why did kiel martin leave hill street blues

spread from the sky. So I got Belker and left the door open for Kiel to LaRue. He returned in Season 6 as Lt. Norman Buntz, who he played through the end of the series, and beyond. Joe: Much of the same I guess. Cocaine was rampant. Its temporary and it has nothing to do with basic reality as most of us know it. at the end of the first season. 24. He died on March 23, 1990, from AIDS, the first of two Hill Street Blues stars to die that year. Sikking: We had a funeral for Esterhaus on camera. Her response was "If you're not going neither am I." Kiel Martin played Detective J.D. Every single thing. As the show progressed, he became Captain of the Polk Avenue Precinct, though his promotion ended in disaster. For its debut season in 1981, "Hill Street Blues" received 21 Emmy nominations and won eight of them, including the first of four consecutive Outstanding Drama Series statues. 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. ", 21. I knew if I gave it up, Id never get it back. "Hill Street Blues" finished 87th (out of 96 shows) in the Nielsen ratings. There are too many loose ends. [Laughs.] Kiel Martin succumbed to lung cancer on December 28. times, I would often have no idea what others actors were doing. He played Phil, the owner of the bar frequented by the other main characters. HSB.net: Can you tell us a little about how the show was structured with regards to forward planning, for example Writing., Travanti: When Barbara Bosson read the pilot, she said (to Bochco, her husband), This is the best thing youve ever written., Sikking: When you got the first script you went, Oh, yippee. father were very close friends of mine. Throughout the first four seasons, Conrad starred as Sergeant Phil Esterhaus, the wise and paternal authority figure who cared for the safety of the officers under his command. Bochco: We bring them all over, and I hear that (NBC head of casting) Joel Thurm has said, theyre all too dark. And they didnt know. In front are L to R: Michael Warren, Kiel Martin, Joe Spano, and Bruce Weitz. feedback. A character said, Lets take him down to the worst part of Hill Street. When I started, I was supposed to be doing a guest spot a four-episode arc Belker goes undercover as a truck driver to try and catch thieves that are stealing poultry. We stuck intensely powerful melodrama side by side with almost slapstick farcical fall-down clowning. dramatic sort of down and dirty, but then Hoblit said he wanted something to go with an idea he had in his head, for a opening garage Hill Street did not come off as a real police station. Guess I'm not the Hollywood type. His most famous teammate: Lew Alcindor, aka Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. "We were anything but heroes. WebActor Kiel Martin, who played shady detective Johnny J.D. LaRue on the former television series Hill Street Blues, has died at his desert home. 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 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 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 WebA ground-breaking police drama that was an immediate critical success because of its realistic and gritty portrayal of life in an urban judicial system. 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, What happened to Martin in these weeks? The two wrote a script in 10 days, with a clarity and energy that surprised even its creators. She told me she lived in Miami for a while when Unlike his character, Enrquez was born in Nicaragua, not Colombia. wanted, where I could. "Hill Street Blues"is one of the first police-themed shows to employ serialized storytelling. Mad Men admirer? 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. They had already brought in Ken Olin to replace Kiel and Bochco: Fred (Silverman) was great. 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." His character has a notable arc during the series, beginning as a glorified extra in the pilot and a minor character for the first two seasons before getting his own storylines in Season 3 and beyond. Actors' real lives were not the only ones mined for storyline inspiration. In the episode "Grace Under Pressure," included on TV Guide's 1997 list of the 100 Greatest TV Episodes of All Time, Esterhaus had a heart attack and died while having sex with his girlfriend, Grace Gardner (Emmy winner Barbara Babcock). Detective Harry Garibaldi (Ken Olin) is propped up in his place and becomes a continuing character, but seems very much like a cardboard cutout in these shows and delivers a lot of dialogue that sounds like it was written for LaRue. Joe: When Nancy ( Robert Hirschfeld widow) told me of your efforts in creating the website, I felt it would be good to Producers would say, We need somebody to pose as a homosexual to wipe out a monastery get Kiel Martin.. HSB.net: What of the future. I know her husband Steve was 4. Breaking