Actor Robert Prosky Dies
Hill Street’s Sgt. Jablonski
Actor Robert Prosky Dies
Hill Street’s Sgt. Jablonski
Robert Prosky, a character actor best known for his portrayal of the crotchety but caring desk sergeant on the television series Hill Street Blues, died from complications of heart surgery on December 8, 2008, in Washington, D.C. He was 77.
He was born Robert Joseph Porzuczek on December 13, 1930, in a working-class Philadelphia neighborhood.
He pursued theater in high school, but studied economics at Temple University before returning to help run the family grocery shop after his father’s death in 1952.
He continued performing in plays, supporting himself in New York as a Federal Reserve Bank bookkeeper while working as a journeyman actor.
Prosky had performed in regional theater for more than two decades when he began to find work on Broadway and in feature films and television series.
He was nominated for two Tony awards for his work on Broadway — for Glengarry Glen Ross and A Walk in the Woods — and appeared in popular movies like Thief, The Natural, Mrs. Doubtfire and Broadcast News.
When actor Michael Conrad died after the first season of Hill Street Blues, Prosky joined the cast as a desk sergeant with a signature line that became a popular catch phrase: “Let’s do it to them before they do it to us.”
Other notable television work included recurring roles on The Practice, Cheers and Veronica’s Closet.
He is survived by his wife, three sons and three grandchildren.