Repeat after me: Good. The performances spoke for how talented the "HSB" cast was, but it didn't hurt that some of them had friends in high places. He was sweet, sweet natured and grateful for what he had there but saddened by being let go. So we scripted everything. good living for me while it lasted and I will be content as long as it isone of the thingsI am remembered for. In the 1970s, Hirschfeld appeared in several of the decade's most beloved movies, playing minor roles in "Escape from Alcatraz" and "Dirty Mary Crazy Larry." Charles Haid . she found out Kiel and I were buddies there. An interview with Joe Spano (Lieutenant Henry Goldblume) Interview, kindly given on the 25th September 2013 at the Its shows, such as the flop Supertrain, were the butt of jokes. During the fourth season, Sweet was diagnosed with cancer and died on May 8, 1985, just three days before the fourth season finale aired. to do the best we could for them and the script. Bates is given serious consideration for Sergeant. of Hill Street Blues. "Ironic, isn't it?" They had already brought in Ken Olin to replace Kiel and It was well-written, boldly directed and creatively revolutionary. The show received 21 Emmy nominations its first season. But Haid was a busy man with a recent role in the film Altered States and a medical pilot in the works. I worked in downtown Miami for 25 years and Kiel's dad Karl was a court recorder and would stop The first three seasons of the series, including Milch's Emmy-winning episode, are available on Hulu.com. Were going to have some fun here.. Dennis Franz joined the cast. only runs for a few weeks, but it will be fun. would have liked the Renko part but in the end I was given Goldblume. I know her husband Steve was Unusually there were no egos and The death-during-sex character refers to Sgt. He was acting, and he wanted everybody to react in the way he wanted us to react. Here, 25 things you didn't know about the arresting series, including its humble ratings beginnings. Here's a recent brief quote from a friend that says a lot about him: "Amazing guy, always the smartest in the Webmaster Andy Lambert with Joe Spano,Calabasas Commons, California. After his plane was shot down on a mission, he served two years as a Prisoner of War. Her response was "If you're not going neither am I." they decided to keep me alive! For Season 5, he was promoted to a series regular, though the character was written out of the series in that Season finale. Im doing these movies and Ive got this other thing lined up. And I think what happened was that, as we began to develop the affair story and it certainly was a terrific story we just began to realize that it was a mistake. In front are L to R: Michael Warren, Kiel Martin, Joe Spano, and Bruce Weitz. On the big screen, he made a notable appearance in 1974's "The Longest Yard," alongside Burt Reynolds. Bochco got his way. He then was cremated and his ashes were flown over the gathering and I said, thats perfect. So if you get swept up by it in the beginning, thats one thing. His final onscreen appearance was in a 1990 episode of "Murder, She Wrote.". where the music came from, but I am grateful I get the chance to create wonderful art, that can be laid on someone else's The Cast Of NBC-TV's Hill Street Blues. My mentor came out of that Gregory Hoblit. A character said, Lets take him down to the worst part of Hill Street. Audiences found the ending unsatisfying. But he loved it and started jumping up and down," Bosson told Playboy. What happened was (Bochco) couldnt come up with a title, and theyd just done something at Cape Canaveral, and he said, Well call this Moon Over Uranus. And he sent it in and Standards and Practices called up, No, no, no., Steven said, Why do I have to change the title? [4], Original reports said Enrquez died of pancreatic cancer. Female police officers still tend to be looked upon with less trust and respect than male officers and are treated more as sex objects in their departments. For its sophomore season, the show claimed all five nomination spots in the Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series category, with Michael Conrad getting the win. While the situation deteriorates as all hostage situations do, the idealistic Goldblume is nevertheless impressed by Calvin. Following the conclusion of "Hill Street Blues,"the world was Silva's oyster, and he appeared in four movies in 1988, including "Colors" and "The Night Before." Trini, I believe was on "Hill Street Blues"is one of the first police-themed shows to employ serialized storytelling. If you allow yourself to continue to be swept up in it, there can only be disaster at the end. Sikking, however, saw his humanity. His most famous teammate: Lew Alcindor, aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Hill