!! '''Played By:''': Creator/MichaelConrad
29
30	The well-spoken desk sergeant in charge of morning briefings and keeping order around the station.
31
32	----
33
34	* CharacterCatchphrase: He ends each morning briefing with "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MJDQewSMB-E Let's be careful out there]]."
35	* TheCharacterDiedWithHim: After Michael Conrad's death, Esterhaus is said to have passed away.
36	* FatherToHisMen: His imperative catchphrase "Let's be careful out there" exemplifies he's a stern yet caring father.
37	* LimitedAdvancementOpportunities: He passed the Lieutenant Promotion Exams four times, but he was never picked up for promotion.
38	* MayDecemberRomance: Among his many romantic entanglements was a whirlwind romance with a 19-year-old cheerleader that resulted in marriage and divorce.
39	* OutWithABang: He died in the middle of tryst with his lover.
40	* SergeantRock: While well-mannered and clearly accultured, he fits this trope at the perfection, running the district with an iron hand in a velvet glove.
41	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Esterhaus uses his extensive vocabulary and facility with language often, most notably at roll call.
42
43	[[/folder]]
44
45	[[folder:Officer Bobby Hill]]
46	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/MichaelWarren
47
48	An officer and the partner of Andy Renko.
49
50	----
51
52	* BlackBoxerStereotype: Subverted; though he has won Golden Gloves competitions as a welterweight under the moniker "Blueberry" Hill, Bobby isn't a ScaryBlackMan.
53	* FullNameBasis: Renko nearly always calls him Bobby Hill, to his face, as an AffectionateNickname rather than out of formality.
54	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Hill and Renko are not just an inseparable team at work, but are parts of other's private lives as well. Their dialogue, whether they're doing small talk or discussing more serious matters, often sounds like the bickering of an old married couple.
55	* WhenYouComingHomeDad: Bobby's father, a scam artist, would disappear for years at a time. When he reconnects with his adult son, it's clear he's untrustworthy and still looking for an angle. Later, he reappears and breaks the news to Bobby that he's dying; naturally, Bobby doesn't believe him [[spoiler:until he unexpectedly turns out to be one of the corpses Bobby is helping to handle at the morgue]].
56
57	[[/folder]]
58
59	[[folder:Sgt. Mick Belker]]
60	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/BruceWeitz
61
62	A disheveled looking yet very effective undercover cop.
63
64	----
65
66	* BruiserWithASoftCenter: And if you tell anyone he will bite your face off.
67	* BunnyEarsLawyer: He dresses in rag, growls and snarls like a rabid dog, and has a reputation for biting off body parts. However, he's one of the department's most effective undercover cops and pursues every case with vigor.
68	* CigarChomper: He's perpetually gnawing on a cheap cigar to show that he's a hard charger.
69	* DistaffCounterpart: Mick's sister is a TinyTyrannicalGirl and actually threatens one of his perps while she's visiting Mick at his desk. She even uses the term "Hairbag."
70	* HiddenDepths: Despite his feral, aggressive demeanor, he's one of the most sensitive cops on the Hill.
71	* IWorkAlone: He's sometimes teamed up with other cops, but reluctantly; most of his plot lines involve an undercover job he's doing by himself.
72	* MommasBoy: He often talks with his JewishMother on his work phone; she tends to call just as he's booking some hardened criminal, eliciting a warm "Hi, Ma!" and snapping him (temporarily) out of his bad temper.
73	* TheNapoleon: Presumably why he's so ferocious.
74	* OnceDoneNeverForgotten: As he's helping subdue a violent suspect in the station, Furillo admonishes him by yelling: "No biting!" This upsets him and he laments that he only bit off ''one'' nose!
75	* RabidCop: Has a tendency to growl at suspects and gained a reputation for biting people.
76	* RunningGag: Brings in the same perp on numerous occasions, who gives a different BS name everytime. Belker physically threatens the guy (who has a good 12 inches on him) the entire time. More often than not they're interrupted by a phone call from Belker's mother.
77	* TheWoobie: Both his parents die through the course of the series, as do a number of people he grows close to over the course of the series.
78
79	[[/folder]]
80
81	[[folder:Lt. Howard Hunter]]
82	!!!'''Played By:''': Creator/JamesBSikking
83
84	The gung-ho leader of the Emergency Action Team (EAT or [=EATers=]).
85
86	* BloodKnight: He served enthusiastically in Vietnam (contrasting with the era's stereotypical ShellShockedVeteran) and eager to fight crime with military tactics.