Bad binge-watcher? Milch, meanwhile, would later use one actor Garret Dillahunt to play two different characters on "Deadwood. And we knew, once you find out a guys got thin skin, hes toast. But they were insistent that thats what they wanted. About Mick Belker:I had known Steven (Bochco) since we were at Carnegie Tech together and when he got the Haid: We collectively made a decision that it was seven (seasons) and out. idea. course some wanted to expand more than others. On December 28, 1990, he died of lung cancer at the age of 46. Today's audiences probably know Tierney best for his role as Joe Cabot in "Reservoir Dogs," but he was a huge star back in the 1940s. Weitz: It gave me my career out here in Los Angeles. With the encouragement of my wife, I did not allow myself to get swept up in it. 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. There was of course a lot of creative writing going on and so largely you left it up to the writers to look forward. 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?" probably can imagine because he was such a fine actor. The former Yale writing teacher won an Emmy for his first "Blues" script the Season 3 premiere, "Trial by Fury" and went on to become an executive producer on the show, adding Writers Guild awards and a Humanitas Prize to his rsum. Following the conclusion of "Homicide," Kotto mostly retired, though he made sporadic appearances in his later years. 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. Audiences found the ending unsatisfying. I was doing mostly doctors, lawyers and accountants. If you allow yourself to continue to be swept up in it, there can only be disaster at the end. Kind of isolated loner actor. Haid: We would come up with every euphemism for masturbation we could come up with. On "Hill Street Blues,"his death was written into the show, though his cause of death was changed. be partners with "Washington". Outside of his duty as a cop, his life is marred by poor choices. this super tough guy on the outside I visualized him as lonely and hurt on the inside and fortunately for us, the writer had the same would call it a conventional route to a career in acting. Also of course Michael Kozoll was the writer. completed working on a television pilot (Home Free) that I helped create and produce in 1988 for NBC. If you think its boring watching them, you ought to try directing them. Crime Drama Mystery Furillo breaks the news of Esterhaus's death. Pat Corley spent decades working in film and television. [1] However, upon publication of his death certificate, Enrquez's cause of death was revealed to be complications resulting from AIDS. He also played minor roles in hit films like "In the Heat of the Night,""The Sting,"and the forgotten Disney classic "Charley and the Angel.". He was 82 years old (via Los Angeles Times). Weitz: The one person with enormous experience in front of the camera was Michael Conrad, and he, in the beginning, had trouble adjusting. Hill Street being Hill Street, though, it wasnt without a wicked twist. All the shows that became popular were hybrids of what we did. This culminates in a hostage situation on a prison bus that pulls no punches and is one of the scariest and most intense sequences in the entire series. 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. Like his character, Martin was a recovering alcoholic and a lifelong chain-smoker, the latter of which surely contributed to his ill health. More than two dozen Emmys, an iconic theme song, a writing staff that would go on to create many other TV hits, and innovative storytelling techniques a large cast, overlapping dialogue, a focus on the characters' personal and work lives, an un-saccharine portrayal of those flawed characters are among "Hill Street Blues'" TV-land legacies. It just changed the rules of TV. Martin was once in contention for the lead role in the Oscar winning film Midnight Cowboy. And Hunter says, 'You mean like that colored entertainer?' Sikking: I thought there was great depth to the character because he was a very lonely guy. If you thought one person in the world ever was not going to die, it was Michael Conrad. 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." Belker puts the chicken away, picks up another chicken. Then he had to deal with it. It wasnt about the money. It was great. 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. knew Robert and her very well. There was also much comedy and some of the cast and especially oneof the writers (no I am not saying which), loved to play They had done 13 episodes, and they got an order for four more, and the character of Joe Coffey was in those They went berserk. About The Cast::I worked as a lighting technician at CBS Studio City during the filming of most of the episodes We left nothing to chance. 