Street Blues Kiel Martin Johnny "J.D." scene you are not going to get much feedback from them. The supermarket tabloids have had a field day with Kiel Martin, the actor best known as hard-living Detective J.D. Coffey's girlfriend is sexually assaulted. "Hill Street Blues" launched the TV career of "NYPD Blue" and "Deadwood" creator David Milch. Daniel J. Travanti, who ended up with the part, had played mostly bad guys. Martin (to Playboy, 1983): The writers are very perceptive reporters. It was extraordinary in its time. One of the saddest events of Hill Streets run involved Michael Conrad. A relatively minor character, Oberman always keeps his cool and rarely raises his voice. Everything Everywhere All at Once Discussion, Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio Discussion. Betty Thomas . Also of course Michael Kozoll was the writer. The hardest part to cast was the police captain, Francis X. which led him to almost being kicked off the force. Haid: He didnt let us know for a long time. 8. Nobody will ever see it. But (Standards) said, Youve been so successful, it could get an Emmy: And the winner is Hill Street Blues segment Moon Over Uranus. We cant have that. And Steven said, Good-bye., Haid: So the next one was called, Moon Over Uranus, Part II.. Kind of isolated loner actor. And the first guy in our business never gets the job. Robert Prosky replaced Conrad. God bless him. "Steven put a reference to him in one of the shows. I spoke a few times with Barbra Bosson. Its temporary and it has nothing to do with basic reality as most of us know it. The actor, whose beloved Esterhaus famously told his co-workers after morning roll call, "Let's be careful out there," died of cancer in November 1983, during the show's fourth season. Granted, he uses forged documents to enroll in law school, but he still manages to become a successful paralegal, even if he continues to have a degree of influence over the Diablos gang. Robert Hirschfeld playedLeo Schnitz in the pilot episode of "Hill Street Blues"and recurred across the first five seasons, making his final appearance in the fifth season finale, "Grin and Bear It." Sweet's final project was the domestic sitcom "Gimme a Break!," which lasted six seasons and saw the star oppositeNell Carter. Sadly, he passed away from cancer in 1990. Haid: Steven said, Im doing a show over at MTM. Travanti: He added a great deal to that character. And wed react a little bit off camera. Marinaro: My agent said he wanted to set up a meeting for me to say hello to the casting director on Hill Street Blues, Geri Windsor. Michael Conrad was a guy who was going to do it a certain way, and our favorite thing would be to get to him. I was the last person to go in, and I auditioned and sure enough I got the part. But he had excellent timing. It wasnt about the money. I was a free agent again, and I auditioned for Hill Street Blues. 12. Marinaro: I asked to leave. Joe: No not to start with, because we were working on our own little bits and of course you don't see the whole. Andy Renko. We should have won 10. He was really crushed when they let him go. Wed go up there and youre not supposed to take the Bunnies away from the Bunny House, and we took them out to the beach. The short-lived series followed a minor league baseball team, and featured many actors from "Hill Street Blues," including Dennis Franz and Ken Olin. Then of course there is always television, a few more series of NCIS perhaps. In fact what happened was in Kiel's will he set aside some [Laughs.] 18. Co-star Daniel J. Travanti reminisced that, during his time on Hill Street Blues, Enrquez was "sad, unhappy Sikking: We had a funeral for Esterhaus on camera. Cast also took par. Haid: I found out the series Id done had been passed on and Hill Street Blues had been picked up. In the second season episode, The Young, the Beautiful and the Degraded, Martins character LaRue was demoted to the motor pool for falling off the wagon. Robert Hill. But we also didn't want to take it too seriously, the winning of awards. He's a figure of authority respected by all for his fairness, though he doesn't receive much characterization beyond his day-to-day role overseeing arraignments. Where does a Teamster make the kind of money to have a gold Rolex? Conrad died on November 22, 1983, during the series fourth season. Kiel Martin played Detective J.D. He said, Stop it. While his wife and son only suffered minor injuries, Silva was killed in the accident (via Los Angeles Times). Composer Mike Post who also wrote the theme songs for "The Rockford Files," "Magnum, P.I.," "NYPD Blue," "The A-Team," "CHiPs," and "Law & Order" (including the famous scene-change "chung chung" sound effect) was commissioned by Bochco to write the "Blues" theme, and after watching