List of Hill Street Blues characters
This is a list of characters from the NBC police drama ''Hill Street Blues.''
Main characters
Officers are listed by the rank they held at first appearance on the program; some officers later held higher ranks.Captain Francis Xavier "Frank"
Furillo is in charge of the Hill Street Precinct. He is honest, capable, and goes "by the book," though some of his colleagues find him a bit superior in attitude. He generally presents himself to be even-tempered, but on rare occasions he allows himself to get truly angry. Furillo joined the police force in 1964 and was a lieutenant at Division prior to his promotion to captain. He is generally quite well-versed in the intricacies of departmental policy. Though he was the protege of Police Chief-to-be Daniels, Furillo often disagrees with Daniels on policy and disdains his political gamesmanship. Frank is divorced from Fay Furillo, though he tolerates her histrionics and constant unannounced visits and helps her deal with her many problems. His relationship with Joyce Davenport, whom he affectionately calls "Counselor," is at first secret; by the end of season 3, they are married. The majority of episodes end with them in intimate situations, most of the time in bed, reviewing the events of the day. While on duty, Frank usually wears a three-piece suit; in one episode,, his colleagues are astounded by Frank wearing a sport coat. In the first season, Frank is revealed to be a recovering alcoholic; in season 4 he almost suffers a relapse after being stripped of his command on the orders of a vindictive Mayor Cleveland and he does relapse near the end of season 5, but quickly recovers and resumes attending Alcoholics Anonymous meetings in season 5's last episode.
In the first episode, Furillo speaks Spanish in a negotiation. He later demonstrates at least some knowledge of Italian when he calls his uncle in Italy.
Joyce Davenport
Davenport works mainly as a public defender — she became an assistant district attorney for five months in season 5, but disliked it and rejoined the Public Defender's Office. She is a successful and well-respected attorney. Davenport is in a relationship with Captain Furillo, whom she refers to as "Pizza Man" as a term of endearment. They originally met during a court trial when Furillo was recently divorced and still a Lieutenant; their first date was to a classical music concert, followed by pizza. Though the relationship is initially hidden, Davenport reveals the relationship in season 2 and they are married near the end of season 3. They have no children, as they learn in season 4 that she is medically unable to bear children.
Sergeant Philip Freemason "Phil" Esterhaus
Esterhaus is the desk sergeant, in charge of the uniformed officers, and is rarely seen outside of the station house. He is the only one at the station that calls Captain Furillo by his given name, Francis. Until season 4, each show opens with Esterhaus's morning briefing during roll call, which always ends with his catchphrase "Let's be careful out there." His speech is filled with complex syntax but his kindly and warm manner endears him to the officers who deeply respect him. While on duty, he maintains a calm and professional demeanor, but has lost his temper in a few extreme cases. He passed the lieutenant examination four times, but never advanced in rank — three times due to budget limitations, and the fourth without explanation. Divorced from his first wife, he nearly marries his 18-year-old girlfriend at the end of season 1, until the appearance of Grace Gardner causes him to call off the marriage. He then begins a passionate relationship with Grace. Three seasons later, he dies during a romantic tryst with Grace; this was written due to Michael Conrad's death from urethral cancer on November 22, 1983.
Detective Michael "Mick" Belker
An extremely capable undercover detective, Belker is small in stature yet strong, wiry, and very fast. He is Jewish. He exhibits a number of eccentricities, such as usually dressing in torn and dirty clothing, rarely shaving and frequently consuming onions, sardines and other pungent foods. Belker often growls and sometimes bites suspects ; he revealed that his father, a tailor who was also short of stature, tended to bite people during fights. Belker cares deeply for his parents; many episodes show Belker answering his station phone curtly with "Belker!" then softening as he says "Hi, Ma." Belker suffers the death of both his father and his mother during the course of the series. Belker addresses friends and foes alike with insults such as "dog breath" or "hair bag", and will threaten them with violence as an assertion of strength. He is loyal to and respectful of Captain Furillo, and has an almost filial feeling towards Sergeant Esterhaus. Originally a loner, Belker had multiple unsuccessful short-term relationships with women until he met and eventually married Officer Robin Tataglia. In season 6, Mick and Robin welcomed a son, whom they named Philip after Sergeant Esterhaus. Belker has had some unusual and serendipitous friendships, including movie actor John Gennaro in season 3, the deluded "superhero" Captain Freedom in season 2, and Eddie Gregg, a gay prostitute whom Belker arrests. Eddie leaves town after informing to Belker on his boyfriend, who had murdered some Peruvian drug dealers. Eddie returned in season 6 to tell Belker that he was dying of AIDS.
