ILOSM family do you remember actor, Gil Hill, from the Beverly Hills Cop movies? Or maybe you know him better as “Inspector Todd,” the temperamental boss of “Axel Foley” (Eddie Murphy), who had us crackin’ up in the movie because he had a low tolerance for BS and seemingly dropped F-bombs in every other sentence. Well, we wanted to pay homage to the brotha’s legacy because unfortunately, it wasn’t heavily covered in national mainstream news. Wait ’til you see what he also was in his REAL life.

DETAILS OF HIS DEATH

For many of us who don’t reside in Detroit, MI (Gill’s resident city), we completely missed that he’d passed away in 2016. He has three kids (2 sons and 1 daughter), three grandchildren, three great-grandchildren; and he also had a wife of 56 years who sadly preceded him in death.

Gil Hill a.k.a. “Inspector Todd” passed away at Sinai Grace Hospital in Detroit on February 29, 2016 from pneumonia, which he’d been admitted to the hospital for days earlier, on Feb. 17th. He was 84 years young. His wife, Delores Hooks, passed away just a year prior in 2015. His legacy wasn’t only in Beverly Hills Cop though, he had a very interesting career that garnered him media attention before and after his acting day.

WHO GIL HILL WAS IN REAL LIFE & HOW HE MADE HEADLINES BEFORE “BEVERLY HILLS COP”

Gil Hill was a highly acclaimed real life cop-turned detective-turned inspector-turned politician-turned President of the Detroit City Council, long before and after we saw him shouting at “Axel Foley” in “Beverly Hills Cop.” One of Gil’s former police co-workers said he was more mild mannered in real life, but when he was angry, he was EXACTLY like he was in the movies, LOL. That explains why he played the part so well! Gil Hill’s law enforcement career started in 1957 and although he was offered more acting roles after ‘Bev Cop’ he declined them and remained dedicated to his career where was already making national headlines of his own.

“I loved being a detective; there was just something about it,” Hill said…during the 2001 interview. “I was good at it. At one time, I would have rated myself among any of the best homicide detectives in the world.” -via Detroit Free Press

Gil was described as the the detective who was ‘capable of charming confessions out of the most notorious killers.’ Gil was eventually promoted to inspector and was officially in charge of Detroit’s homicide unit. He was also one of the few “super cops” selected from around the U.S. to temporarily relocate to Atlanta in 1980 to solve the infamous Browning Gang Murders, where they ultimately found and convicted the elusive suspect(in 1982) responsible for over 2 dozen murders of Black children and adults were committed between 1979-1981.

WHY GIL SAID HIS DETECTIVE/POLICE CAREER CAME TO AN ABRUPT END & WHAT HE BECAME AFTERWARD

After Beverly Hills Cop fame, Gil was still very active in his community and on his police/inspector job, but fame didn’t come without a price. In a past interview with Detroit Free Press, Gil revealed that he experienced “jealousy” from several co-workers, while some of his co-workers said he let “fame go to his head.”

Gil ended up leaving the police force in 1985 and had his eye on another prize- he ran for Mayor of Detroit in 2001, but lost to now imprisoned former Detroit mayor, Kwame’ Kilpatrick. But then his career took another turn.

Gil ultimately became a very well respected President of the City Council of Detroit, who at the time of his death, garnered nothing but complimentary memories and gratitude from the Detroit community, it’s leaders and officials.