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Everything to Know About Chicago P.D.'s Hank Voight
Jason Beghe plays the polarizing leader whose character has come a long way from his sketchy origins.
Sergeant Henry "Hank" Voight (Jason Beghe) has been a One Chicago icon since the genesis of Chicago P.D. nearly a decade ago. His harsh but loyal attitude has been a staple of our Wednesday nights, and the officers on his team simply wouldn't be the same without his leadership.
His character is quite polarizing; Voight's unconventional methods have resulted in a great deal of frustration to those around him. Jesse Lee Soffer, who plays Officer Jay Halstead, told NBC Insider that Voight might never change his out-of-the-box ways. "Can you teach an old dog new tricks? I don't know. You know, he is this kind of lone wolf vigilante guy sometimes that does things his way. Can you let people in? Can he rely on people? Can he trust? I don't know."
So what made Voight, Voight? Follow us back to the Sergeant's roots and revisit all of the moments that showed his true colors.
Voight's "Crooked Cop" Beginnings
When audiences first met Voight, he was not exactly the most beloved Chicago character. In Season 1, Episode 3 ("Chin Check"), the Sergeant attempted to convince Chicago Fire's Matthew Casey (Jesse Spencer) to let his son, Justin Voight, off the hook for a drunk driving accident that had left the victim paralyzed.
Casey, however, stood up to Voight, explaining the ramifications of Justin's actions, and the conversation left a mark on Voight's early reputation.
"If you're not the kind of man to do a cop a favor, I can take this to the next level real easy," Voight threatened. Watch their full interaction above.
Voight's Son Justin's Murder
His relationship with his son brought out the best and worst in Voight. In the Season 3 finale ("Start Digging") Voight's son, Justin, was shot and left in the trunk of a car, leading to his untimely death.
At the beginning of the episode, Voight celebrated his grandson's birthday with Justin, and the younger Voight updated his father on how well he was doing. "I'm proud of you," Voight told him ... before prying into a vague recent trip Justin had mentioned, showing his well-honed paternal instincts.
Turns out, the trip was worth probing: Justin had been seeing old friends and getting into trouble over in the weeks leading up to the party. His connection to a string of robberies put him in the crossfire of larger situation, and the mastermind behind the crimes killed Justin, fearing he might be ratted out.
The death of his son brought out moments of paternal love and grief from Voight, but not before his characteristic revenge mission. Watch him pursue his son's killer in the episode highlight above.
Voight at Alvin Olinsky's Funeral
In the opening episode of season 6 of Season 6 ("New Normal"), Voight was mourning the death of Alvin Olinsky (Elias Koteas). The death, which happened during the finale of Season 5 ("Homecoming"), happened because Olinsky had taken the fall for Voight's murder of his son's killer. Olinsky was then stabbed in prison while serving time for Voight's crime and later died.
Desk Sergeant Trudy Platt (Amy Morton) visited Voight as he was getting ready to attend his good friend's funeral and said that Olinsky's wife had requested Voight not attend. Instead, Voight looked on from afar, saluting his teammate in a tender moment.
Voight's Advice to Upton
Voight's relationship with Detective Hailey Upton (Tracy Spiridakos) often brings out his softer side. In Season 7, Episode 7 ("Informant"), one of Upton's confidential informants got caught in the crossfire of a case she was working with Voight, leading to his death. Upton did not take this easily, and went to Voight for help.
"He was yours, and his death is yours," Voight told her bluntly. "I'm sure his death is the cost of the game, but you're the one who has to carry it. That is on you."
"How do I do that? How do I carry it?" she asked him.
"I still have no idea," he replied.
Voight and Halstead's Complex Hierarchy
Season 9, Episode 9 ("A Way Out"), Halstead was faced with a hard decision. A complicated, corrupt case had left him and Upton in the middle of a legal dispute and he was told he must "help take down Voight" if he wanted to avoid arrest.
Halstead instead told Voight about the ultimatum and confronted him about how he usually takes care of these kinds of situations. "I'm here right now because of you handling things. I'm done with it, I'm done with being in the dark and you taking care of things solo. Everything that's done from here on out, we do together," Halstead said.
Voigh first suggested an unethical route that Halstead didn't want to pursue, but, noting the officer's strong moral compass, then offered Halstead a more ethical move. "Let's do the easier option, OK? Just give me up," Voight said.
"You give me up, your conscience is clean. I know how I police. And I've always known some case is going to get me in the end. If this is that case, I'll be fine," Voight told him.
Luckily for fans of Voight, Halstead didn't take the offer: "I wouldn't be working with you for 10 years if I didn't think it was all worth it. That you're worth it. And I don't want to give you up," he replied.
Voight and Anna's Complicated Informant Relationship
Voight developed a close working relationship with Anna (Carmela Zumbado), an informant who was helping him bust a big drug ring, in Season 9. The pair's connection showed Voight's protective nature, as he ultimately ran to help her after getting news that she had murdered the suspect in his case.
In an intense Season 9 finale episode ("You and Me"), Voight fought to help Anna — even illegally covering up her crime — while his fellow squad members tried to get him to side with the law instead.
Watch Chicago P.D. on NBC Wednesdays at 10/9c and next day on Peacock.