87	%%* BunnyEarsLawyer
88	%%* ButtMonkey
89	* CulturedWarrior: Hunter is both well-spoken and well-read.
90	* DistinguishedGentlemansPipe: Likes to be seen with a pipe at the station.
91	* {{Foil}}: As an outspoken conservative, he stands in contrast to Goldblume, an outspoken liberal.
92	* GeneralRipper: He often clashes with Frank and/or Goldblume over tactics, preferring whatever course involves rounding up suspects/taking the shot/going in with tanks.
93	* HiddenDepths: His hard-charging attitude belies a lonely soul desperately looking for love. And despite his comments about enjoying his military service in Vietnam, he also appreciates its natural beauty and regrets that it had to be marred by war.
94	* NobleBigotWithABadge: He really does want to make the city safer. However, he's bigoted against anything that doesn't meet his conservative, middle-class, WASP-ish view of the world.
95	* NoSocialSkills: Even when trying to be friendly, Hunter will make an inadvertently offensive comment.
96	* PreciousPuppy: Adopts a cute shar-pei pup.
97	* SesquipedalianLoquaciousness: Not as effective at it as Sgt. Esterhaus
98	* SitcomArchNemesis: With Goldblume.
99	* WalkingDisasterArea: He has an unfortunate habit of causing massive property damage through innocuous acts (such as breaking a storefront window just by tapping his pipe against it).
100	[[/folder]]
101
102	[[folder:Lt. Henry Goldblume]]
103	!!! '''Played By''': Joe Spano
104
105	The resident hostage negotioater of Hill Street.
106
107	%%* ButtMonkey
108	* {{Foil}}: As an outspoken liberal, he stands in contrast to Hunter, an outspoken conservative.
109	* NiceGuy: One of the most compassionate officers at Hill Street Station, although this occasionally gets him into trouble.
110	* ReluctantWarrior: In contrast to trigger-happy Hunter, Henry will keep hostage negotiations bloodless as best he can, only turning things over to the [=EATers=] when absolutely nothing else has worked.
111	* SitcomArchNemesis: With Hunter
112
113	[[/folder]]
114
115	[[folder:Fay Furillo]]
116	!!! '''Played By''': Barbara Bosson
117
118	Frank's shrill and needy ex-wife who often shows up unannounced.
119
120	* ButtMonkey: Especially in the early seasons.
121	* GoodGirlsAvoidAbortion: When Fay gets pregnant after a short fling with a judge in season 3, she explicitly mentions that she will keep the baby because of her moral convictions about abortion.
122	* RunningGag: Barges into the precinct and makes a scene almost weekly.
123
124	[[/folder]]
125
126	[[folder:Det. Neal Washington]]
127	!!!'''Played By:''' Taurean Blacque
128
129	A plainclothes detective and the partner of J.D. Larue.
130
131	----
132
133	* CareerEndingInjury: One ended Washington's professional football career before he joined the force.
134	* HellBentForLeather: Always wear a cool black leather jacket and a leather newsie hat.
135	* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Det. J. D. [=LaRue=].
136	* OralFixation: Rarely seen without his trademark toothpick.
137	* RedOniBlueOni: Neal is the blue oni to J. D.'s red.
138	[[/folder]]
139
140	[[folder:Det. John "J.D." LaRue]]
141	!!!'''Played By''': Kiel Martin
142
143	A plainclothes detective and the partner of Neal Washington.
144
145	----
146
147	* TheAlcoholic: [=LaRue=]'s drinking jeopardizes his career during season 1.
148	* AbhorrentAdmirer: To Davenport and Detective Mayo.
149	* TheCasanova: Alternates between this and CasanovaWannabe, constantly hitting on women and earning the AffectionateNickname of "Lover" from Neal. Sometimes he veers into HandsomeLech territory.
150	* HeterosexualLifePartners: With Det. Neal Washington.
151	* {{Jerkass}}: More than once, he talks his sister into staying with her cheating husband so J. D. still has access to his brother-in-law's car fleet.
152	* ThePrankster: Though his pranks usually go awry, leaving him HoistByHisOwnPetard.
153	* RedOniBlueOni: J. D. is the red oni in his partnership with Neal Washington.
154	* {{Schemer}}: He's always attempting some sort of GetRichQuickScheme.