14. Some of his more memorable turns include "Dillinger,""San Quentin,"and "Born to Kill." "Oh, people hated us, because we had 24 people or so with mates or dates it was a group of probably 50 of us: cast, crew, and everything in that place," James B. Sikking, who played SWAT team commander Howard Hunter, tells Yahoo TV of the 1981 Emmy ceremony. I heard he said afterwards, theres no way I cant offer him the job. 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. Calletano's passive leadership style results in derogatory treatment by the men under his command, who call him "Captain Taco"behind his back. Joe:(smiling) That's actors for you! 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. ", 15. Kiel's return. Once they got it, we were off to the races. But Haid was a busy man with a recent role in the film Altered States and a medical pilot in the works. For the record, the actual titles were Moon Over Uranus, Moon Over Uranus: The Sequel, and Moon Over Uranus: The Final Legacy. They all aired consecutively in Season 3. room, heart of gold.". Actors came and went: Ken Olin, Mimi Kuzyk, Megan Gallagher, Lisa Sutton. Its ratings didnt grow at all last season. Kiel and his mother and Brett Martins assessment in his 2013 book Difficult Men: Behind the Scenes of a Creative Revolution was that Hill Street pioneered the second of televisions three dramatic eras. In one episode, Belker was undercover at a butcher shop. It was great people loved these shows but it wasnt Hill Street Blues.. Was it a handful, that kind of creativity? 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. Hunter was often the shows comic relief. It was still very popular when it WebIt was eventually a bitter battle with lung cancer which finally took his life. It was initially reported that he died of pancreatic cancerin 1990, but it was later revealed that he actually died due to complications from AIDS. But at the end of that first season, this was all still in the future. Robert Prosky replaced Conrad. Haid used his leverage to get a really good deal to play the good-ol-boy officer. He was an actor, known for Hill Street Blues (1981), The Panic in Needle Park (1971) and The Ray That's one dangerously sexy redhead, indeed. He was, He was 91 years old (via The Hollywood Reporter). So we used to just brutally go after Michael. going. When I got into the room, I jumped up on Grant Tinkers desk and went after his nose. Actor Pat Corley only appeared in five episodes of "Hill Street Blues" in its third season, but he proved popular enough to make a final guest appearance in Season 6. Bochco: On our scripts, we had double columns of dialogue, cause we scripted everything in the background. His name was Joe Stone and was stunt 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.. 1. Aaron Spelling launched a similar series, "Hotel," in 1983. think most people can see this camaraderie in the finished program and remember that despite all this most, episodes were filmed in 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." Kiel Martin was cast as LaRue, a slick detective. 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. . Trending. NBC was in last place. only runs for a few weeks, but it will be fun. I did meet several of them at EVERYTHING in the background. Bruce's golf tournaments and had really nice conversations with them. He was 77 years old. "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. Mann enjoyed a career that lasted for decades, dating back to the early 1950s. On Hill Street, Sikking played Howard Hunter, the martinet head of the stations SWAT-like squad, the Emergency Action Team. While Im standing here Geri Windsor walks in who is a woman and I introduce myself. Bates is given serious consideration for Sergeant. We were a ragtag group of characters, and that's what made the show unique and popular. 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. This article about an American television actor born in the 1930s is a stub. 12. Cast members Charles Haid, Ed Marinaro, James B. Sikking and Bruce Weitz spoke with CNN on the phone. Its the most well-intentioned exploitation imaginable. 25. All Rights Reserved. myself were all involved at some time. Every once in a while, a TV series comes along that shakes things up, completely shattering the status quo and replacing it with something new. Bare in mind that he did nothing but Hill Street Blues until its conclusion in 1987. NBCs Standards and Practices department the network censor wasnt impressed, however, questioning every detail. Here is Hill Streets story. 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.. Weitz: Occasionally theyd see me do something in dailies and add it to the script. 