the pilot with the series creator, Post went home, sat at this piano, and wrote the song in two hours. But it wasn't always a smooth road to classic TV status. This guy did his last thing on Hill Street Blues, and he left his body a week later. The two wrote a script in 10 days, with a clarity and energy that surprised even its creators. She told me she was a bunny at the Playboy club for a time. A fine example of their dynamic can be seen in Season 7's "A Pound of Flesh" and the heartbreaking final scene between the two characters, where an emotionally spent LaRue cries in his partner's arms. On Hill Street, Sikking played Howard Hunter, the martinet head of the stations SWAT-like squad, the Emergency Action Team. Many actors are. Anything we could come up with. co-ordinator for a TV show called Falcon Crest. read that script with so much going on and not know this was something unique. Without that it is hard to know a great deal about where it was Bochco: We created a euphemistic language that suggested the raunchiness of the cop world, and it worked. Breaking Bad binge-watcher? Travanti: What is the key to everything? through people we knew. Joe: When Nancy ( Robert Hirschfeld widow) told me of your efforts in creating the website, I felt it would be good to Generations of children know Larry D. Mann as the voice of Yukon Cornelius from "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,"the stop-motion holiday classic. by once in a while and keep me posted on Kiel's career. Sikking: I thought there was great depth to the character because he was a very lonely guy. Joe Santos appeared in small roles in a handful of films in the late 1960s, but his first major film was 1971's "The Panic in Needle Park,"with Al Pacino and Kiel Martin. Kiel Martin Detective J.D. RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF. -- Kiel Martin, 46, the actor who played shady detective Johnny "J.D." LaRue on the former NBC television series "Hill Street Blues," died Dec. 28 at his desert home here. He had lung cancer. My first sort of big break was on Laverne and Shirley where I did 13 episodes of that show, and then when they didnt pick up my contract, According to IMDb , Hill Street Blues captured the lives and work of the staff of an inner-city police precinct. It ran for seven seasons, from 1981-1987. Afterwards I went to a meeting with Bochco and some of the executives, I had an idea in my head for something It was a tremendous loss personally for everybody, professionally and especially a man like that who was like a block of granite. AP. All Rights Reserved. Cocaine was rampant. think most people can see this camaraderie in the finished program and remember that despite all this most, episodes were filmed in Director Rick Wallace Writers Michael Kozoll Steven Bochco (story by) Jeffrey Lewis (teleplay by) You know yourself if it seemed right, but your fellow actors are also working on their part and unless it is a very special Because "Hill Street Blues" wasn't a typical cop show, the theme song wasn't the usual loud, hard-driving cop-drama theme song. commission for Hill Street he said he could get me a part in it. stage at Berekely Rep and Magic Theater in the Bay Area. Like his character, Martin was a recovering alcoholic and a lifelong chain-smoker, the latter of which surely contributed to his ill health. That made it a lot more fun to play as actors, to portray that rather than try to be perfect, heroic, always getting your man, and always making the right decisions and having the perfect life.". Here are twelve "Hill Street Blues" actors you may not know passed away. NBC was in last place. HSB.net: Can you tell us a little about how the show was structured with regards to forward planning, for example Ren Enrquez (November 24, 1933 March 23, 1990) was a Nicaraguan-born[1] American television actor of the 1970s and 1980s. WebIt was still very popular when it was canceled but Kiel told me the huge success brought big increases in pay to the actors and the producers decided to do another show, NYPD Haid: This guy died with his boots on, literally. Nobody had ever seen that many characters all squished into a frame of film on television. Sopranos fan? Martin: It was the first time in my career I played a part where I wasnt some terrible creep. Aaron Spelling launched a similar series, "Hotel," in 1983. 5. 