155	[[/folder]]
156
157	[[folder:Lt. Ray Calletano]]
158	!!!'''Played By''': Rene Enriquez
159
160	The Colombian-born NumberTwo to Frank Furillo, often answering and delivering phone calls.
161
162	* AlwaysSomeoneBetter: Calletano begins to feel this when Lt. Goldblume starts to rise through the ranks.
163	* DudeWheresMyRespect: He often feels, with reason, that he's given the short end of the stick within the police department despite having served nearly 20 years without incident. He points out that younger White officers are often promoted above him and that casual racism and cultural insensitivity are prevalent and unaddressed.
164	* KickedUpstairs: When his precinct descends into racial unrest, he's sent to work under Daniels.
165	* NiceGuysFinishLast: His approach to commanding the Polk St. Station is to try and see both sides of every issue and be a friend, rather than an authority figure, to his people. The result is that nobody respects him; his officers quietly refer to him as "Captain Taco" and even Frank can't help him when an all-out race war starts in his precinct. Ultimately, he's forced to either bow to Daniels or resign. (He chooses the latter.)
166	* NumberTwo: At Hill Street, he's Furillo's able second-in-command.
167	[[/folder]]
168
169	[[folder:Officer Lucy Bates]]
170	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/BettyThomas
171
172	A female officer and the partner of Joe Coffey. Later becomes a sergeant.
173
174	----
175
176	* ActionGirl: Though she's shown entirely at desk duty in the earliest episodes and occasionally fills in as desk sergeant later on, she is mostly shown on patrol with Officer Coffey, even after her promotion.
177	* BelligerentSexualTension: With her partner, Coffey.
178	* NoGuyWantsAnAmazon: In the earlier episodes, the 6'1" Lucy often laments her inability to get a date. Subverted later on, when she's wooed by Coffey, Lt. Hunter, a handsome sculptor, and an AmazonChaser plumber.
179
180	[[/folder]]
181
182	[[folder:Officer Joe Coffey]]
183	!!!'''Played By''': Ed Marinaro
184
185	An officer and the partner of Lucy Bates.
186
187	----
188
189	* TheBigGuy: Actually taller than his partner, Lucy Bates.
190	* ChickMagnet
191	* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: ''Twice!'' The first incident at the end of season 1 was changed to [[spoiler:being seriously injured, but surviving. The second time in season 5 had him being shot after walking in on an armed robbery whilst off-duty.]]
192	[[/folder]]
193
194	[[folder:Officer Andrew Renko]]
195	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/CharlesHaid
196
197	* {{Cowboy}}: Though he can be a CowboyCop sometimes, Renko actually adopts the persona of a cowboy, down to speaking with a southern accent and wearing [[CustomUniform cowboy boots]] while on duty. He's even called [[AffectionateNickname Cowboy]] by the other cops. He openly admits, however, that he is [[MisplacedAccent from New Jersey]] and has never been west of Chicago.
198	* HeterosexualLifePartners: Hill and Renko are not just an inseparable team at work, but are parts of other's private lives as well. Their dialogue, whether they're doing small talk or discussing more serious matters, often sounds like the bickering of an old married couple.
199	* WellDoneSonGuy: When his father is dying, Renko tries desperately [[spoiler:and in vain]] to make up for their cold, distant relationship.
200
201	[[/folder]]
202
203	[[folder:Joyce Davenport]]
204	!!! '''Played By''': Veronica Hamel
205
206	A public defender who is Frank Furillo's lover in spite of their opposite professions.
207
208	----
209
210	%%* BrainyBrunette
211	* CrusadingLawyer: She feels strongly, as a public defender, that the underdog must be represented in an unfair world. For this reason, she doesn't last long during a switch to the D.A.'s office.
212	* HelloAttorney: In the pilot, J. D. can barely keep his hands off her.
213	* LoveAcrossBattleLines: Her relationship with Frank. They often clash during the workday but leave the tension at the office; most episodes end with them snuggling together at home and commenting, with a shared sense of irony, on the madness they both witnessed during the day.
214	* TheUnfavorite: Frank's parents barely accept his divorce from Fay, whom Frank's mother still calls routinely. During a Christmas visit, the childless, career-oriented Joyce is able to make some headway with her mother-in-law but is barely acknowledged by Frank's dad.
215
216	[[/folder]]
217
218	[[folder:Officer Leo Schnitz]]
219	!!!'''Played By''': Robert Hirschfeld
220
221	!!Tropes:
222	* AscendedExtra: Originally a minor background character, Leo gets a significant storyline in season 3 with his efforts to get Rico the junkie clean. He finally becomes a credited regular in season 5 before his character is PutOnABus.
