It wasnt about the money. Then we won all that stuff and people got tired of hearing the Hill Street Blues theme play at the Emmys. Outside of his duty as a cop, his life is marred by poor choices. As the show progressed, he became Captain of the Polk Avenue Precinct, though his promotion ended in disaster. over to hear it and instantly we all knew we had found what we wanted, something that would exactly go with the film. On "Hill Street Blues,"his death was written into the show, though his cause of death was changed. Weitz: Occasionally theyd see me do something in dailies and add it to the script. Another athlete-turned-actor on "Hill Street Blues": Michael Warren, a standout player on UCLA's 1967 and 1968 national champion basketball teams. When LaRue introduced himself during the gathering, the camera panned to someone saying "Hello, John"; it was Furillo. But if you see the episodes, you see how much fun we were having. He's bad with money, he's bad with alcohol, and bad with women. Consequently, we have always had Lucy show a very strong feeling that she had to be better, tougher, stronger in those arenas than anybody else to maintain her credibility as a police officer. I know you already got one thing going on, but maybe youd be interested in doing this part. The original part was a guy named Flannery who was going to be Furillo. LaRue, a skilled undercover detective who cuts a little too loose when he's off duty. I had a very what I would consider normal life under the circumstances after the first year. She told me she lived in Miami for a while when He reprised the role in eight made-for-TV movies in the 1990s. Every single thing. I said, thats perfect. This typecasting only serves to enhance his role in "Hill Street Blues"since it's unexpected for him to play a character who subverts expectations. HSB.net: Interesting that you say that Joe, because I get the impression that some of your fellow cast members are We could put a human face on these people. Ron Herbinger (Friend of Kiel Martin), About Robert Hirschfeld:Bob did a lot of wonderful work as an actor. The project fell into the hands of producers Steven Bochco and Michael Kozoll at MTM Enterprises. "I can still smell drinks across the room. 3. [4], Original reports said Enrquez died of pancreatic cancer. Even the local pizza place wasnt immune: Pizza Man Furillos nickname was drawn from Pizza Man, an L.A. chain. Prior to his accident Trini had just During the filming of the fourth season,Conrad died ofurethral canceron November 22, 1983. "We were anything but heroes. This guy did his last thing on Hill Street Blues, and he left his body a week later. times, I would often have no idea what others actors were doing. something special. Then he knew and he said to everybody. Weitz had to convince a reluctant Grant Tinker he could play the snarling undercover cop. ", 15. Considering "Hill Street Blues" first aired over 40 years ago, it's only natural that some of its actors are no longer among the living. Joe: Yes I think as the series went on our input was listened to, but because it was so well written you did not often With rare exceptions, every episode of the show took place over the course of a single day, beginning with roll call and ending with the characters played byDaniel J. Travanti and Veronica Hamel discussing the events of the day, usually in the context of pillow talk. 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. But take my word for it it did not go onto the set. Bochco: At the end of the meeting, I got up and said, We cant do this project. Sadly, he passed away in 2006 due to congestive heart failure. She does the exact same thing. Weitz: Its not real. Marinaro: When I went on to do shows like Dynasty and Falcon Crest, it was kind of lightweight stuff. The pilot of Hill Street Blues was tested both at the ASI Theater and on cable. Joyce Davenport. His character,Wally Nydorf, is perpetually overworked and behind-schedule, but always makes time to crack a corny joke, usually at the expense of the cadaver he's just examined. Kiel Martin was born on July 26, 1944 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA as Kiel Urban Mueller. He was an actor, known for The Panic in Needle Park (1971), Hill Street Blues (1981) and Moonrunners (1975). He was married to Joanne Marie Lapomarda, Christina Montoya and Claudia Martin. He died on December 28, 1990 in Rancho Mirage, California, USA. was just incredible! Its shows, such as the flop Supertrain, were the butt of jokes. to do the best we could for them and the script. The character retires during Season 7 but still appears throughout the final season, supporting his old colleagues as a friend and confidant. Not that the actors didnt contribute in certain ways. The main characters were perceived as being not capable and having flawed personalities. Marinaro: We were way ahead of our time. The two wrote a script in 10 days, with a clarity and energy that surprised even its creators. Co-star Daniel J. Travanti reminisced that, during his time on Hill Street Blues, Enrquez was "sad, unhappy 4. It took audiences a full year to figure out what the hell we were doing. Bochco left after Season 5. He remained in the lead credits, appears in the season finale and of course continued to the end of the show. Bochco: For sport, Kiel would poke at Michael Conrad just to provoke him. money for a party in some park in Palm Springs for close friends. 