Here Is How ‘Hill Street Blues’ Cast Doing 40 Years after the Show First Aired

The “Hill Street Blues” cast stole hearts more than four decades ago when the “Hill Street Blues” TV series hit the streets. The show ended in 1987, but what happened to the cast?

The 80s in the US were exciting times because people watched actors Daniel Travanti, Michael Warren, and Bruce Weitz stun with their performances in the hit TV series “Hill Street Blues.”

The series followed the lives and inner dealings of the members of an inner city police precinct. It kicked off in 1981 and peaked at seven seasons with a total of 144 episodes.

It ended in 1987 and is a winner of 26 Primetime Emmys. They were well deserved, everyone seemed to love something about the series, and the cast was endeared to many hearts.

It has been about four decades since then, but the “Hill Street Blues” fans still remember and love it. So, what happened to the beloved cast after the show ended?

DANIEL J. TRAVANTI AS CAPT. FRANK FURILLO

Before he was featured as the intense Capt. Frank Furillo in “Hill Street Blues,” Daniel Travanti had only started recovering his stardom after nearly losing everything because of his dissatisfaction.

Travanti was born Danielo Giovanni Travanty on March 7, 1940. He was an athletic child who also excelled at academics in high school.

He was great on the field, but as he grew older, he turned to acting, even rejecting several football scholarships to chase his acting dream. After training at the Yale School of Drama, he started acting in theatres under the stage name Dan Travanty.

He later relocated to LA, where he landed many supporting roles in TV series still under the stage name Dan Travanty. He used the name until the early 70s before abandoning it.

Travanti was an overachiever who was used to excelling at everything, but he had set his hopes too high, and when he wasn’t fulfilling them, he grew moody and turned to the bottle to cope. The drinking continued until 1973 after he collapsed on stage in the middle of a show.

He got treated, and his life changed after that. He earned a master’s degree in English literature and, a year later, bagged a role on “General Hospital,” which he reprised for six months.

It was after that Travanti got the opportunity to be a part of the “Hill Street Blues” cast as Frank Furillo. The role completely revived his career and made him an “unlikely” sex symbol.

After it ended, Travanti continued to act, securing parts in hit films like “Adam,” “A Case of Libel,” and “To Sir, with Love II.” He also starred in many more theatre projects in the early 2000s before returning to TV series with roles on crime shows like “Prison Break” and “Criminal Minds.” It is not known if he has had wives or kids.

MICHAEL WARREN AS OFFICER BOBBY HILL

Michael Warren was first a basketball star before he became an actor. He played under the legendary John Wooden and served as captain of UCLA for two years.

His first acting role was unbilled, and it saw him play a basketball referee in the movie “Halls of Anger.” After that, he caught a big break in 1971 when he got an on-camera feature role in the film “Drive, He Said.”

The acting was not paying his bills regularly enough, so he started an ad agency in Los Angeles. It helped him get some commercial work before he got a recurring role on the short TV series “Sierra.” After that, he struggled for years until he hit the jackpot with “Hill Street Blues.”

The show gave him much-needed exposure; however, his career still crawled to a slow after the show ended in 1987. He kept getting acting jobs, but most of his daily sustenance came from TV shows like “Soul Food” and “Lincoln Heights.”

Warren is still active today, and he has a good home life with his second wife, Jenny, and their kids. His first wife was Sue Ellen Narramore, and they also shared two kids.

BRUCE WEITZ AS SGT. MICK BELKER

Bruce Weitz was born in Norwalk, Connecticut, USA, and worked as an actor and producer. However, before “Hill Street Blues,” he was not well known in Hollywood and had only played doctors and accountants.

After the series ended, he appeared in “Half Past Dead” and “Deep Impact,” but that was as far as he went. The first woman he married was Cecilia Hart. After her, he married Vivian Davis on December 2, 1986. The pair share a child.