11. Lucille Bates. Two decades of dominance for the Peacock Network Hill Street was the first cornerstone of its Thursday lineup and the bounty of novelistic TV series we see today. Marinaro says the enduring influence of "Hill Street Blues" can be summed up as the way the series portrayed its characters in a realistic light. Not that the actors didnt contribute in certain ways. Factory. Bochco: My attitude was, call me what you will, but I know that Ive got a great project here. 32The sixth season of "Hill Street Blues" introduced Lawrence Tierney asSergeant Jenkins of the night shift. He appeared in leading roles in war movies, noir films, and gangster flicks alike. Mann enjoyed a career that lasted for decades, dating back to the early 1950s. was a different thing when you saw the finished production however! WebMartin, 46, a regular performer on the Emmy-winning series, died Friday of cardiovascular collapse caused by lung cancer, Michael Werk, deputy coroner for Riverside County, reported Monday. His mother Eileen called me in Miami to see if I was coming to Palm Springs for the celebration and I told her it (NBC) told me the character had tested so well, they didnt want him to die. I did meet several of them at Abso-friggin-lutely. I think I thought "maybe a couple of series" at the time. LaRue, a skilled undercover detective who cuts a little too loose when he's off duty. Bochco: At the end of the meeting, I got up and said, We cant do this project. Kiel Martin was cast as LaRue, a slick detective. Actor Kiel Martin starred in all seven seasons of "Hill Street Blues" as J.D. It just changed the rules of TV. We could put a human face on these people. Take a moment to thank Hill Street Blues., There is no Sopranos without Hill Street Blues, says Syracuse University pop culture professor Robert Thompson, who wrote a book tracing Hill Streets influence. One of them was James B. Sikking, who had appeared in a number of Bochco-written shows. Following the conclusion of "Hill Street Blues" in 1987, Prosky returned to film and theater, appearing in movies like "Last Action Hero"and the 1994 version of "Miracle on 34th Street." HSB.net: Well thanks for talking to us Joe, it will make a lot of people happy to hear your point of view and we We chose that. When I started, I was supposed to be doing a guest spot a four-episode arc As the show grew over the course of its seven-season run, the characters grew and changed, and their flaws would frequently catch up to them, leading to their untimely, tragic, and avoidable deaths. He moved to NY from LA to be with me, and acting was only occasional, so Bob wanted, where I could. Hunter was often the shows comic relief. If you look at certain shows these days, theyre way beyond their cut-off point. Trending. That's one dangerously sexy redhead, indeed. Weitz: It was devastating. It was a serialized mixture of drama and comedy featuring diverse, colorful and three-dimensional characters the policemen and policewomen of the rundown Hill Street Station. The writers, too, were experts at getting material past the censors. Martin, 46, a regular performer on feedback. What is the key to everything? At least he got a happy ending, running away to New Zealand with a female officer, Natalie (Ellen Blake), and enjoying retirement with the love of his life. "They were negotiating a deal. (For complete sourcing, see the contributor line at the bottom of this story.). Hill Street did not come off as a real police station. Steven Bochco on Slowing Down: 'I'm Just Old', the famous scene-change "chung chung" sound effect, 'Hill Street Blues' Made the Writers Guild's List of the Best-Written TV Shows Ever, famously told his co-workers after morning roll call, The 'Deadwood' Cast Chats for a 10th Anniversary Oral History of the HBO Drama, Amy Grant explains that she's struggling with memory loss 6 months after accident, Jeremy Renner's 'Mayor of Kingstown' poster altered after snowplow accident, Jinger Duggar Vuolo describes the awakening that changed her faith: 'Fear was a huge part of my childhood', Lisa Marie Presley's cause of death deferred amid ongoing investigation, Pamela Anderson says Tommy Lee divorce was 'most difficult' time in her life: 'I was crushed'. "We were anything but heroes. NBCs Hill Street Blues, televisions most honored dramatic series, will leave the air for good after seven seasons, it was announced Monday. "Hill Street Blues"differed from cop shows up to that point in its focus on gritty realism, achieved through groundbreaking use of hand-held cameras, a technique nigh-unheard of in the television space. The pilot of Hill Street Blues was tested both at the ASI Theater and on cable. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. Bruce Weitz, who won an Emmy for portraying Sgt. The series ratings for its first season were less impressive. HSB.net: Ramona Silipo said you are never happier than when you are doing theatre and especially when you are doing "If NBC had been flush, I don't think we would have seen the light of day. Weitz: The one person with enormous experience in front of the camera was Michael Conrad, and he, in the beginning, had trouble adjusting. If you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, help is available. But sobriety is the keystone of who I am now.". Milch, meanwhile, would later use one actor Garret Dillahunt to play two different characters on "Deadwood. Before finally landing on "Hill Street Blues," the show was called "Hill Street Station" and "The Blue Zoo. He won an Emmy in 1988 for Best Guest Actor for his Dont bother me. And the third one came out and Steven wrote, Moon Over Uranus: The Final Chapter. Just to stick it in their ears. Stanislaus Jablonski, a rougher, more hard-edged foil to his predecessor. would call it a conventional route to a career in acting. "Hill Street Blues" went on to win 26 Emmys, a record for a drama series until "The West Wing" broke it. As the show progressed, he became Captain of the Polk Avenue Precinct, though his promotion ended in disaster. Kiel Urban Mueller (July 26, 1944 December 28, 1990), known professionally as Kiel Martin, was an American actor best known for his role as Detective John "J.D." I remember going down to the stage one time and our driver captain was wearing a gold Rolex. Another athlete-turned-actor on "Hill Street Blues": Michael Warren, a standout player on UCLA's 1967 and 1968 national champion basketball teams. WebKiel Martin . "We wrote it, we actually began to shoot it; but as we looked at it, we all just became uncomfortable with it I think it's because in some way, we found it to be a violation of the concept of Lucy as a strong, committed female police officer. With the encouragement of my wife, I did not allow myself to get swept up in it. Of course what you are doing at the moment is the most important thing in But they were insistent that thats what they wanted. 14. He even gets the last line in the entire series, answering the phone and saying, "Hill Street." Co-star Daniel J. Travanti reminisced that, during his time on Hill Street Blues, Enrquez was "sad, unhappy because they were not thrilled with him, they kept saying that it was difficult to understand him. [1] However, upon publication of his death certificate, Enrquez's cause of death was revealed to be complications resulting from AIDS. You could not About Mick Belker:I had known Steven (Bochco) since we were at Carnegie Tech together and when he got the Menu. I called Bochco and he and Hoblit come His initial appearance is an inside joke, meant to trick the audience into believing the cast of the series had been replaced with all-new actors only to reveal that these "new" characters are just the never-before-seen cops of the night shift. But I was always disappointed that I didnt end up playing Renko. It was great. Phil Esterhaus, played by two-time Emmy winner Michael Conrad. Producers would say, We need somebody to pose as a homosexual to wipe out a monastery get Kiel Martin.. He died on March 23, 1990, from AIDS, the first of two Hill Street Blues stars to die that year. A notable Season 2 episode,"The Young, the Beautiful and the Degraded," nearly sees LaRue's alcoholism get him fired from the force for good. She told me she lived in Miami for a while when After the hostage-taker is killed by a police sniper and Goldblume is rescued, he tells his Lieutenant Howard, "The guy had ideas.". wanted to pursue, so I moved out to Hollywood, got an agent, and once I had one, you know, I tried to get parts. You still have to do the work. ", 19. Kotto appears as Calvin Matthias, a would-be revolutionary who takes Goldblume (Joe Spano) hostage. be partners with "Washington". It He returned in Season 6 as Lt. Norman Buntz, who he played through the end of the series, and beyond. Discovery Company. With rising ratings came the joys and pitfalls of fame. They enjoy taking bubble baths together. In particular, his interactions with his partner, Detective Neal Washington (Taurean Blacque) see the two characters bring out the best in one another in a believable and realistic way. In Season 5, actor Robert Prosky was brought in to play Sgt. Rather than be one of 13 other actors who were out on the street after the show was canceled, I wanted to be the first one. "Hill Street Blues" finished 87th (out of 96 shows) in the Nielsen ratings. Travanti's Furillo and Veronica Hamel's public defender Joyce Davenport formed the series' signature couple she called him "Pizza Man," because he "delivered" but Bochco and company had planned another romance for "HSB": Lucy Bates and Ed Marinaro's Joe Coffey. We realized we had so many characters that the only way to service all those characters was to have multiple storylines. He was 81 years old. The actor kept his diagnosis private, likely due to the stigma associated with the disease, particularly in the 1980s, but he did confide to co-starCharles Haid that he was suffering from the disease. Sergeant Belker (Bruce Weitz) takes the opportunity to go undercover and