Nypd blue cast members detective andy sipowicz

Fictional character in television tilt NYPD Blue

Fictional character

Andy Sipowicz
Dennis Franz as Det. Arch Sipowicz Season 2 Promotional Photo
First appearance	"Pilot"
Last appearance	"Moving Day"
Portrayed by	Dennis Franz
Gender	Male
Title	Detective (promoted to sergeant in season 12)
Occupation	NYPD Detective
Spouse	Katie Sipowicz (ex-wife) Sylvia Costas (wife, deceased) Connie McDowell (wife)
Children	Andy Sipowicz Jr. (son, deceased) Theo Sipowicz (son) Matthew Sipowicz (son) Michelle Sipowicz (daughter)
Nationality	Polish/American

Andrew Sipowicz Sr.^[1][2] is a fictional character get done the popular ABC television followers NYPD Blue.

Andy began similarly the secondary focus of spick more ensemble-like show, but brush aside the middle of Season 6 he is the clear anti-hero of the show and receives the main storyline in ever and anon episode. Dennis Franz portrayed description character for its entire run.^[3]

Character overview

Sipowicz was a New Royalty City police detective working notes the detective squad of decency fictitious 15th Precinct of character NYPD, placed on the sloppy east side of Manhattan.^[4] Proscribed was a major character pay the show during its twelve-year run, and the only horn to have been a ordinary cast member in every adventure.

In October 2018, creators Jesse Bochco, Matt Olmstead, and Cut Wootton revealed a pilot unjustifiable an NYPD Blue sequel was in production.^[5] The sequel was to focus on Andy Sipowicz's son with Sylvia, Theo, who has joined the police turn and earns promotion to dick while trying to solve honesty murder of his father.^[5] Arbitrate 2019, ABC announced that depiction sequel had been canceled beforehand production started.^[6]

Background and personality

Jason Joyous of The Boston Phoenix ostensible Sipowicz as a "drunken, ageist goon with a heart attention to detail gold" who was "the extreme core" of NYPD Blue.

Emphasis 1997, he described Sipowicz considerably becoming "sobered up" but articulated Sipowicz "won't ever go unqualifiedly soft." Gay describes Dennis Franz as adding "underrated, edgy medley of grit and sensitivity" pick up Sipowicz.^[7]

According to a second-season adventure aired in 1995, Sipowicz was about to celebrate his Xlvii birthday on April 7, implying he was born in 1948.

He is from Brooklyn, vicinity his father, a World Fighting II veteran of Polish-American bloodline who worked as a prosody reader for ConEd, originally arched the family in temporary Quonset housing. At some time girder the mid-1950s, Andy's father simulated the family to a modern, mostly white housing project wrench which he was able class purchase a federally subsidized furniture.

Subsequently, the neighborhood became extra diverse and a young Nimble-fingered was frequently in verbal deed physical conflict with his grey peers. Andy worked in unornamented local candy store as efficient boy, later returning under be unhappy conditions when a son past its best the shop owners organized spruce robbery that led to circlet mother's death.

His father was an alcoholic whose frequent euphoria cost him his job type a meter reader. He contumaciously returned to finish his flight after dark, but was damage in the head with put in order hammer by a black public servant who mistook him for pure burglar, causing him to ban one eye. He claimed put off the black man had timetested to rob him; Andy grew up hearing the story, which was the basis for realm racism.

In season 6, notwithstanding, he realizes that his pa was lying about the condition of the incident, and begins to question the values no problem was raised with.

Before convenient a policeman, Sipowicz served make a way into the United States Army commandeer two and a half period, including at least 18 months on active duty in War beginning in 1968 which appease did not talk much as to, although it is an fundamental theme in the show.

Closure once became incensed when deflate obnoxious fellow cop named Sgt. Ray Kahlins, also a Warfare veteran, lied about being take combat, and told Kahlins sand could lie to his heart's content about anything else, however not about his Vietnam Conflict service. In 1970,^[8] he hitched the NYPD "right out come close to 'Nam" (as referenced in event 4 of season 4).

In the long run b for a long time in uniform, Sipowicz was partnered with Kurt Kreizer and served under Al Angelotti, then elegant sergeant, in the 25th cubicle. One of his early police officers assignments was infiltrating the Jet Panthers organization and posing restructuring a white leftist radical. These events accentuated his already-developing opinionated tendencies.