JAMES SIKKING AS LT. HOWARD HUNTER

James Sikking developed an interest in acting in college when he acted in several plays. He started in theatre doing unbilled work, then worked his paid parts as villains or assassins in the 60s.

His first regular acting gig came when he landed a role on “General Hospital.” Later, he started acting in A-grade films even though he was always in the background.

However, it was not until he played the impulsive Lt. Hunter on “Hill Street Blues” that he became a certified star. After the series ended, Sikking kept acting, bagging top supporting ranks and constant work on TV in shows like “Doogie Howser MD.”

He received his major movie co-lead when he featured on “Final Approach” and has maintained a steady appearance on screens ever since. He has been married to his wife Florine since 1962. The pair met during his time at UCLA, and they have a son together.

JOE SPANO AS LT. HENRY HOWARD HUNTER

Joe Spano originally wanted to be a premed major; however, he started developing an appreciation for acting that dimmed his desire for the major. He arrived in Hollywood in the 70s when he played a vampire in a cult musical titled “Dracula: A Musical Nightmare.”

He pursued his TV and movie careers simultaneously, but Spano remained largely unnoticed by the public until his stint as Howard Hunter, the outreach specialist on “Hill Street Blues.”

After the series ended, Spano remained in the acting industry and has been getting by with recurring roles on series like “NYPD Blue” and “NCIS.” Spano is married to a therapist named Joan, who has adopted two daughters.

TAUREAN BLACQUE AS DETECTIVE NEAL WASHINGTON

He is best known for his role in “Hill Street Blues,” but before that, Taurean Blacque was one of the best stage actors in theatre with roles in notable projects like “The Amen Corner” and “Jitney.”

Before the show, Blacque starred in several TV shows and some movies, including “Rocky II” and “House Calls,” and after “Hill Street Blues” ended, he continued to act and appeared in numerous projects on TV and Broadway. Blacque was a profoundly spiritual man. He had two biological sons and adopted about nine kids in the late 80s.

KIEL MARTIN AS DETECTIVE JD LARUE

As an actor, Kiel Martin is best known for “Hill Street Blues,” “The Panic in Needle Park,” and “The Ray Bradbury Theater.” Before the show, he had featured in numerous shows, including “The Virginian” and “Gunsmoke.” After it ended, Martin’s acting career continued with roles in “LA Law,” “Murder, She Wrote,” and “Miami Vice.”

He was married three times to different women, including Joanne Marie Lapomarda, Christina Montoya, and Claudia Martin. He died on December 28, 1990.

BETTY THOMAS AS OFFICER LUCY BATES

Betty Thomas was first a teacher, but it restricted her self-expression, so she left. Then, comedy caught her eye, and she started gravitating toward the career while working as a waitress.

She later became part of the Second City improvisational troupe, where she gained some experience and then had her film debut in the sketch satire “Tunnel Vision.”

Fame found Thomas after she starred in “Hill Street Blues” as the no-nonsense cop Lucille Bates. It got her nominated for six Emmys and won the “Best Supporting Actress” trophy in 1985.

After the show, she focused on TV and directing but never lost her taste for comedy satire. Her most recent jobs have been in TV movies and episodes of series such as “Audrey” and “Grace and Frankie.”

CHARLES HAID AS OFFICER ANDREW RENKO

Charles Haid is an actor who also fell in love with directing like Thomas. He landed a few roles before his stint as Renko on “Hill Street Blues,” and afterward, he took to directing.

Some of his credits include episodes of hit shows like “ER,” “NYPD Blue,” “Nip/Tuck,” and “Criminal Minds.” He was once married to Elisabeth Harmon-Haid, Deborah Richter, and Penelope Windust.

VERONICA HAMEL AS JOYCE DAVENPORT

Veronica Hamel is an actress and producer. Before her stint on “Hill Street Blues,” Hamel worked as a model. After the series ended, she worked on several other TV movies and landed recurring roles on shows like “Philly,” “Third Watch” and “Lost.” She was formerly married to Michael Irving.

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