Who’s that on ‘Chicago P.D.’?
Q: Who is that gray-haired, raspyvoiced actor on “Chicago P.D.”? He is excellent in every scene. He is in the Eddie Egan class — the epitome of a tough cop.
A: You are thinking of Jason Beghe, who plays Hank Voight on the NBC drama. A screen actor for more than 35 years, he has often been seen on TV and in movies, usually as a tough guy. The gravelly voice arrived well into his acting career. “In 1999 I was in a serious car accident,” Beghe told the New York Daily News in 2014. “I was intubated, and I kept pulling this tube out of my throat. That’s how I got the voice.” Also significant in his off-camera life was his involvement with Scientology; he reportedly left the organization after about a dozen years and has been outspoken against it since 2008.
By the way, for those of you tuning in late, Eddie Egan was a real-life New York City cop who inspired the Gene Hackman character in “The French Connection.” Egan’s later years included quite a few acting roles, mainly as law enforcement types; he died in 1984.
Q: My favorite TV show is “Lincoln Rhyme.” Will it be back, or has it been canceled? The lead actor is very good and I’ve seen him in other TV shows.
A: The officially titled “Lincoln Rhyme:
The Hunt for the Bone Collector” was canceled after one season. That came even though it was inspired both by a series of Jeffrey Deaver novels and a “Bone Collector” movie starring Denzel Washington as Rhyme. In the TV series, the paralyzed detective was played by the fine actor Russell Hornsby, who worked with Washington in the screen version of “Fences,” and whose other credits include the TV series “Grimm” and movie “The Hate U Give.”
Q: When will “Yellowstone” return? I love the show!
A: There hasn’t been a date announced for the fourth season of the Paramount Network drama starring Kevin Costner. But the season has reportedly completed shooting — and may get a June return, since that’s been the premiere month for the previous three seasons. By the way, also in the works are a prequel series, “Y: 1883,” about the pioneer years of the Dutton family, and a spinoff ranching saga, “6666.”
Q: Can you find out if there is going to be another installment to “World on Fire,” which premiered on PBS in the winter of 2019? This was an excellent series starring Helen Hunt. It left several characters’ stories unfinished and we are hoping it will carry on from it left off.
A: The first season of the wartime drama was well-received, and a second season has been announced. But I do not know when it will begin. Production was delayed
during the pandemic, and one report said it will return late in 2021 at the earliest.
Do you have a question or comment about
entertainment past, present and future? Write to Rich Heldenfels, P.O. Box 417, Mogadore, OH 44260, or brenfels@gmail. com. Letters may be edited.