Jim Brass
Encyclopedia
James "Jim" Brass is a fictional character
from the CBS
crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
, portrayed by Paul Guilfoyle
. Jim appeared in every episode, with exception of "Felonious Monk" from season two
, "Gum Drops" and "The Unusual Suspect" from season six
, "Leaving Las Vegas" from season seven
, "Blood Moon", "All That Cremains" and "Cello and Goodbye" from season eleven
and "Bittersweet" from season twelve
. Paul Guilfoyle is one of only three actors to have been part of the main cast for every episode of the show. The others are Marg Helgenberger
and George Eads
.
and did two tours of duty in the Vietnam War
. He studied at Seton Hall University
, and got a degree in history. After the war, he joined the Newark Police. Brass spent 20 years working his way up to homicide detective in New Jersey
. Before he became a homicide detective, he was assigned to Vice. While working in Vice, he worked hard to clean up his department, earning the enmity of many of his former colleagues (and the nickname 'Squeaky,' as in 'squeaky clean'). Brass, under stress, sometimes drank and would cover it up by popping cough drops to hide the smell of alcohol on his breath (episode 415, "Early Rollout"). While his wife Nancy was having an affair with Vice cop Mike O'Toole, Brass was busy with his own affair with another member of the vice squad, Annie Kramer, who later moved to Los Angeles and was promoted to captain. Brass claims later that it was Nancy's affair that ruined their marriage, rather than the other way around, and that she eventually just wanted a way out (episode 520, "Hollywood Brass"). Brass transferred out of New Jersey in the 1990s and came to Las Vegas.
's CSI team to investigate his murder; he gave Grissom power of attorney
rights should anything happen to him, which proved useful when Grissom chose to go ahead with his risky but life-saving surgery when he was shot.
Brass used to have Grissom's job as the supervisor of the CSI team. After young CSI Holly Gribbs was murdered on her first day in the field, he lost his position to Grissom. Brass was then given the position as a homicide detective, usually serving as the legal muscle for the CSI team and the one who does most of the arresting and interrogating of suspects.
In the two-part episode "A Bullet Runs Through It", Brass tries to counsel Detective Sofia Curtis
, who believes she may have accidentally killed another officer in a chaotic shoot-out with a gang of drug dealers. He later is stunned and guilt-ridden to realize that he was actually the one that killed the officer. Later at the officer's funeral, his widow approached, and when Brass tried to explain how sorry he was, she told him that she knew it wasn't his fault.
While Brass could never be accused of being a "soft cop", he has a reputation for adhering to the rules and witty sarcasm when interviewing suspects. In the episode "Who and What", after the FBI's Jack Malone slams a suspect's head on the table, Brass rushes in and pulls him off, saying "If you want to rendition him to Gitmo, be my guest. But in this house, we play by the rules." In the episode "You Kill Me", after David Hodges creates a fictional story in which Brass uses his night stick on a suspect, fellow lab tech Henry
comments "Captain Brass isn't the type of cop that smacks suspects around."
At the end of season 8, in "For Gedda", Brass tells CSI Warrick Brown
"I hope you remember how lucky you are", after Warrick is cleared of a murder charge. Warrick is murdered at the end of the episode. In the season 9 premiere, For Warrick, Brass is shown to be stricken with guilt over these words.
He is close friends with former nightshift supervisor Gil Grissom
. During Season 6, when he was shot, he gave Grissom the power of attorney
. When Grissom left, he developed a friendship with successor Ray Langston. He had some disagreements with Langston over dealing with serial killer Nate Haskell in Season 10 ("Meat Jekyll"). In the last episode of Season 11, he tried to protect him and concealed evidence implicating Langston over Haskell's death.
in the episode "Ellie": "Call it the mailman's. Ellie doesn't know." In fact, Ellie's biological father is former New Jersey Vice cop Mike O'Toole, who Brass discovered to be dirty. Ellie works as a prostitute in Los Angeles, to the deep disappointment of her father. Despite her rebellious behavior, Brass still loves her deeply, and keeps a picture of her as a child on his desk in his office. When he discovers that she is doing drugs, he keeps after her until she cleans up, but their relationship remains difficult and strained. Brass is shot by William Cutler, a wanted suspect in a triple homicide. When he is in the hospital in critical condition, in the season six finale "Way to Go," Ellie seems more concerned with the pension than her father's likelihood of survival—which is probably why Brass gave his power of attorney to colleague and friend Gil Grissom, who saved Brass's life by having him undergo surgery to remove the bullet. At the end of that episode, Brass is surrounded by his other family: the CSI night shift team, who watched over him through his ordeal. At the end of the seventh season premiere, "Built To Kill, Part 1," Brass is seen in a tattoo parlor, having the date of his shooting (May 11, 2006) tattooed just below the bullet scar.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
from the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is an American crime drama television series, which premiered on CBS on October 6, 2000. The show was created by Anthony E. Zuiker and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer...