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." Mike Kozoll didnt particularly want to do another cop show. Actors and producers started to turn over. When I got into the room, I jumped up on Grant Tinkers desk and went after his nose. But he had excellent timing. God bless him. We were thrilled, absolutely thrilled. (For complete sourcing, see the contributor line at the bottom of this story.). His mother Eileen called me in Miami to see if I was coming to Palm Springs for the celebration and I told her it Michael Warren (Actor played Bobby Hill), About Kiel Martin:After Kiel passed away I really have had no contact with the cast. Occasionally, dead bodies need to be examined by an experienced professional. Henry is not me, but I am an actor and I moulded him the way I Kiel made it back, super clean I might ad, and Ken Olin's character was subsequently killed off for HSB.net: Did you get a chance to make changes? We chose that. 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. Calletano's passive leadership style results in derogatory treatment by the men under his command, who call him "Captain Taco"behind his back. Mick Belker, was a college friend of Bochco's. Furillo's marriage is in trouble and he spends a good deal of time with his new woman friend, a lawyer named Joyce Davenport (Veronica Hamel). Coffey's girlfriend is sexually assaulted. I worked in downtown Miami for 25 years and Kiel's dad Karl was a court recorder and would stop think most people can see this camaraderie in the finished program and remember that despite all this most, episodes were filmed in Of course what you are doing at the moment is the most important thing in There are too many loose ends. towards Steven (Bochco) and Michael Kozoll. Sikking: I thought there was great depth to the character because he was a very lonely guy. 32The sixth season of "Hill Street Blues" introduced Lawrence Tierney asSergeant Jenkins of the night shift. Menu. But everything sort of gelled, my character worked well with everyone else, and Robert Prosky replaced Conrad. It was just so different. Unusually there were no egos and But, the real boil belonged to Bochco. And it was everybody versus the network suits. I heard he said afterwards, theres no way I cant offer him the job. I real don't know [1] However, upon publication of his death certificate, Enrquez's cause of death was revealed to be complications resulting from AIDS. which led him to almost being kicked off the force. The writers, too, were experts at getting material past the censors. We stuck intensely powerful melodrama side by side with almost slapstick farcical fall-down clowning. 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. They went berserk. Instead of the paternal, "Be careful out there,"Jablonski ended his daily roll call with the more combative phrase,"Do it to them before they do it to us." that part? WebIt was eventually a bitter battle with lung cancer which finally took his life. All told, Tierney appeared in seven episodes of "Hill Street Blues," including the series finale, "It Ain't Over Till It's Over." Matt Weiner (Mad Men) and Vince Gilligan (Breaking Bad) and David Chase (The Sopranos) and all these people ought to wake up every morning and send a note to Hill Street Blues. . And when the writers made his exit permanent Coffey was shot and killed on duty in "Larry of Arabia" Marinaro hosted a "Watch Joe Coffey Die Party," attended by co-stars Sikking, Thomas, and Weitz, as well as his old NFL pal Joe Namath. In fact what happened was in Kiel's will he set aside some 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. "Ironic, isn't it?" Here's a recent brief quote from a friend that says a lot about him: "Amazing guy, always the smartest in the And Emmy nominee Barbara Bosson, who played Fay, the ex-wife of Capt. 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 Bochco: Personalities were just so volatile. What happened to Martin in these weeks? Actors came and went: Ken Olin, Mimi Kuzyk, Megan Gallagher, Lisa Sutton. I knew if I gave it up, Id never get it back. HSB.net: Is it true that you were originally cast as Renko, but they thought you were not aggressive enough for Bochco: It was a teeming world. Kiel Martin played Detective J.D. I was a free agent again, and I auditioned for Hill Street Blues. ", 21. On the big screen, he made a notable appearance in 1974's "The Longest Yard," alongside Burt Reynolds. Though the show was filmed in California, the Maxwell Street Police Station in Chicago was used as the exterior of the precinct in the closing credits. Kiel Martin succumbed to lung cancer on December 28. The title is never broadcast. They had done 13 episodes, and they got an order for four more, and the character of Joe Coffey was in those The role followed appearances in many TV series, including "The Virginian" and "Gunsmoke. We should have won 10. When "Hill Street Blues" co-creators Bochco and Michael Kozoll were asked to create a cop show for MTM and NBC, they were already at work developing another series, a drama that would revolve around the guests at a luxury hotel. NBCs Standards and Practices department the network censor wasnt impressed, however, questioning every detail. through people we knew. I did see something on Kiel's bio that said there were no funeral services. 