Today we remember Ron Glass on what would have been his 78th birthday. Along with Wojo, Ron Harris was the character that evolved the most over the run of the series. When we first meet him he was a jive talking, outspoken guy with grammar so poor it would have made future Harris cringe in pain. He was also just a part time character, sharing the desk that would eventually be his with two other detectives, Chano and Wilson. Eventually though he came into his own.

Originally positioned as the squad room intellectual until Arthur Dietrich showed up, we learn that Harris has a dream. He wants to write books, and as he exclaims in Quarantine, “Be somebody!” He achieves that dream-for awhile anyway. We watched as Blood on the Badge took shape and Harris became more and more sophisticated with the expensive taste to match. His success often left Barney exasperated as police work seemed to be less and less of a priority for him.

Harris was a good cop though, and as we saw many times, really did care about many of the people that ended up at his desk-and for his fellow detectives too. We watched him arrange for a dying burglar to be reunited with the wife he left 30 years earlier and ended up agreeing to attend his funeral and write his eulogy.

We also saw him gain the trust of Mitzi (played by the great Kay Medford in what was her final TV appearance before her untimely death), a worried woman who was alarmed when her husband (played by the equally great Jack Kruschen) started acting differently and decided he must have been replaced by a clone, and appear in the one and only time we ever saw the 12th’s infamous bathroom. He comforted her and handed her fears with compassion and kindness.

We also watched him go out of his way to help bring an alleged Nazi war criminal to justice in The Librarian, perhaps the darkest episode of any sitcom ever made, and get freedom for an indentured servant in The Slave. He tried his best to reach the young criminals he nabbed, once proudly proclaiming that when he was young he stole books!

His care also extended to his fellow detectives. We saw his joy at finding out Wojo was alive after he was trapped in a collapsed tunnel, and how he hugged him when he learned he’d finally made Sergeant. He also tried, in his own way, to help Barney buy his apartment after his landlord announced the building was being turned into condos.

Harris was also part of some of the funniest moments of the series, starting from when he, along with the others, accidentally got stoned on hash brownies. His performance was nothing short of brilliant. Another memorable moment was when he rapped the Miranda rights for a group of hookers, complete with dance moves, and when he stunned everyone by looking absolutely gorgeous when it was his turn for mugging duty.

Harris also gave what was by far the most powerful performance of the series in The Harris Incident, when his rage after being racially profiled and shot at by a pair of fellow officers brings the squad room to a standstill and leaves his fellow detectives desperate to help but not knowing just what to say.

We followed Harris along his journey to find the perfect apartment, which led him to temporarily move in with Dietrich, much to his chagrin, and through his assignment to write and produce an adult film, which of course ended with hilarious results as he goes over budget and overboard.

Near the end of the show’s run, we watch him fall back to earth as his world of fine art, fine wines, investments, custom tailored suits, and mingling with high society crumbles thanks to a lawsuit from sleazy Arnold Ripner. He loses everything, including his temper as he punches the ambulance-chasing lawyer in the face. The scene when he returns to the squad room drunk after finding out Ripner won was an absolute showcase of Ron Glass’s incredible acting talent.

(Harris gets the last laugh though when he finds out that after paying his own lawyers, Ripner is left with next to nothing himself.)

We lost Ron Glass far too soon when smoking-related illnesses took his life in 2016. He was only 71. While we didn’t know much about him away from the camera due to his private nature, we do know that he was a kind and generous soul who helped people whenever he could.

Here’s to you, Ron!