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Cadet/Off./Sgt. Carey Mahoney
Played by: Steve Guttenberg
Cadet/Officer Mahoney is the lead character of the first four movies and the cartoon of the series. He is a troublemaking, womanizing cad with a heart of gold. His worst habit is retaliating against insults in bizarrely effective ways. For instance, the last straw before his police career was when he was a parking-lot attendant and was forced to park a car for an abusive customer in a full parking lot; he put the car into a side-wheelie, crashed it between two cars and proudly proclaimed, "It fits!". Since his father was a decorated police officer, Mahoney was given the choice of the police academy or jail by his father's former boss, Captain Reed, who did not want Mahoney's antics to reflect poorly on his father. Captain Reed told him that they can throw him out, but he cannot quit. If he quits, he will head to jail. When he first came here, he did what he could to get thrown out of here. But he grew to love this place and wants to be a cop when he made friends here. He is best known for protecting Commandant Lassard and playing practical jokes on Capt Harris, Mauser, Proctor, Blankes and Copeland, as the five men view Mahoney to be unworthy of being a police officer due to his carefree attitude about life. Despite his womanizing and his habit of breaking the rules, Mahoney is portrayed as being a good and courageous person willing to help those in need, regardless of the consequences. The fact that he graduates with a decoration for bravery speaks to that personal valor. By the third movie, Mahoney's dedication and love for his job as a police officer comes out, as he continually stands up for his cadets, and even gives a speech highlighting how important the cadets are to the Academy and to his peers which inspires the cadets to work harder and achieve their potential. In 4, Mahoney successfully lobbies to have two skateboarders, Arnie and Kyle, placed in the Citizens on Patrol program as an alternative to jail time, reminiscent of how Mahoney himself started in the Academy and had his life turn around for the better.
Mahoney is in the animated series, almost every time along with his partner Jones (when in action). He is absent from the last three films, a change that is unexplained. According to the producers, he was originally in the script for the fifth film, but Guttenberg declined the part, and so the character of Nick Lassard was created to fill-in.
Cadet/Off./Sgt./Lt./Capt. Moses Hightower
Played by: Bubba Smith
Featured in all but the seventh film, Hightower was a florist before joining the academy. He is best known for his immense stature and superhuman strength. Hightower practices for his driving test by ripping the front seat out of a compact car (a 1977 Honda Civic owned by Copeland) and steering comfortably from the back seat. However, he is the most humble and soft-spoken of all the characters. Despite his gigantic size, Hightower has sometimes admitted that he lacks self-confidence, such as when he tells Mahoney that he has not driven a car since he was twelve years old, and fears that he will fail out of the police academy if he flunks the driving test. His character often breaks things or uses force to threaten the bad guys. Other examples of him using his strength were when he lifted up the practice squad car with Copeland inside, who had insulted his friend Hooks by calling her a "dumb fat jiggaboo". He can also drop easily into good-cop mode, to gain the trust of crooks he is about to arrest. However, he too graduated from the academy with a decoration for bravery, and eventually made lieutenant after wrestling an alligator, a skill he learned growing up in the bayou, in order to save Harris' life. Hightower also uses German Shepherd police dogs in the 3rd and 4th films, suggesting he got certified as a dog handler.
In the sixth movie, in pursuit of the Wilson Heights Gang, the only time he actually acknowledges himself being angry is when he is almost injured by the largest of the Wilson Heights Gang criminals. When he gets up after having construction-zone items fall on him, Hightower notices that his name pin was displaced and says to himself, "Now I'm mad."
Hightower is also in the series, along with Laverne Hooks. When last seen in the live-action series episode "Dr. Hightower", he has been promoted to the rank of captain, and is presented with the "Alumnus of the Year" award.