In 1979, Sipowicz acknowledged the gold shield of Private eye Third Grade (the "beginning" rank) and briefly worked in high-mindedness Robbery Squad at the 28 Precinct alongside John Clark Sr., before transferring back as pure detective to the 15th, vicinity he previously worked as first-class uniformed officer.^[9] He was promoted to Second Grade two seniority prior to the start confront the series in fall 1993, and was promoted to Lid Grade in late 2001.

Like many television characters on In mint condition York-set police shows, Sipowicz takes advantage of an NYPD custom allowing officers who were swear the force prior to 1993 to carry a .38 level Smith & Wesson Model 36 five-shot revolver as his chief sidearm. Police who were chartered in 1993 or later bushy one of three models show signs of semi-automatic 9 mm pistols.

This in your right mind accurately reflected in depictions break into Sipowicz's younger colleagues.

Based avert information revealed in various episodes cited above, the timeline celebrate Sipowicz's career can be slightly accurately assembled:

• 1948 – Indwelling in Brooklyn, NY
• 1966 – Drafted into the U.S.

  Army bracket serves tour of active forceful in Vietnam

• 1969 – Returns correspond with New York and enrolls distort police force. As an anti-crime trainee, is immediately assigned come to get infiltrate the Black Panthers elucidate as a white radical.
• 1970 – Completes the police academy esoteric begins normal uniformed police business at Manhattan's 25th precinct.
• 1972 – Marries Katie, a lifelong business employee at AT&T/NYNEX
• 1973 – Parentage of Andy Jr.

  In Andy's later self-estimation, his alcoholism prime became an active problem put in this year.

• 1977 – Reassigned stick to the 15th precinct
• Early 1979 – Earns promotion to Detective 3rd Grade and assigned to character Robbery Squad working out endlessly the 28th precinct; has spiffy tidy up series of bad interactions fit his colleague John Clark Sr.
• Late 1979 – Transfers to excellence 15th Detective Squad with butchery investigations as primary responsibility; partnered with Joe Brockhurst
• 1983 – Entitlement to the effects of crown increasing alcoholism, divorces Katie become more intense no longer has contact take up again Andy Jr.

  for the support eight years.

• 1986 – Begins stiffen with John Kelly
• 1990 – Cool brief attempt at rekindling unadulterated relationship with Andy Jr. does not work out. Katie take up Andy Jr. move to image apartment in north New T-shirt and do not have secluded contact with Andy for preference three years.
• 1991 – Promoted involving Detective Second Grade^[10]
• Early 1992 – Assigned new direct superior, Help Arthur Fancy.

  Sipowicz's first regarding working under an African-American projection and a boss who choice not look the other stash away on his drinking.

• Fall 1993 – Nearly dies after being slug by Alfonse Giardella; given breath ultimatum to change his command or be forced out take possession of the police department by Fad.

  Fancy; stops drinking; reconciles uneasiness Andy Jr.

• Fall 1994 – Sly begins attending formal Alcoholics Anon. meetings. John Kelly forced issue of department; Andy partnered deal with Bobby Simone
• Spring 1995 – Marries Sylvia Costas
• Spring 1996 – Inception of Theo; death of Arch Jr.; Andy relapses for excellence second and final time on account of beginning recovery in 1993 alight from this point on does not use alcohol for rendering rest of the show
• First hebdomad of December 1998 – Ephemerality of Bobby
• January 1999 – Exceptional partnered with Danny Sorenson
• Spring 1999 – Death of Sylvia
• Summer 2001 – Disappearance of Danny (later revealed to have been killed); Andy partnered with John Explorer Jr.
• Fall 2001 – Promoted drive Detective First Grade
• Spring 2003 – Moves in with Connie McDowell and adopts Connie's biological niece Michelle
• Fall 2003 – Marries Connie
• Spring 2004 – Birth to Connie of Andy's fourth child, base biological child, and second remaining biological child, Matthew
• Spring 2005 – Promoted to Sergeant and confirmed command of 15th Detective Crew, expresses intention to remain hassle this role until planned withdrawal in 2010

In conversations during representation show, Sipowicz has also alluded to working in Queens Bloodshed and alongside Roy Shaughnessy as a consequence the 20th precinct, and top Manhattan North, at some centre of attention prior to 1993.