, portrayed by Paul Guilfoyle
Paul Guilfoyle
Paul Guilfoyle is an American television and film actor. He is currently a regular cast member of the forensic television drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation where he plays Captain Jim Brass.-Early life:...
. Jim appeared in every episode, with exception of "Felonious Monk" from season two
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 2)
The second season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 27, 2001 and ended May 16, 2002.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com....
, "Gum Drops" and "The Unusual Suspect" from season six
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 6)
The sixth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 22, 2005 and ended May 18, 2006.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-External links:* at TVShowsOnDVD.com....
, "Leaving Las Vegas" from season seven
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 7)
The seventh season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 21, 2006 and ended May 17, 2007.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:-References:...
, "Blood Moon", "All That Cremains" and "Cello and Goodbye" from season eleven
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 11)
The eleventh season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on CBS on September 23, 2010 and ended May 12, 2011.-Notable cast members:-Episodes:- U.S. Nielsen Ratings :-External links:...
and "Bittersweet" from season twelve
CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (season 12)
The twelfth season of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation premiered on September 21, 2011 on CBS. The show now airs on Wednesdays at 10/9c, following Criminal Minds.-Notable cast members:...
. Paul Guilfoyle is one of only three actors to have been part of the main cast for every episode of the show. The others are Marg Helgenberger
Marg Helgenberger
Mary Marg Helgenberger is an American film and television actress known for her roles as Catherine Willows in the CBS drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and as K.C...
and George Eads
George Eads
George Coleman Eads III is an American actor, best known for his role as Nick Stokes on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.-Early life:...
.
Background
In high school, he enlisted in the United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
and did two tours of duty in the Vietnam War
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
. He studied at Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University
Seton Hall University is a private Roman Catholic university in South Orange, New Jersey, United States. Founded in 1856 by Archbishop James Roosevelt Bayley, Seton Hall is the oldest diocesan university in the United States. Seton Hall is also the oldest and largest Catholic university in the...
, and got a degree in history. After the war, he joined the Newark Police. Brass spent 20 years working his way up to homicide detective in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Before he became a homicide detective, he was assigned to Vice. While working in Vice, he worked hard to clean up his department, earning the enmity of many of his former colleagues (and the nickname 'Squeaky,' as in 'squeaky clean'). Brass, under stress, sometimes drank and would cover it up by popping cough drops to hide the smell of alcohol on his breath (episode 415, "Early Rollout"). While his wife Nancy was having an affair with Vice cop Mike O'Toole, Brass was busy with his own affair with another member of the vice squad, Annie Kramer, who later moved to Los Angeles and was promoted to captain. Brass claims later that it was Nancy's affair that ruined their marriage, rather than the other way around, and that she eventually just wanted a way out (episode 520, "Hollywood Brass"). Brass transferred out of New Jersey in the 1990s and came to Las Vegas.
Career
Early on, Brass and other officers new to the force were courted by Undersheriff McKeen in regards to taking bribes, the entire group having been invited to McKeen's for a barbecue. Brass made it clear he was not for sale and said he was not invited to anymore gatherings after that. ("For Warrick.") However, he was very much a player and a partier, describing work as "an interruption to his fun". He had a fling with former officer Ann-Marie Tolsom, his name later turning up on a list of those who'd had physical relations with her when she was believed killed by her ex husband. (She turned out to still be alive after her ex was killed in prison and it was revealed she'd framed him and faked her death.) ("The List") Brass eventually left his wilder side behind, and eventually began running the CSI department, more as an administrator than as an investigator. Showing as an example of how much he trusts the team, Brass has stated that he would want Gil GrissomGil Grissom
Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom, is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by William Petersen. Grissom was a forensic entomologist and the night-shift supervisor of the Clark County, Nevada CSI team, investigating crimes in and around the city of Las Vegas...
's CSI team to investigate his murder; he gave Grissom power of attorney
Power of attorney
A power of attorney or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter...
rights should anything happen to him, which proved useful when Grissom chose to go ahead with his risky but life-saving surgery when he was shot.
Brass used to have Grissom's job as the supervisor of the CSI team. After young CSI Holly Gribbs was murdered on her first day in the field, he lost his position to Grissom. Brass was then given the position as a homicide detective, usually serving as the legal muscle for the CSI team and the one who does most of the arresting and interrogating of suspects.