Cadet/Off./Sgt./Capt. Eugene Tackleberry Sr
Played by: David Graf
Tackleberry is in all seven films and is best known for his love of firearms, the military and direct action.[1] He had been a veteran of the US military and a security guard prior to joining the police academy. He joined the police force to see more action but has a poor grasp of the difference between the military and civilian life. This paramilitary lifestyle was instilled into Tackleberry from home; in the first film, he mentions that his (signature) firearm was given to him by his mother (Harris: "Son, where did you get that gun?" Tackleberry: "My Mom gave it to me."); in the 4th installment, Tackleberry comments that weapons-loving senior citizen, Mrs. Lois Feldman, reminded him of his mother (hinting that his mother may already be dearly-departed by this point). Tackleberry is a bit trigger-happy; a tendency which would have had him court-martialed long ago had it not been for the fact that he actually has good aim. Tackleberry was also known for getting the job done, but with overkill and naivete; example being aiding a little old lady who lost her money in a pay phone by shooting it and making a bunch of money fall in his hands, "Can you identify your quarter, Ma'am". Tackleberry also plays the Saxophone, very well.
In the second film, which he was assigned to work as a motorcycle policeman, it is revealed that, although Tackleberry exerts an image of toughness and masculinity, he was still a virgin at the age of 28-years-old. However, upon meeting his police partner, a beautiful and equally gun-obsessed woman, Sgt. Kathleen Kirkland (played by Colleen Camp), he falls in love with her. They get married, (driving off in a Bigfoot truck after their wedding), and have a son, Eugene Tackleberry Jr., (featured in the sixth film, played by Daniel Ben Wilson), who is every bit as enthusiastic about all of the same things as his parents. This leads to a series of gags involving the Kirkland family, featuring Eugene's father-in-law and brother-in-law, whose jibes and admonishments are usually punctuated by a good-natured-yet-brutal punch to the jaw; meanwhile, mother and daughter both see the sadistic horseplay as all in good fun.
Tackleberry always carries the biggest side arm he can lay his hands on, usually a .44 Magnum, (his signature sidearm), and has a predilection for using excessively heavy equipment (like a chainsaw for cutting down a tree which a truant boy had fled onto); in the sixth movie, posing undercover as a taxi driver, he scares off a patron trying to hire his cab by brandishing a grenade. He uses military slang such as "affirmative" and "negative", and the military time system. His personal catchphrase is: "...NOW, Mister!" to scare people. In the fifth movie, he went so far as to wade into the ocean off Miami, draw his gun on an invading shark, and order, "Desist, and leave the swimming area NOW, Mister!". He is happiest weighing the benefits of penetration vs. stopping power. Tackleberry is at heart a benevolent person with a tough exterior. He wants to bury his heavy equipment in anyone he encounters; although he did get selfish when he was allowed to test out certain new firearms at the Annual Police Display in Miami, not wanting to share the guns with other officers. He only gave them up when Callahan coaxed him into handing them over, promising Tackleberry that she would "get some of his very own, just as soon as they get home."
In the animated series he used the bazooka, and is seen with Callahan. Tackleberry's bazooka was often used for comic violence rather than destruction, an example being on an undercover job as an ice cream salesman, then loading the ice cream into his bazooka to cover the escaping crooks in a mess. In the "Team Tack" episode of Police Academy: The Series, Tackleberry was a captain, and mentions his wife Kathleen was one as well. Jones and Tackleberry are the only characters to appear in all of the movies, the animated series and the television series. Also, he is the very first character seen in the first Police Academy film. In the live-action TV series, Tackleberry has 2 nephews, Cadets Dirk & Dean Tackleberry, who idolize him as their role model.
