Stanley Bolander
Stan Bolander | |
---|---|
Homicide: The Movie | |
Created by | Tom Fontana |
Portrayed by | Ned Beatty |
In-universe information | |
Nickname | (The) Big Man |
Gender | Male |
Title | Detective |
Occupation | Retired Homicide Detective (formerly) |
Spouse | Margie Bolander (divorced) |
Stanley 'Stan' Bolander is a fictional character in the American crime drama /
Character overview
Stanley Bolander was born on July 6, 1944, in North Hampden, Baltimore, Maryland. Throughout his time on the show, he is partnered with Det. John Munch. It is generally agreed that Bolander is based on Donald Worden, one of the Baltimore Homicide Department detectives featured in the non-fiction book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets, on which the series was based.
The other members of the squad affectionately refer to Bolander as "The Big Man", a name also used by Worden's colleagues to refer to him in the book. In the fourth-season episode "Scene of the Crime", Munch explains to Mike Kellerman that the nickname has to do with aspects other than Bolander's weight: "He is in all senses a man of magnitude – enormously fair, tremendously honest, and a whale of a detective."
Personality
Bolander has been a homicide detective since 1968 – indeed, he is the most experienced (and almost certainly, the oldest) officer in Lt. Al Giardello's homicide squad. He is a gruff and taciturn man, quick to irritation and not particularly fond of expressing his feelings. This masks a certain degree of insecurity and vulnerability, however; at the beginning of the show, he had recently divorced from his wife and was still coming to terms with this change in his life, especially as his wife asked for the divorce on the advice of a therapist they were seeing, neither having consulted with him first.
He is also artistic and gentle, displaying a fondness and ability for the cello. In the infrequent occasions after his divorce when he is in love, he displays a remarkable joy and lust for life that not even the investigation into a suicide can dampen. His age and marital status would also seem to allow him to identify with his lieutenant more than the other, younger members of the squad, and vice versa. Despite his often bad tempered persona, Bolander has also expressed a certain fondness for children and seems to regret not having any of his own.
Not much is known of his early life, but in the episode "The Old and the Dead" he stated his father was a
John Munch
Bolander's most significant relationship in the squad room is with his partner, John Munch. The two share something of a
Retirement
In Season 3, Bolander and fellow detectives
He was next seen in Homicide: The Movie where it is implied that he had developed something of a drinking problem, but he also says his health has improved thanks to a no-salt diet which he loathes.
He returned to help catch Giardello's shooter and—much to his mortification—was once again paired with Munch.
References
- ^ J Bobby. "The HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET Glossary".