Kiel Martin

Kiel Urban Mueller (July 26, 1944 – December 28, 1990), known professionally as Kiel Martin, was an American actor best known for his role as Detective John "J.D." La Rue on the 1980s television drama Hill Street Blues. Early years Martin was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and raised in Miami. A 1962 graduate of Hialeah High School, he was a drama student at Miami-Dade Junior College and acted in productions at the University of Miami. When he was 18, he dubbed voices for "Mexican fairy-tale movies." Career Martin's debut as a professional actor came in repertory theatre in Florida. In the 1960s, he moved to New York and worked as a musician, a dockworker, and a stand-up comedian. After signing a contract with Universal Studios in 1967, he broke 15 bones in a motorcycle accident, requiring 2 years recuperation.