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.". WebLate in Season 4, LaRue (Kiel Martin) simply disappears for about four episodes, with one reference to him being sick and then it being "mono, so expect him to be out for a few 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. room, heart of gold.". 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. This three-episode arc from the first season, beginning with "Gatorbait"and ending with"I Never Promised You a Rose, Marvin," features Dolph Sweet as Schneider, a middle-aged cop who's lost his way. 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. Tragically, his life and career were cut short when his car was struck by a drunk driver. Here are twelve "Hill Street Blues" actors you may not know passed away. When an underage sex worker is found murdered, suspicion turns to a city councilman and the cop, Lieutenant Emil Schneider, who seems to be protecting the politician. ", 19. It Trini, I believe was on Haid: We would come up with every euphemism for masturbation we could come up with. His final role was in 2014's video game, "Alien: Isolation," in which he reprised his role as Parker in audio logs. Martin (to Playboy, 1983): The writers are very perceptive reporters. Many of us who were in the series, heard of the initial additions Sometimes causing delay or retakes in production, much to the annoyance of the on set accountant. Lucille Bates. Haid: Michael Conrad talk about old school. 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. Director Rick Wallace Writers Michael Kozoll Steven Bochco (story by) Jeffrey Lewis (teleplay by) It stayed on through a combination of key corporate support, determination and a little bit of luck. Then Bochco asked me what I thought and I suggested doing something opposite to that, light but conveying the non stop excitement Joe: (laughing): I was never a bow tie man but I think I may still have one or two hanging around at home. They enjoy taking bubble baths together. And we knew, once you find out a guys got thin skin, hes toast. At that point, I wanted to build a career and get opportunities to play different roles or have my own series. I thought I'd give it to Furillo; then I thought, 'No, he's too stoic. Then of course there is always television, a few more series of NCIS perhaps. HSB.net: When did you first meet Mr Bochco was it when you appeared on his TV Show Paris? Theyd always shoot him first. "We had Joe and Lucy having an affair," Bochco told Playboy in 1983. There are all these actors waiting around. 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. I think I thought "maybe a couple of series" at the time. "Sons of Anarchy" creator Kurt Sutter, "Game of Thrones" co-creator David Benioff, and former "Walking Dead" showrunner Glen Mazzara are among the TV creatives who cite "Hill Street Blues" as hugely influential on their careers, with Benioff telling The Atlantic that "'Hill Street Blues' changed everything. With the encouragement of my wife, I did not allow myself to get swept up in it. Weitz: I went to the audition dressed as how I thought the character should dress and loud and pushy. Hunter was often the shows comic relief. 2023 Cable News Network. Before he became a Hollywood actor, Dolph Sweet served on B-24 bombers during World War II. ", 20. The death-during-sex character refers to Sgt. 24. He also acted There was too much chaos in the station house, again reflecting that the police were incapable of maintaining control even on their home ground.. The show lasted just 13 episodes (only nine aired) on NBC during the 1987-88 season, but Franz and Milch would be reunited on "NYPD Blue," for which Franz earned four Lead Actor Emmys. All Rights Reserved. Belker puts the chicken away, picks up another chicken. Spano: I wasnt the Goldblume type. be partners with "Washington". 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. Sikking: We had (punning) titles on all of our shows. Weitz: The one person with enormous experience in front of the camera was Michael Conrad, and he, in the beginning, had trouble adjusting. Kind of isolated loner actor. Grant Tinker, MTM Enterprises co-founder: Not only did MTM give good creative people the freedom to do their work, but I became justly famous for throwing my body between our producers and network bureaucrats. Well, whack my monkey, Bobby Hill! We would go on and on. 1. That was not my style. Among the series' other writers: Pulitzer Prize winners Bob Woodward (Season 7's "Der Roachenkavalier") and David Mamet (Season 7's "A Wasted Weekend" was his first TV script), "L.A. Law" actor Alan Rachins (Season 1's "Fecund Hand Rose"), and "Law & Order" universe creator Dick Wolf, who began his TV career as a "Hill Street Blues" writer, including the Season 6 episode "What Are Friends For?" She told me she was a bunny at the Playboy club for a time. 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