11 Best Blue Bloods Guest Stars, Ranked

Blue bloods has had many outstanding guest stars during its fourteen year run. The drama directed by Tom Selleck focuses mainly on the members of the Reagan family, a multi-generational family of New York City cops; However, it wouldn’t be able to tell its stories without guest actors playing cops, victims, villains and friends of the family. Over the years, some guest stars have become beloved secondary characters who have earned their place in the Blue bloods Reagan family dinner table.

Many of the best Blue bloods Episodes have big-name stars delivering emotional performances, though There were also lesser-known actors who contributed memorable and meaningful scenes. Blue bloods Often uses actors who are primarily known for their roles on Broadway, who may not be as recognizable to television audiences. It also often features actors primarily known for comedy who get the chance to demonstrate their dramatic chops through their appearances on Blue bloods.

11

Bebe Neuwirth as Kelly Peterson

Season 9, Episode 2

Bebe Neuwirth is best known as Lilith, Frasier Crane’s love interest Good luckWho he has a deep love/hate relationship with and who divorced him before the start of Fraser. She has been in many roles since, both comedic and dramatic, but her appearances on Blue bloods As Inspector General Kelly Peterson are among her most memorable. Frank butted heads a lot with Kelly, as he does with all figures whose policies conflict with the way he wants to run the NYPD. however, The two have off-the-charts chemistry, and it’s disappointing that they never tried to date.

Instead, Kelly resigns from her position because of her feelings for Frank. However, she returned in an early season 9 episode as Corporate Counsel, giving Frank a heads-up that one of her assistants intended to sue the NYPD because they felt their sexual assault case was handled inappropriately. Her role in this episode was small, but still oozed chemistry, and it would be wonderful if Neuwirth returned again during these episodes. Blue bloods is gone

10

Whoopi Goldberg as City Council Speaker Regina Thomas

Season 11, Episode 1

Whoopi Goldberg is one of Blue bloods Most Controversial Guest Star. Although the actress is primarily known for her comedic movies, she is also open about her liberal political views, and her character holds many of the same views as her. Although this outstrips the segment of the audience that dislikes her views, it makes for effective drama, as Frank disagrees with her and refuses to let her bully him into changing his policies.

In Goldberg’s final appearance, Regina Thomas confronted Frank about the issue of police brutality. Frank has always maintained the position that police officers must make split-second decisions, which sometimes leads to tragic results, while Thomas was equally convinced that racism plays a role in officer-involved shootings. Goldberg’s role was memorable because she helped prove that there are no easy answers to these issues, and left the audience to come to their own conclusions about who is right.

9

Lou Diamond Phillips as Luis Delgado

Season 10, Episode 12

Lou Diamond Phillips is one of the most famous character actors to have guest starred in Blue bloods. He first received national attention in 1988 for his role in Stand and deliver And played both police and villain in various police procedurals. in Blue bloodsHe played Louis Delgado, a mobster who was often a thorn in Danny’s side. His performance in Blue bloods Season 10, episode 12 stands out because the tables are turned, and he and Danny have to work together.

The tense episode began with Delgado confiding in Danny that someone had threatened his sons to intimidate him into testifying against other mobsters. When one of the sons is kidnapped, Danny leads the investigation to bring him home safely. The episode was a fitting end to the Delgado saga, with Delgado going into witness protection and announcing that he would take Danny’s name as his new identity. It also demonstrated that Delgado was one of the best characters in blue blood; It was sad that he left even though he did nothing but cause Danny trouble.

8

Nick Cordero as Victor Lugo

Season 8, Episode 20

Outside of Blue bloodsNick Cordero was best known as a Broadway actor who was nominated for several awards and won an Outer Critics Circle Award and Theater World Award for his portrayal of Creech in Bullets over Broadway. He appeared in Blue bloods Three times as Victor Lugo, a magician, who thought he was smarter than Danny and constantly humiliated him, giving him the nickname “Defective Reagan”. Unfortunately, Cordero died of COVID near the start of the pandemic in 2020, cutting short his promising career and his relationship with Blue bloods.

Lugo was a popular character because of the way he teased Danny. During his final appearance in season 8, he was the only person who knew what happened to a notorious cop killer who escaped from prison. So, Danny has to temporarily release Lugo so they can work together to recapture the fugitive. Cordero’s appearance is memorable because it is unclear whether Danny can trust him, although he eventually proves himself by saving Danny’s life from a bombing plot.

7

Treat Williams like Lenny Ross

Season 13, Episode 20

The late Treat Williams was a well-known actor who got his start on Broadway but was most recognizable for his role in television Everwood. He appears at least once a season in Blue bloods As Lenny Ross, a friend of Frank’s who worked with him in the NYPD and who often got into trouble with stupid schemes, which Frank had to try to get him out of without betraying his moral compass.

Williams last appearance in Blue bloods Came just weeks before his death in a motorcycle accident. Ironically, his character has to face his own mortalityAs he chose not to pursue any further treatment for his cancer. This led to some emotional scenes as he and Frank both had to process and accept Lennie’s impending death. Blue bloods Later, Williams was honored with a tribute at the family dinner table, after his character said he had died of his disease.

