How old is Hank Voight on Chicago PD?
Hank Voight (Jason Beghe) is the grizzled veteran of the Chicago PD squad. He’s the oldest member of the team, and the one with the most experience when it comes to handling the city’s array of criminals.
Of course, Voight’s veteran status leads to questions about his age. How old is he? How long has he been patrolling the streets? And when will he have to retire from the IU at some point in season 11?
Well, here’s what we’ve been able to gleam from Chicago PD scripts and context clues.
What is Voight’s age on Chicago PD?
Chicago PD has never directly stated Voight’s age. The show has, however, alluded to what his age could be through his relation to other characters. In season 5, Alvin Olinksy (Elias Koteas) says he’s known Voight for 25 years. Later in the same season, Denny Woods (Mykelti Williamson) says that Voight has been a cop for 27 years. We can then infer that Voight has been wielding a badge since 1991.
While 21 is the youngest act one can legally become a police officer, we can confidently infer that Voight was much older when he was sworn in. If he was 21 back then he would only be 53, which is unlikely given that the actor who plays him, Jason Beghe, is 63.
In truth, it’s best to use Beghe’s age as a basis for Voight’s age. While scripts and throwaway lines can often say otherwise, the best rule of thumb for a fan is to assume that the character is close in age to the actor playing him.
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Beghe’s age just raise some interesting concerns, however. While he’s proven that he can still take down bad guys at 63, the mandatory retirement age for CPD officers happens to be 63…
The show will either utilize this as a story thread, and force Voight to confront his age, or it will age the character down in an effort to stave off the inevitable. Because the character’s age has been so undefined up to this point, the writers have the flexibility of making a few years younger if necessary.
For all intents and purposes, Voight is in his early 60s. He approaching the tail end of his career as a police officer, which means there are some dramatic turning points ahead for both him and fans.
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