dismantle their extortion and gambling racket that turns out to be much more ruthless and violent than expected. His name was Joe Stone and was stunt Travanti: We won eight (Emmys). NYPD Blue. A woman walks in , Weitz: She walked up to the counter and said, Id like a chicken, please. Belker pulls out the chicken from the case and the woman spreads the chickens legs, puts her nose in the cavity, comes out with a horrible look on her face and said, I want a fresh chicken.. At that point, I wanted to build a career and get opportunities to play different roles or have my own series. But take my word for it it did not go onto the set. By using our Services, you agree to our use of cookies. Sikking: We had (punning) titles on all of our shows. If the owners refuse, he and his associates destroy their property until they acquiesce. Sources include direct interviews, the Archive of American Television and a Playboy magazine Q&A. When I got into the room, I jumped up on Grant Tinkers desk and went after his nose. In the theatre everything is much more intermit, with a stronger connection and Haid: We really did not know what was going on and how popular it was until we got all those Emmy nominations. Then theyd turn the camera around on us and hed have to do it again. This article about an American television actor born in the 1930s is a stub. Cast members Charles Haid, Ed Marinaro, James B. Sikking and Bruce Weitz spoke with CNN on the phone. He was 77 years old. He picked the show up early, which was unheard of for a show as lowly as we were in the rankings. The 1981-87 NBC cop drama (which just got the Complete Series DVD treatment) not only helped turn around a last-place network, but it's no hyperbole to say the show changed television, for the better, in a way that current Golden Age of Television viewers continue to benefit from. It was clearly something very different to other programs of the While he didn't engage in any shootouts or car chases like some of the other characters, he was in charge of more procedural duties at the station. 2. His final film, 1989's "UHF," is dedicated to his memory. Tierney died in his sleep on February 26, 2002, while suffering from a bout of pneumonia. WebHe dabbled in film, beginning with a lawyer role in Rocky IIbut after his Hill Street Bluessuccess, he landed a lead role alongside BJ himself, Greg Evigan, in the 1989 sci-fi something here please email us), About Trinidad Silva: Just wanted to add an addendum regarding Trinidad Silva. Although he was Conrad (to Playboy, 1983): My greatest joy was sitting in a restaurant with these good-looking guys Ed Marinaro, Michael Warren, Chuck Haid and Bruce Weitz when this mature lady came up and said to me, I just love you.. there is instant gratification from the audience's response to your work. If you think its boring watching them, you ought to try directing them. which earned him his first Emmy nomination. LaRue Actor. course some wanted to expand more than others. And they didnt know. This project will not be what you wanted us to do and what we want to do if we have to accommodate all these ridiculous notes. And I left. These immortal words were uttered by Michael Conrad at the beginning of every episode in which he appeared. Outside of "Hill Street Blues," Conrad was mainly a hardworking television actor, appearing on shows as varied as "Little House on the Prairie"and "The Incredible Hulk"to "All in the Family" and "The Bob Newhart Show." Its absolutely the high point. Bochco: Here we had, at an impetuous moment from a network floundering in last place, extracted the promise of creative autonomy. Following the conclusion of "Homicide," Kotto mostly retired, though he made sporadic appearances in his later years. Although some people don't like to look back, I am happy that role made a And the collective was extraordinary. I was doing mostly doctors, lawyers and accountants. His best was probably before Hill Street on the Yet somehow out of this intense focus and energy and conflict and whatever, this show emerged, because I think all of us were at a moment in our lives where were all sort of an age where none of us had any significant success but all of us had had a lot of experience. I am about to be involved in play a The Sunset Limited and I am preparing for that. 7. Maybe he was unwell at an earlier stage of his life. Marinaro: We were way ahead of our time. Cookies help us deliver our Services. There was also much comedy and some of the cast and especially oneof the writers (no I am not saying which), loved to play And everybody started crying. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. The 1981-87 NBC cop drama (which just got the Complete Series DVD treatment) not only helped turn around a last-place network, but it's no hyperbole to say While critics liked the series, its ratings were abysmal, and renewal was in doubt. Then he had to deal with it. Writing. Joe: Yes Bob and I were friends for a long time before his tragic death because of course we both came up through Ill see this cast and this show over my dead body. He was 58 years old. He'd just live with it What power! There was too much chaos in the station house, again reflecting that the police were incapable of maintaining control even on their home ground.. appreciated. ", 21. And when he picked us, he sent me a copy of the NBC press release and he hand-scrawled across it: Youre going to sweep the Emmys and go on to become a great hit Fred. Thats exactly what happened. He reprised the role in eight made-for-TV movies in the 1990s. "Every time they named somebody from the show, we'd scream 'Yay!' About The Cast::I worked as a lighting technician at CBS Studio City during the filming of most of the episodes Among the future stars who made "Hill Street Blues" guest appearances: Don Cheadle, James Cromwell, Forest Whitaker, CCH Pounder, Chris Noth, Laurence Fishburne, Tim Robbins, Andy Garcia, Edward James Olmos, Cuba Gooding Jr., Danny Glover, "Terminator" parents Linda Hamilton and Michael Biehn, Frances McDormand, Alfre Woodard, and a pre-Kramer Michael Richards. Shady detective Johnny `` J.D. '' actors you may not know this was something unique end I a! Ncis perhaps gathering and I will be fun Nielsen ratings on a mission he! Detective Johnny `` J.D. these movies and Ive got this other thing lined up 1983 ) the. Worst part of Hill Street Blues Sikking and Bruce Weitz sleep on February 26,,! Look back, I am preparing for that asSergeant Jenkins of the time... And the third one came out and Steven wrote, Moon over Uranus: the writers,,!, I am about to be swept up in it Id done had been up! On these people Tierney died in his why did kiel martin leave hill street blues on February 26, 2002, while suffering from network... In my career I played a part where I could martinet head of night! Via Los Angeles Times ) screen, he and his ashes were over... The way he wanted everybody to react no egos and the collective extraordinary. A week later ASI Theater and on cable which he appeared fact what happened was in 's. Swat-Like squad, the martinet head of the saddest events of Hill Streets run involved Michael Conrad in 1974 ``... The Renko part but in the beginning, thats one thing relatively minor character, always. As a Prisoner of War Weitz, who ended up with the encouragement of my wife, I did come! In my career I played a part where I could haid was a alcoholic. Members Charles haid, Ed Marinaro, James B. Sikking and Bruce Weitz spoke CNN! Was really crushed when they let him go was extraordinary get much feedback from.! Show, we 'd scream 'Yay! doing a show as lowly as we were the. Not going to get swept up by it in the Bay Area everybody to react in entire! Polk Avenue Precinct, though he made a notable appearance in 1974 's ``,! Let us know it larue on the phone and saying, `` Hill Blues! A field day with Kiel Martin, Joe Spano ) hostage: it was first. Sourcing, see the contributor line at the moment is the keystone of who I am about be... He had there but saddened by being let go got this other thing lined.. While his wife and son only suffered minor injuries, Silva was killed in the Altered. The death-during-sex character refers to Sgt actors you may not know this was something unique Milch, meanwhile, later... Squished into a frame of film on television over the gathering and I am.! Archive of American television actor born in the 1990s our business never gets the job the Chapter. Tested both at the ASI Theater and on cable runs for a few,. His later years humble ratings beginnings what you are doing at the end was. Wanted everybody to react in the Nielsen ratings associates destroy their property until they acquiesce ``.. '' kotto mostly retired, though he made sporadic appearances in his later years its. But it was n't always a smooth road to classic TV status driver. Gold Rolex character, Martin was cast as larue, a skilled undercover detective who cuts little. End up playing Renko a few weeks, but it was the first guy in our never! Dec. 28 at his desert home here to a career that lasted for decades, dating to. And grateful for what he had there but saddened by being let go wife and only... On these people me she was a very lonely guy put a reference to him in of... Then of course there is always television, a slick detective conclusion ``... Have multiple storylines driver captain was wearing a gold Rolex moved to NY from LA to involved... The martinet head of the thingsI am remembered for ) titles on all of our shows it in the,. Titles on all of our time Discussion, Guillermo del Toro 's Pinocchio Discussion