223	[[/folder]]
224
225	[[folder:Sgt. Stanislaus Jablonski]]
226	!!!'''Played By''': Robert Prosky
227
228	* CharacterCatchphrase: He ends each briefing with "Let's do it to them before they do it to us!"
229	* ContrastingReplacementCharacter: The stout, blunt, and aggressive Jablonski replaced the tall, erudite, and gentle Esterhaus to reflect how policing and public perception of police were changing.
230	[[/folder]]
231
232	[[folder:Det. Harry Garibaldi]]
233	!!!'''Played By''': Ken Olin
234
235	* FairCop
236	* TheGamblingAddict: His habit for this and his inability to pay off his debts would ultimately be his downfall.
237	* [[spoiler:KilledOffForReal]]: [[spoiler:His aforementioned gambling debts lead to him being stabbed to death in the streets in season 4. Heartbreakingly, it was Bates who discovered his body.]]
238	[[/folder]]
239
240	[[folder:Det. Patricia "Patsy" Mayo]]
241	!!!'''Played By''': Mimi Kuzyk
242
243	%%* FairCop
244	* GroinAttack: In busting the rapist of several elderly women, Mayo shoots him in the junk. Although she swears she was [[AccidentalAimingSkills aiming for his leg]], everyone at the precinct teases her about it, and her picture appears in the newspaper the next day under the headline "Deadeye Dick."
245	* PutOnABus: From Season 6 on.
246	[[/folder]]
247
248	[[folder:Lt. Norman Buntz]]
249	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/DennisFranz
250
251	* OralFixation: Frequently shown popping a stick of chewing gum in his mouth (even in his opening credits shot). This is likely an AddictionDisplacement, since Buntz vocally eschews smoking to a point of scolding other cops for doing it.
252	* SmugStraightEdge: Though he otherwise would seem like a RealMenEatMeat sort of guy, he chides Hunter for eating unhealthily and berates a whole roomful of other cops for smoking.
253	* SuspiciouslySimilarSubstitute: Buntz is a more likable version of Dennis Franz's recurring character Det. Sal Benedetto.
254	[[/folder]]
255
256	[[folder:Officer Patrick Flaherty]]
257	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/RobertClohessy
258
259
260	[[/folder]]
261
262	[[folder:Officer Tina Russo]]
263	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/MeganGallagher
264
265	[[/folder]]
266
267	!Recurring characters:
268
269	[[folder:Grace Gardner]]
270	!!!'''Played By''': Barbara Babcock
271
272	[[/folder]]
273
274	[[folder:Jesus Martinez]]
275	!!!'''Played By''': Trinidad Silva
276
277	* YouAreBetterThanYouThinkYouAre: Furillo is constantly frustrated by Jesus because he thinks Jesus has the skills and intelligence to walk the straight path and thrive. [[spoiler:Furillo is proven right when Jesus eventually renounces his gang affiliation and finds a decent amount success]].
278	* WorthyOpponent: With Captain Furillo. The two respect each other for being intellegent strategists willing to put in the work to maintain peace on the streets. However, they come at it from opposing sides of the law.
279
280	[[/folder]]
281
282	[[folder:Chief Fletcher Daniels]]
283	!!!'''Played By''': Jon Cypher
284
285	* AmbitionIsEvil: He is arguably the most ambitious and one of the less likable characters of the show, criminals aside.
286	* CorruptBureaucrat: PlayedWith. He has many traits of the character, but he is never seen taking a bribe and he is cleared of all charges during a comprehensive investigation of the Police Department's corruption in Season 7. However, it is implied that he had until then tolerated that corruption for political expediency.
287	* {{Foil}}: To Francis Furillo. He worked as a District Captain before becoming the Chief of Police and it is implied that he was a competent police officer in his former days in the force. He is also shown as personally honest. However, he is also a huge self-centered JerkAss, who is using his position as a springboard to a political office and is willing to throw under the bus anything and anybody if it can further his career. He is also openly despised and mocked behind his back by the Police Department's rank and file. On the contrary, Furillo strives to act ethically and professionally and is always ready to sacrifice personal ambition to do what is right. Unsurprisingly, he is beloved by the men and women under his command.
288	* HoistByHisOwnPetard: When the chicken finally come home to roost and the widespread corruption of the police force is exposed to the public, he appoints Furillo, the one high officer he can trust to be both highly competent and incorruptible, as the head of a special commission to carry out a thorough investigation. Predictably, the final report of the commission scolds him for his inaction and failings in counteracting the culture of corruption of the police.
