Jason Deneen Beghe Bio
Jason Deneen Beghe (born March 12, 1960) is an American actor whose career spans film and television from the mid-1980s to the present. Beghe is widely known for his portrayal of Sergeant Hank Voight on the NBC series Chicago P.D., and for notable film roles including Monkey Shines, Thelma & Louise and G.I. Jane.
Early Life and Background
Jason Deneen Beghe was born on March 12, 1960, in New York City and is the son of tax court judge Renato Beghe. He grew up in a family with ties to public service; his great-grandfather, Charles S. Deneen, served as governor of Illinois and as a U.S. senator in the early twentieth century.
Beghe attended the Collegiate School, a private preparatory school in New York City, where he formed early friendships with classmates including John F. Kennedy Jr. and David Duchovny. He continued his education at Pomona College, graduating in 1982, and spent time working as a model in Europe before beginning his professional acting career.
Path to Celebrity
Beghe moved from modeling into film and television in the mid-1980s, making his feature film debut in the 1985 comedy Compromising Positions. He built steady television credits with recurring parts on series such as 1st & Ten and later on Picket Fences and Melrose Place, establishing himself as a reliable character actor in both guest and supporting roles.
Throughout the 1990s Beghe expanded his range with recurring work on Chicago Hope and parts in high-profile films, developing a reputation for gritty, authoritative characters and a distinctive gravelly voice that became a recognizable element of his screen presence.
Jason Beghe Career
Early Career (1985–1997)
Beghe’s professional acting career began in 1985 with his film debut in Compromising Positions, followed by television roles that included a 1986 recurring part on the HBO comedy 1st & Ten. He worked steadily in television and smaller film roles through the late 1980s, moving between guest appearances, telefeatures and supporting parts that showcased his intensity and screen discipline.
In 1988 Beghe starred in George A. Romero’s Monkey Shines: An Experiment in Fear, playing Allan Mann, a law student who becomes quadriplegic. Critics singled out Beghe’s performance for its emotional control and vocal expressiveness. Over the next decade he appeared in films such as Thelma & Louise and G.I. Jane and held recurring television roles on series including Picket Fences, Melrose Place and Chicago Hope.
Breakthrough (1988–2014)
Monkey Shines in 1988 was an early high-profile film role that earned Beghe critical attention and helped raise his visibility in Hollywood. He continued to secure supporting parts in studio films and recurring television roles during the 1990s, playing characters ranging from law-enforcement officers to romantic interests opposite lead actors in network dramas and movies of the week.
Beghe’s persistence across film and television culminated in his long-running, career-defining television role beginning in 2014, when he was cast as Sergeant Hank Voight on NBC’s Chicago P.D. The role positioned him at the center of a franchise that includes intersecting series and established him as a leading figure on network police drama, notable for an abrasive, morally complex portrayal of a unit commander.
Notable Works and Milestones
Beghe’s signature works include the 1988 horror drama Monkey Shines, his supporting turns in Thelma & Louise and G.I. Jane, and his extensive television résumé highlighted by the role of Hank Voight on Chicago P.D. He is also recognized for recurring appearances on series such as Chicago Hope, American Dreams, Cane and Californication. Over time Beghe’s deep, gravelly voice and frequently intense, authoritative characters have become a consistent hallmark of his screen persona.
Jason Beghe Family
Jason Beghe is the son of Renato Beghe. He has siblings, including a sister, Francesca Beghe, who is a singer-songwriter and released a self-titled album in 1991. His family history includes public service through his great-grandfather Charles S. Deneen, who served as governor of Illinois and later as a United States senator.
Personal Life
Beghe married Angie Janu in 2000; public records and reporting indicate the couple had two sons and that Beghe filed for divorce in December 2017, with the divorce granted in September 2020. He resides in Nichols Canyon, Los Angeles, California.
Beghe is a former member of the Church of Scientology. He began taking Scientology courses in the mid-1990s, participated in promotional work in the 1990s and 2000s, and left the organization in 2007. After leaving, he became publicly critical of the Church and has participated in interviews and documentary projects discussing his experience. Beghe has also spoken publicly about recovering from a 1999 medical incident that contributed to his distinctive vocal timbre and has acknowledged working on anger issues following on-set conduct concerns reported in 2016 and discussed publicly in 2017.