Some performers lead with volume, larger than life. Jason Beghe does not. And yet for more than a decade, his presence has remained the center of Chicago P.D.
Beghe’s portrayal of Hank Voight has never leaned on speeches or spectacle. It is built on what is withheld rather than what is shown. Voight does not explain himself, and Beghe does not ask the audience to like him. He asks them to stay with him. That distinction is why the performance has endured.
From Antagonist to Foundation of a Franchise
We were first introduced to Sergeant Hank Voight on Chicago Fire in 2012, initially written as a hard-edged, controversial figure. When Chicago P.D. launched in 2014, the character expanded into something far more layered. Under Beghe’s control, Voight evolved into a study in contradiction: protective yet isolating, principled yet flexible with the rules, emotionally guarded but shaped by loss.
Beghe has said in NBC interviews that he approaches Voight psychologically rather than procedurally, building the character from internal motivation rather than plot mechanics. That philosophy explains why the character has never felt static, even after hundreds of episodes.
What This Season is Asking of Voight
Season 13 gives Beghe more character-driven material than some of the heavier arcs of the past. Rather than centering Voight as the unquestioned authority figure, the story places him in moments of consequence and self-reckoning.
The episodes emphasize themes of accountability, trust, and vulnerability alongside the usual high-stakes cases. Voight is navigating increasing isolation, pressure from oversight, and the emotional cost of years spent carrying responsibility for his unit. The storytelling has shifted away from simply asking whether Voight will cross a line, and toward examining what those lines have already cost him.
That gives Beghe the kind of material he handles best: the delayed response, the quiet reaction, the choice not to intervene.
The Long Game of Performance
Maintaining depth across more than 200 episodes is difficult for any actor. Beghe continues to make deliberate choices that keep Voight evolving. The character has aged. The burden shows. The leadership looks different than it did in earlier seasons.
He continues to find nuance in small moments. A glance that carries meaning. A moment of restraint that lands harder than dialogue. A brief softness that arrives unexpectedly and then disappears. These are the choices of an actor who understands the long life of a character.
It is why Voight still feels like a real presence, not because of plot, but because Beghe has committed to playing him as someone shaped by experience and still evolving.
Away From the Camera
Beghe is known for supporting the broader film and television community and for making time when his presence is genuinely needed.
Off screen, he maintains a notably private life. Born in New York City and educated at Collegiate School, his career spans decades across film and television. He is also a father of two and has spoken sparingly but sincerely about how life experience shapes the way he approaches his work.
There is a consistency there that longtime viewers recognize. The same discipline, restraint, and focus that define his performance tend to carry over into how he moves through the industry.
That level of commitment deserves acknowledgment. Viewers have grown with this character because Beghe has never stopped treating him seriously.
Chicago P.D. airs Wednesdays as part of NBC’s One Chicago lineup and streams on Peacock.
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