Cadet/Off./Sgt. Larvell Jones
Played by: Michael Winslow
Jones was one of the key characters in the series and is famous for making sound effects with his voice. He is one of the characters often remembered from the films, as he uses his vocal ability to make noises to play pranks and deceive both criminals and authority figures. Jones met Mahoney when they were both arrested by cops. Mahoney pulls some strings with Captain Reid to bring Jones with him to the academy. Jones can imitate sounds such as a flat tire, a couple noisily eating fast food, gunfire, and, memorably, a badly-dubbed martial arts star. Jones has expertise in martial arts, which he continues to use throughout the series to great success, often mimicking kung fu voice-over, as he does so. Other times he uses his sound-effects ability solely to amuse himself, such as one time at the academy when he imagines himself playing a game of Space Invaders and makes all the known sound effects from that video game. In the sixth movie, he leapt onstage at a nightclub during a blackout (in uniform, declaring, "The Metropolitan Police Department proudly presents... me."), and launched into a string of impressions, thus keeping the audience from rioting. He also has an ability to communicate with parrots, training them to call Captain Harris a "dork". Jones and Tackleberry are the only characters to appear in all of the movies, the animated series and the television series.
The character's vocal ability was an added trait by his actor Michael Winslow, who can make sounds and noises with his voice and mouth in real life. In the animated series, he was partners with Mahoney and in the live action series where he usually visits the academy and help the new cadets out.
Cadet/Off. Carl Sweetchuck
Played by: Tim Kazurinsky
Sweetchuck first appeared in the second film, as a shop owner terrorized by Zed and his gang.
In the third film, Sweetchuck decides to join the police force; unfortunately, his former tormentor Zed joins at the same time and in the same class, and the two become mismatched roommates. A stereotypical nerd, Sweetchuck's diminutive size and geeky appearance provided many gags, usually in relation to his physical weakness or as a foil for fellow recruit Zed.
After just a few days, Sweetchuck was unable to take any more of Zed's antics and attempted to leave the academy, but was convinced by Tackleberry to stay. He and Zed eventually got along better as time went on, though Sweetchuck still gets mad at Zed for one thing or the other.
Sweetchuck is in the animated series (along with Zed). He has a brother named Doug. He also becomes Zed's partner in the animated series.
Storefront windows in the first and second film bear the name "Sweedchuk" and "Schewchuk" respectively. Sweetchuck's name is based on that of Police Academy set decorator Steve Shewchuk.
Cadet/Off. Zed McGlunk
Played by: Bobcat Goldthwait
In the second film, Zed was portrayed as a hyperactive, antisocial gang leader with odd mannerisms, appearance, and taste, but a basically good heart. Many gags are based around Zed's fondness for things that contrast with his wild-man image, such as Family Affair (actually crying at dramatic moments) and Mickey Mouse watches. Another example of his sophomoric behavior was reciting the playground rhyme "Gene, Gene, made a machine" at a formal poetry reading. Zed is almost like a child, admonishing his cronies to "act their age" while they trash a supermarket and thanking the cashier for the "great bargains" (as his gang trundle shopping carts full of food out of the store). When his gang disrupts an anti-crime street fair sponsored by the Mayor, he tells her, "I voted for you!" Zed is arrested at the end of the second film.
In the third film, a reformed Zed (who explains his change of heart by saying, "I used to be a real jerk! But now I'm a people guy!") joins the police force. He often brings trouble to Sweetchuck, who was the subject of harassment during their civilian years. They become roommates while they are both training at the Police Academy, and they manage to get along (to an extent) with each other and in time become friends. Zed suffers from an inability to speak properly and often squeaks or swallows his words. It is also discovered he is immune to the effects of teargas, and apparently even enjoys it. His bad breath and screaming, potent enough to blow down a door, are far more potent weapons than any firearm. He falls in love in the fourth film with Laura, one of the Citizens on Patrol.
Zed is in the animated series (along with Sweetchuck). Several family members make guest appearances: Auntie Bertha, the cousins Ed and Ned, and his hillbilly parents. His surname is McGlunk. In the second film Zed mentions his mother's name was Jughead after Mahoney (undercover) calls himself "Jughead" and says he belongs to a gang called the Archies.