6

Jimmy Buffett as Dickie Delaney and himself

Season 12, Episode 11

Jimmy Baft Blue bloods Character was iconic, both because Buffett was much better known for his music than his acting and because it was his last appearance before his death. He is one of the biggest stars to appear in Blue bloodsAnd his guest shot was a fitting end to a career that spanned over 50 years. The story was also one of the funniest Blue bloods Has ever offered.

For most of the episode, Buffett played a con artist named Dickie Delaney who was pretending to be Jimmy Buffett to separate Buffett fans from their money. Delaney was so good at impersonating Buffett that he initially fooled Danny, who then worked tirelessly to stop the scheme and bring the cereal to justice. Buffett followed this up with a cameo as himself at the end of the episode, but his performance as someone pretending to be himself made the episode memorable.

5

Lyle Lovett as Waylon Gates

Season 10, Episode 14

Jimmy Buffett wasn’t the only singer to appear in blue blood, Lyle Lovett also made two guest appearances as Waylon Gates, a Texas Ranger who worked with Danny on joint missions to catch serial killers and cartel members who started their crime spree in Texas before causing trouble in New York. Gates was one of the most popular guest characters in Blue bloods Although his episodes were longer than other stories in the series.

In “Fog of War,” Gates and Danny team up to find the Lone Star Killer, a notorious serial killer and drug cartel member who hails from Texas. Danny is initially annoyed with Gates and reluctant to work with him, but by the end of the episode, the two have respect for each other. This episode is memorable because it is so different from others Blue bloods EpisodesAnd Lyle Lovett makes a great cowboy, connecting the values ​​of the series to the Western genre.

4

Larry Manetti as retired Sergeant Sam Velucci

Season 13, Episode 18

Larry Manetti’s guest appearance was one of the most anticipated in Blue bloods History because he starred with Tom Selleck in Magnum P.I However, Selleck and Manetti did not share any scenes during the story. Regardless, Manetti delivered a powerful performance as a retired police sergeant, Sam Velucci, who was desperate for justice after his grandson’s death from opioids. Velucci holds a dealer at gunpoint, which gets him into legal trouble, but his actions lead to the dealer’s arrest, thus posing an ethical dilemma for Edie as she investigates the case.

The circumstances of the story make it even more disappointing that Manetti and Selleck didn’t share scenes, as Frank could easily have weighed in on the behavior of a former NYPD cop. Despite this oversight, the episode puts a unique spin on the serious problem of opioid abuse, and Manetti’s performance as a heartbroken grandfather who was vigilant to get justice for his late grandson makes it one of the most emotional episodes of the series.

3

Erika Slezak as Donna Duvall

Season 13, Episode 9

Erika Slezak is best known for her role in the soap opera One life to liveBut she also appeared in Blue bloods Twice as Henry’s friend, Donna Duvall. In both cases, Henry helps her out of trouble, first helping her deal with a package thief who turns out to be her granddaughter, and then trying to expose a scammer who preys on her because she’s a senior citizen. Her second appearance brought awareness to the problem of online scammers who target those who are older and may not be as technologically savvy.

Although Henry’s potential is mostly wasted in Blue bloods Season 14, which may be rectified if Donna returns again. Slezak has good chemistry with Len Cariou, and both of her appearances are fun. Unfortunately, their friendship never progressed into romance, but that could still happen if Slezak returns one more time before the series wraps up.

2

Tony Danza as Raymond Moretti

Season 12, Episode 14

As Manetti, Tony Danza plays a cop who is in trouble because of his desire to protect his family. Danza is best known for his roles in classic comedies like Taxi And Who’s the boss? Although he played other dramatic roles on television. He stars as father and retired cop Raymond Moretti, who is caught between his divided loyalties, leaving Frank with an ethical dilemma after learning more about why someone shot at Moretti.

Moretti was shot in a drive-by at his home, making the case a top priority for the NYPD. However, an investigation reveals that Moretti’s son is involved in gang activity, which is what brought violence to the Moretti home – and worse, Moretti already knew but kept this fact to himself. Frank’s confrontation with Moretti is the highlight of the hour and Danza gives a superb performance as he explains his refusal to turn his back on his son.

1

Ed Asner as Chuck Kennedy

Season 10, Episode 15

In his later years, Ed Asner became a familiar face on police procedurals, appearing on both Law & Order: SVU And Blue bloods. Asner died in 2021 at the age of 91, which was his Blue bloods Appearance one of his final roles and a fitting end to his long career. In this episode, he played a housebound man who was an inspiration to many of the Reagans and who became the victim of a violent crime.

This episode is one of Blue bloods Saddest because Frank quickly discovers that no one wants to help the wheelchair-bound “Mr. Kai” now that he’s a crippled senior citizen, but the man helped everyone in the neighborhood, including Frank, who was walking the wrong way to Mr. Kai. gave him a job in movies. Asner’s performance is especially strong in a scene where he tries and fails to get out of his house to help the investigation and lashes out at Frank as a result.