Career
They had one child, a daughter named Jesse. The marriage ended in divorce in 1971. Like his character on Hill Street Blues, Martin battled alcoholism and like his character, was able to manage lieutenant
Martin starred with James Mitchum in Moonrunners, the movie upon which the television series The Dukes of Hazzard was subsequently based, although neither Martin nor Mitchum reprised their leading roles for the small-screen version.
In addition to Hill Street Blues, Martin also made guest appearances on various television shows between the late 1960s through the 1980s, including The Love Boat, The Virginian, The Edge of Night, Father Dowling Mysteries and Murder She Wrote. He starred in the short-lived 1987 Fox sitcom Second Chance until its revamping as Boys Will Be Boys resulted in his character being dropped.
A heavy smoker, he died in Rancho Mirage, California of lung cancer. He was in contention for the lead role in the Oscar-winning film Midnight Cowboy.