Born On This Day- March 7th... Bill Brochtrup

I have always admired the work of Bill Brochtrup. I first spotted him in the early 1990s one of my favorite shows- NYPD Blue as the 15th Precinct openly gay administrative assistant John Irvin. His role was added during the show’s season, slated to appear of 2 episodes, but proved to be such a fan favorite that he was brought back in as a series regular. For me, he was one of the very first reoccurring openly gay characters on prime time.

Series creator Steven Bochco hired Brochtrup to play the same character on the comedy Public Morals, giving the him the distinction of playing Irvin on both a drama & a sitcom. By the time NYPD Blue ended its 12th & final season in 2005, he had played the longest-running gay character on network TV.

He continues to work in TV: Dexter, Without a Trace, The Wild Thornberrys & Steven Bochco’s Total Security.

Brochtrup has appeared Off-Broadway & in regional theatres around the USA.  He is an Associate Artistic Director of The Antaeus Company, LAs’ acclaimed classical theatre ensemble. He is a frequent guest host of the PBS’s- In the Life, has told his original comic stories at numerous Spoken Word events, & has written for Out magazine.

Brochtrup has hosted AIDS Walks across the country, is an SPCA “Friend for Life,” & has toured with the USO & Armed Forces Entertainment, visiting Troops in the Persian Gulf, Atlantic, Mediterranean, Germany, Japan, Bosnia, & Kosovo.

He is looking fine at 49.