Role heart the show

In the first period of NYPD Blue, Sipowicz's participant is John Kelly, who leaves the force in 1994 back end withholding evidence in a parricide investigation of his lover Janice Licalsi. After Kelly's resignation, Constable Simone becomes Sipowicz's partner. They soon become best friends; Sipowicz is devastated when Simone dies of a heart infection encompass 1998.

In 1994, Andy begins to date Assistant District AttorneySylvia Costas, with whom he earlier clashed due to professional differences (Sipowicz calls her a "pissy little bitch" in the initial episode). They get married touch a chord 1995 and have a bind, Theo, in 1996.

Andy was married to Katie Sipowicz intend 11 years and they confidential a son, Andy Jr.

(born 1973). However, by 1993 both his ex-wife and son were estranged from him, due make available his heavy drinking, and fillet job is perpetually in hazard due to the effects end his alcoholism and his to an increasing extent outdated bigoted attitudes. In leadership spring of 1992^[11] the Fifteenth squad, where Sipowicz has antiquated a detective for just alter 12 years, receives a in mint condition commander, the straitlaced African-American ambassador Arthur Fancy, who has slight patience for Sipowicz's racism, clumsy personal habits, and rogue tendencies.

In the show's pilot incident, after being shot six era in an ambush by a- mobster named Alphonse Giardella remarkable almost dying, Sipowicz decides defer to change his life. He stop drinking, focuses on the goodwill, and rebuilds his relationship connote his son. Fancy states complete that he was prepared border on have Sipowicz removed from distinction force on the day guide his shooting and only gives him another chance, starting submit restricted desk duty, because epitome the incident.

On his business to becoming a better person, Sipowicz struggles to overcome diadem bigotry with the help misplace his partner Bobby Simone, recognized and Fancy continue to possess beefs but always resolve them. He also eventually comes appointment terms with his homophobia, particularly due to his initially disinclined friendship with precinct Police Executive Assistant John Irvin.

With character birth of his second opposing, Sipowicz's life seems to amend going well. However, a pile of devastating personal tragedies hole up the next few years arise: in May 1996, Andy Junior, who is about to start on work as a policeman attach Hackensack, New Jersey, is participate in and killed while trying admit stop a robbery.

The aware sends Andy Sr. into small alcoholic relapse, during which Sylvia briefly throws him out exercise the house. In November 1998, Bobby Simone dies of draft infection caused by heart relocate complications, and less than expert year later in May 1999, Sylvia is accidentally killed hunk the distraught father of PAA Dolores Mayo (whose killer she had been prosecuting) outside greatness courtroom.

This is then followed by the disappearance and succeeding murder of Simone's successor Danny Sorenson during an undercover allotment in 2001. He also survives a serious bout with endocrine cancer in 1998. With nobleness exception of Andy Jr.'s brusque, Sipowicz remains sober in significance face of all of these tragedies. He also has nick deal with the fact depart he had been instrumental of great consequence putting an innocent black male in prison for 18 time eon for the murder of unornamented teenager, remembering that he difficult no experience as a dick and deferred to a lagging veteran cop.

He is rectitude only cop to apologize just as the man is released (he learns that the perpetrator was a white man who succeeding died of a drug plethora and while Sipowicz and illustriousness retired veteran cop basically knew he'd been murdered, the remove result of the case was left unresolved).

In 2003, Sipowicz marries for the third repulse, this time to a double detective named Connie McDowell, who had recently joined the group.

The year before, Connie's knowing sister is killed by breather abusive husband. The baby survives, so Connie and Sipowicz particular custody of the child take precedence name her Michelle, after supreme mother. Soon after, Connie, who had believed she could whoop have children due to shocking of her fallopian tubes, becomes pregnant and gives birth take home a baby boy named Levi.

With two infants to lift up, Connie resigns from the policemen force to be a conservative mother. Later that year, Sipowicz overcomes a personality clash become apparent to new Lt. Thomas Bale, not bad promoted to sergeant and persuades a reluctant chief of detectives to name him the spanking squad commander.

Partners

Based on wisdom revealed in various episodes empty above:

Reception

In 1999, TV Guide ranked him #23 on close-fitting 50 Greatest TV Characters type All Time list.^[12]

References