Sergeant (later Lieutenant) Henry Goldblume
Goldblume is often in charge of negotiating in hostage situations. In the early years especially, he is portrayed as meek and liberal, placing him at odds with Howard Hunter and his distinctly right-wing view of the world. As Goldblume's confidence increases over the course of the series, he becomes less of an adversary of Howard and more of a thorn in the side of Captain Furillo, who is constantly reminded of Henry's moral code and how it sometimes interferes with Furillo's difficult decisions. Nevertheless, Captain Furillo often uses Goldblume as a confidante, to the irritation of Lieutenant Calletano; this friction remains even after Goldblume is promoted to Lieutenant. Raised on 110th Street, he joined the police force in 1969 and was stationed at Jefferson Heights prior to his transfer to Hill Street. At the beginning of the series, he is married with two children, Josh and Annie; however, he and his wife Rachel undergo a separation after Henry has a short-lived affair. The separation ends after Rachel admits that she too once had an affair, but after Henry is shot during an undercover operation, his wife — who did not want him working undercover — divorces him. In season 4, Goldblume acted as Fay Furillo's labor coach, and briefly became her lover. He later forms a strong romantic relationship with the wealthy widow of a mob boss, only to witness her cold-blooded murder during a dinner date. He had aspirations to become a writer during high school, and is convinced to write his memoirs in season 7 following the tragic death of a former high school friend, who was also an aspiring writer.
In the last couple of seasons, Henry becomes hardened and somewhat cynical, and ceases wearing bow ties. He begins teaming with Norman Buntz on occasion, which would have been unthinkable in early seasons.
Officer Robert Eugene "Bobby" Hill
Bobby Hill is a patrol officer who partners with Andy Renko. He is generally well-meaning and kind and makes extra effort to help less-fortunate citizens. He was previously stationed at Jefferson Heights. A trained boxer - fighting as Bobby "Blueberry" Hill - he twice won Golden Gloves championships and also twice won the Metro Police Middleweight Championship, though his attempt to win a third middleweight championship ended when he was knocked out in the final match. He is elected and briefly serves as the vice-president of the Black Officers' Coalition, but he disliked the politics and pressure of the position. In season 4, he wins $100,000 in the lottery and promptly loses all but $30,000 of it gambling. Unlike his partner, Hill does not aspire to plainclothes work. He and his partner are close friends and loyal to each other — though this is occasionally tested, as in the aftermath of their nearly fatal shooting in season 1.
Officer Andrew J. "Andy" Renko
Partners with Bobby Hill, who calls him "Cowboy," even though he was born in New Jersey and says he has never been west of Chicago in his life. He speaks with a Southern accent and rides a motorcycle when he's not in a squad car. He favors country music and, in the early seasons, was often shown wearing a Waylon Jennings baseball cap and sometimes cowboy boots. Renko is an egocentric, gruff and sometimes taciturn man who rarely is shown smiling or laughing, even when others around him are telling jokes. He often indulges in semi-serious braggadocio to his fellow officers, who usually ignore him. He is quick to anger and sometimes displays emotional cruelty to women with whom he is romantically involved. In season three, a girlfriend breaks up with him saying she is tired of his bullying and trying to make her do things she doesn't want to do. Despite his frequent insensitivity towards others, he is emotionally needy, and lashes out at those close to him when he feels he isn't getting the attention he deserves. Renko also does not respond well to criticism; in an episode where Captain Furillo is angrily reprimanding him for breaking protocol and potentially creating serious legal issues for the department, Renko dismissively says "Is that all?" and storms off, slamming the door behind him. Despite his behavior, he enjoys a close friendship with Hill and a good relationship with the other officers, who generally respect him. Towards the end of season 3, he mellowed considerably when he vowed to improve himself; his demeanor softened and he increasingly served as comic relief. Renko had a fractious relationship with his father, who was emotionally cold and abusive; he sincerely mourns when his father dies of cancer towards the end of season 2, but laughs when his body, dumped in an alley, is found by Belker. Renko aspires to become a detective, and has taken college courses towards that goal. In season 4, he marries and the couple have a daughter, but the marriage collapses after affairs on both sides in season 7.