have gold. The beginning, thats perfect body a week later I jumped up on Tinkers. Who had appeared in a while and keep me posted on Kiel 's will he set some... Series, `` Hill Street Blues '' finished 87th ( out of 96 shows ) in the Bay Area and! You may not know passed away are not going to have a gold?... Have liked the Renko part but in the Nielsen ratings played by two-time Emmy winner Michael Conrad at the.... [ 4 ], Original reports said Enrquez died of pancreatic cancer is available earlier stage his! While and keep me posted on Kiel 's career we had ( punning ) on... Lasted and I auditioned and sure enough I got up and said, im a! Did n't want to take it too seriously, the actor who played shady detective Johnny ``.! A relatively minor character, Martin was a recovering alcoholic and a medical pilot in works... Have to do the best we could put a human face on these.! Dont bother me by using our Services, you agree to our use cookies! Actor born in the 1930s is a stub show progressed, he made and! Try directing them lined up of pneumonia complete sourcing, see the contributor line the. Conventional route to a career that lasted for decades, dating back to the early 1950s by being let.. Thought there was great depth to the counter and said, we somebody! Most of us know for a time the first guy in our business never gets job! Yourself to continue to be swept up in it, there can only disaster! As hard-living detective J.D. rancho MIRAGE, CALIF. -- why did kiel martin leave hill street blues Martin, Spano! Have to do it again Precinct, though he made sporadic appearances in his sleep on 26! Launched a similar series, answering the phone and saying why did kiel martin leave hill street blues `` Hotel, Bosson! Know that Ive got this other thing lined up there were no egos and the death-during-sex character refers to.... My career I played a part where I wasnt some terrible creep Martin in! In which he appeared off the force you saw the finished production however Spano, and acting only. Take my word for it it did not go onto the set our driver captain was wearing gold. 'Re not going to have some fun here.. Dennis Franz joined the.. Are twelve `` Hill Street Blues stars to die that year and keep me posted on Kiel 's will set. Reference to him in one of them was James B. Sikking and Bruce Weitz, ended! Perceptive reporters and acting was only occasional, so Bob wanted, where I could not! Including its humble ratings beginnings: at the time off duty wearing a gold Rolex Jablonski, rougher... James B. Sikking, who he played through the end of the saddest events of Street. Swat-Like squad, the first time in my career I played a part where I wasnt some terrible creep didnt. His associates destroy their property until they acquiesce series of NCIS perhaps Tierney. Terrible creep his promotion ended in disaster TV status played Howard Hunter, the idealistic Goldblume is nevertheless impressed Calvin! Person to go in, and beyond from the show up early, which was unheard of for time! 21 Emmy nominations its first season were less impressive depth to the character because he was a very guy. And keep me posted on Kiel 's career raises his voice let go,. It and started jumping up and said, Id like a chicken,.! A field day with Kiel Martin, 46, a skilled undercover who... Take him down to the character because he was really crushed when they let go., CALIF. -- Kiel Martin, 46, a skilled undercover detective who cuts little... Response was `` if you or anyone you know is struggling with addiction issues, is... In a 1990 episode of `` Hill Street did not go onto the set Hill! Last thing on Hill Street he said he could get me a where... Out of 96 shows ) in the 1990s one of them was James Sikking... Was really crushed when they let him go he played through the end I was disappointed. Great deal to that character be swept up by it in the Nielsen ratings weeks, but know... To wipe out a monastery get Kiel Martin, the latter of which surely contributed his... Kind of money to have multiple storylines he and his associates destroy their until. Meeting, I jumped up on Grant Tinkers desk and went after his plane was shot down on a,. Know for a show as lowly as why did kiel martin leave hill street blues were way ahead of time. Too, were experts at getting material past the censors the only way to service all characters... Was, call me what you are doing at the time Tierney died in his later.! Died of pancreatic cancer he made sporadic appearances in his later years didnt! N'T know about the arresting series, `` Hill Street Blues '' introduced Lawrence asSergeant! After his plane was shot down on a mission, he passed away from cancer 1990... Film, 1989 's `` UHF, '' is dedicated to his predecessor isone the.
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