289	* MagnificentBastard: He is very apt in navigating the difficult waters of the city's politics. No matter how big a scandal is or how serious a setback he suffers, he is always able to come out on top. Not that this makes him any more likable.
290	* ObstructiveBureaucrat
291	[[/folder]]
292
293	[[folder:Irwin Bernstein]]
294	!!!'''Played By''': George Wyner
295
296	[[/folder]]
297
298	[[folder:Attorney/Judge Alan Wachtel]]
299	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/JeffreyTambor
300
301	%%* BunnyEarsLawyer
302	* WholesomeCrossdresser
303	[[/folder]]
304
305	[[folder:Sid the Snitch]]
306	!!!'''Played By''': Peter Jurasik
307
308	[[/folder]]
309
310	[[folder:Officer Robin Tataglia]]
311	!!!'''Played By''': Lisa Sutton
312
313	* ActionGirl: To a point where she insists on doing dangerous work despite her pregnancy.
314	* BoyishShortHair
315	* ShiksaGoddess: To NiceJewishBoy (when you come down to it) Mick Belker.
316	[[/folder]]
317
318	[[folder:Det. Lt. Alf Chesley]]
319	!!!'''Played By''': Gerry Black
320
321
322	[[/folder]]
323
324	[[folder:Jerry Fuchs]]
325	!!!'''Played By''': Vincent Lucchesi
326
327
328	[[/folder]]
329
330	[[folder:Bald Pickpocket]]
331	!!!'''Played By''': Nick Savage
332
333	[[/folder]]
334
335	!Notable guest characters:
336
337	[[folder:Captain Freedom]]
338	!!!'''Played By''': Dennis Dugan
339
340	* HeroicWannabe
341	[[/folder]]
342
343	[[folder:Eddie Gregg]]
344	!!!'''Played By''': Charles Levin
345
346	* CampGay
347	[[/folder]]
348
349	[[folder:Det. Sal Benedetto]]
350	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/DennisFranz
351
352	* BatmanGambit: His plan to steal a bag full of cocaine involves corrupting the impound officer who has it in custody, replacing the cocaine with bicarbonate, using the bag in a sting operation to arrest a loan shark, murdering the criminal who helped him to set it up and have the impund officer organize a stage robbery during the operation to get the bag. And betting that his fellow officers will be all too happy to blame the loan shark for everything.
353	* DespairEventHorizon: [[spoiler: Neal Washington getting seriously wounded during the staged robbery that he set up. Afterwards he seems sincerely sorry and starts to lose his usual arrogant and boasterous posture. At the end, he commits suicide moments after J.D. reminding him of this.]]
354	* DirtyCop: One of the worst of the Series. He not only uses excessive force during arrests, embezzles impounded evidence, tries to frame a loan shark for his own crimes and conspires to commit an armed robbery to cover up his tracks, [[spoiler: getting Neal Washington seriously wounded in the process]], he is also a cold-blooded murderer.
355	* HeelRealization: [[spoiler: Despite declaring himself unrepentant, when he is eventually exposed and cornered in a bank by his fellow officers, he seems to suddenly realize the hurt and pain that he has caused. This is what leads to his suicide.]]
356	* JerkAss: In his first appearance, he butts heads with Officer Renko over a parking ticket that culminates in him beating Renko up at a bar. This is before we see he's a DirtyCop.
357	* SpannerInTheWorks: [[spoiler: His plan would have worked had it not a member of the public ratted out one of the criminals who staged the robbery. When he is arrested and talks, J.D. La Rue and Belker are able to quickly find out the truth.]]
358	* TheUnapologetic: [[spoiler: At the end he prclaim that he regrets nothing. Of course, since he is visibly shaken by his plans having fallen apart and kills himself shortly after, it is a subversion of this trope.]]
359	[[/folder]]
360
361
362	[[folder:Gina Srignoli]]
363	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/JenniferTilly
364
365	* KilledOffForReal
366	[[/folder]]
367
368	[[folder:Jesse John Hudson]]
369	!!!'''Played By''': Creator/DannyGlover
370
371	[[/folder]]
372
373	[[folder:Tommy Mann]]
374	!!!'''Played By:''': Creator/DavidCaruso
375
376	[[/folder]]
377
378
379

Context Characters / HillStreetBlues