In the two-part episode "A Bullet Runs Through It", Brass tries to counsel Detective Sofia Curtis
Sofia Curtis
Sofia Curtis is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by British actress Louise Lombard.-Background:Sofia was introduced in the season five episode "Formalities"...
, who believes she may have accidentally killed another officer in a chaotic shoot-out with a gang of drug dealers. He later is stunned and guilt-ridden to realize that he was actually the one that killed the officer. Later at the officer's funeral, his widow approached, and when Brass tried to explain how sorry he was, she told him that she knew it wasn't his fault.
While Brass could never be accused of being a "soft cop", he has a reputation for adhering to the rules and witty sarcasm when interviewing suspects. In the episode "Who and What", after the FBI's Jack Malone slams a suspect's head on the table, Brass rushes in and pulls him off, saying "If you want to rendition him to Gitmo, be my guest. But in this house, we play by the rules." In the episode "You Kill Me", after David Hodges creates a fictional story in which Brass uses his night stick on a suspect, fellow lab tech Henry
Henry Andrews (CSI)
Henry Andrews is a fictional character on the TV series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Jon Wellner.-Character's background:Henry is the toxicology specialist of the Las Vegas Forensics Laboratory, who mainly deals with identifying toxic substances which have undergone human consumption...
comments "Captain Brass isn't the type of cop that smacks suspects around."
At the end of season 8, in "For Gedda", Brass tells CSI Warrick Brown
Warrick Brown
Warrick Brown is a fictional character in the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Gary Dourdan. Warrick appeared in every episode until his death in season nine, with the exceptions of "After the Show" from season four, "Crow's Feet" and "Committed" from season five, and...
"I hope you remember how lucky you are", after Warrick is cleared of a murder charge. Warrick is murdered at the end of the episode. In the season 9 premiere, For Warrick, Brass is shown to be stricken with guilt over these words.
Relationships With Colleagues
Brass has a good working relationship with other members of the team. Protective of his colleagues, he is usually the one to draw his gun and does not like it when the CSIs try to take dangerous matters like arresting armed suspects into their own hands. He also gets on Grissom's case for not drawing his firearm, even in appropriate situations.He is close friends with former nightshift supervisor Gil Grissom
Gil Grissom
Dr. Gilbert "Gil" Grissom, is a fictional character on the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by William Petersen. Grissom was a forensic entomologist and the night-shift supervisor of the Clark County, Nevada CSI team, investigating crimes in and around the city of Las Vegas...
. During Season 6, when he was shot, he gave Grissom the power of attorney
Power of attorney
A power of attorney or letter of attorney is a written authorization to represent or act on another's behalf in private affairs, business, or some other legal matter...
. When Grissom left, he developed a friendship with successor Ray Langston. He had some disagreements with Langston over dealing with serial killer Nate Haskell in Season 10 ("Meat Jekyll"). In the last episode of Season 11, he tried to protect him and concealed evidence implicating Langston over Haskell's death.
Personal Life
Brass has an estranged daughter, Ellie Rebecca Brass, who is not biologically his (unbeknownst to her). As he explains it to Warrick BrownWarrick Brown
Warrick Brown is a fictional character in the CBS crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, portrayed by Gary Dourdan. Warrick appeared in every episode until his death in season nine, with the exceptions of "After the Show" from season four, "Crow's Feet" and "Committed" from season five, and...
in the episode "Ellie": "Call it the mailman's. Ellie doesn't know." In fact, Ellie's biological father is former New Jersey Vice cop Mike O'Toole, who Brass discovered to be dirty. Ellie works as a prostitute in Los Angeles, to the deep disappointment of her father. Despite her rebellious behavior, Brass still loves her deeply, and keeps a picture of her as a child on his desk in his office. When he discovers that she is doing drugs, he keeps after her until she cleans up, but their relationship remains difficult and strained. Brass is shot by William Cutler, a wanted suspect in a triple homicide. When he is in the hospital in critical condition, in the season six finale "Way to Go," Ellie seems more concerned with the pension than her father's likelihood of survival—which is probably why Brass gave his power of attorney to colleague and friend Gil Grissom, who saved Brass's life by having him undergo surgery to remove the bullet. At the end of that episode, Brass is surrounded by his other family: the CSI night shift team, who watched over him through his ordeal. At the end of the seventh season premiere, "Built To Kill, Part 1," Brass is seen in a tattoo parlor, having the date of his shooting (May 11, 2006) tattooed just below the bullet scar.