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." He just couldnt stand it. Then he knew and he said to everybody. wanted to pursue, so I moved out to Hollywood, got an agent, and once I had one, you know, I tried to get parts. But everything sort of gelled, my character worked well with everyone else, and After 'Hill Street Blues' ended, Spano appeared in series like 'Murder One,' 'The X-Files,' and 'NYPD Blue.' So we scripted everything. In Season 3, he played corrupt cop Sal Benedetto, who was killed off after five enullpisodes. Here are twelve "Hill Street Blues" actors you may not know passed away. The death-during-sex character refers to Sgt. Haid: This guy died with his boots on, literally. 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. He moved to NY from LA to be with me, and acting was only occasional, so Bob that part? over to hear it and instantly we all knew we had found what we wanted, something that would exactly go with the film. He was 58 years old. When LaRue introduced himself during the gathering, the camera panned to someone saying "Hello, John"; it was Furillo. The only "Hill Street Blues" star nominated for an Emmy in each of the series' seven seasons: Betty Thomas, who played the squad's only female officer, Lucy Bates. Afterwards I went to a meeting with Bochco and some of the executives, I had an idea in my head for something That part was John LaRue, but when I read the script I could see the "I got a boil on my a-- when I went to London last year," Bochco told Playboy in 1983. Award-winning show that it is, Hill Street still sank by roughly 10% in the ratings since its peak in 1982-83. Its absolutely the high point. Joe: Yes Bob and I were friends for a long time before his tragic death because of course we both came up through A Warner Bros. Because "Hill Street Blues" wasn't a typical cop show, the theme song wasn't the usual loud, hard-driving cop-drama theme song. James B. Sikking . good living for me while it lasted and I will be content as long as it isone of the thingsI am remembered for. Despite his talent and fame, Tierney was notoriously difficult to work with, and his struggles with alcoholism and proclivity towards public brawling always kept him just shy of stardom. Hirschfeld died in 2009 at the age of 67, presumably of natural causes. The main characters were perceived as being not capable and having flawed personalities. You dont work with guys like Bob Butler and Gregory Hoblit and dont learn something. Bochco: We created a euphemistic language that suggested the raunchiness of the cop world, and it worked. Bochco: It was a teeming world. That's where the coroner comes in. During the filming of the fourth season,Conrad died ofurethral canceron November 22, 1983. Unusually there were no egos and One of the saddest events of Hill Streets run involved Michael Conrad. was just incredible! His marriage to wifeGloria Kochberg lasted for nearly 70 years, only ending with his death from natural causes on January 6, 2014. La Rue on the 1980s television drama Hill Street Blues. Buntz was fired from the PD and moved to Beverly Hills to become a private eye in the short-lived "Blues" spinoff "Beverly Hills Buntz," a comedy created by David Milch and Jeffrey Lewis. Kiel made it back, super clean I might ad, and Ken Olin's character was subsequently killed off for LaRue, a skilled undercover detective who cuts a little too loose when he's off duty. The performances spoke for how talented the "HSB" cast was, but it didn't hurt that some of them had friends in high places. Following "Hill Street Blues,"Hirschfeld made many television appearances across the 1990s and 2000s, including five episodes of "Law &Order," as five different characters. It But, the real boil belonged to Bochco. Repertory Theatre, as indeed did had a number of the cast. Bochco: Talk about the early 80s. Many actors are. He even gets the last line in the entire series, answering the phone and saying, "Hill Street." Betty Thomas . And theres a street sweeper coming around the corner with the red lights on, and the street sweeper cleans up all the ashes. Travanti: We won eight (Emmys). The cremation canister was given to the stationhouse and everybody went by and shook it and did things like that. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. WebBrowse 147 kiel martin hill street blues stock photos and images available, or start a new search to explore more stock photos and images. And they left it on the air, and it was my favorite moment ever. "We had Joe and Lucy having an affair," Bochco told Playboy in 1983. The only way to service multiple storylines was to let them spill over into subsequent episodes. Here's a recent brief quote from a friend that says a lot about him: "Amazing guy, always the smartest in the Bochco paid homage to "Hill Street Blues" in his other classic cop drama, "NYPD Blue." And the collective was extraordinary. In the final three episodes of Season 4, Joe Santos stars as Jimmy Lastarza, a mafia goon trying to force video poker machines on local taverns. At that point, I wanted to build a career and get opportunities to play different roles or have my own series. Travanti: What is the key to everything?