Cadet/Off. Thomas "House" Conklin
Played by: Tab Thacker
Conklin appeared in movies 4 and 5. He joined the academy first under the COP program in the fourth film, and later became a full-time cop at the start of the fifth film. He is tremendously overweight due to his love of food, and this at times is used as a source of jokes: on the flight to Miami, House changes seats and the plane begins to tilt. When he was a child, Hightower would babysit him and bounce him on his knee: but even the immensely strong Hightower could not recognize the giant House as the same child he once effortlessly lifted. Like Hightower, he is strong, but is not as focused upon it like Hightower.
Conklin appears in the animated series, and he often has Zed and Sweetchuck as his partners. Other times he works with Hooks and Hightower, such as a beach assignment where they go undercover as a civilian family, with House playing the "son" and Hooks and Hightower as the "mom" and "dad".
Cadet/Off./Sgt. Laverne Hooks
Played by: Marion Ramsey
Hooks is a diminutive, soft-spoken and unassertive woman with a very high-pitched voice, who often has trouble putting people in line, which continued in the 2nd film. However, she is known for becoming aggressive and authoritative when frustrated or otherwise pushed to her limit, punching people out or pulling her service weapon, screeching the memorable phrase: "Don't move, dirt bag!" The word "dirt bag" is possibly something she inherited from her days in the Police Academy, under the training of then-Lieutenant Harris.
In the third film, Hooks became more confident in herself and is assertive in keeping people in line. She was the first one who quickly figured out that her former classmates, Blankes and Copeland are working with Mauser to shut down the Metropolitan Police Academy to humiliate Lassard, but kept it to herself. Hooks secretly told Cadet Fackler (Debralee Scott) of the men's scheme and making her aware of their plan. Using carefully coded words, they are able to inform Mahoney and the others of the situation with the governor without drawing suspicion to Blankes and Copeland whom were trying to sabotage their efforts. When the men found out too late that Hooks knew the truth of their scheme with Mauser, she knocked Blankes and Copeland (possibly to pay the latter back for his earlier racist insult) out. In the fifth film, Hooks is also revealed to be a talented artist, employing this skill as a police sketch artist. In the 6th film, she proves her assertiveness by calling out the attorney for his infractions, including ignoring an officer of the law, tearing up a court summons and parking in a handicapped spot. Hooks proves her point by having his car towed to the impound lot and told the attorney he can have his car back as soon as he paid back the city for his infractions. She appears in the first six films of the franchise and in the animated series. She is seen working with Hightower in the 5th and the 6th films and in the animated series.
Sgt./Lt./Capt./D.A. Debbie Callahan
Played by: Leslie Easterbrook
This character is best known for her pure sex appeal, specifically her large breasts, which provided the series with countless sight gags, and penchant for wearing tight fitting clothing. A more serious, grown-up, mature version of Tackleberry, Callahan is portrayed as a stoic, no-nonsense officer who is both physically and sexually aggressive. She along with Harris trained the cadets in the first film, but she does not show the outright hostility towards the cadets that Harris does.
In her role as a teacher to the cadets, she usually gets into situations where after explaining or demonstrating the lesson, she is usually flanked by the male cadets volunteering to be her next test-subject. For example, in the first movie, where she demonstrates self-defense: Leslie Barbara is her test subject, whom she swiftly takes down and sits on his face. When she asks for volunteers, all the male cadets promptly and eagerly volunteer. Another example is in the fourth movie, she teaches a lesson about saving drowning victims, in which she plays the drowning victim: After she dives in the pool, swims to the middle, and surfaces with her breasts showing through her white T-shirt, she asks: "Now, who's going to save me?" Immediately, all the male cadets jump into the pool and swim after her, while she frantically swims away.
She is an avid weightlifter and also knows martial arts and has a good singing voice. In the first film, she has a relationship with Cadet Martin; in the third and fourth film, she has a relationship with Japanese foreign-exchange cadet, Nogata. She is seen partnered with Tackleberry in the 4th and the 5th films, (keeping him and his gun obsession in line), and in the animated series. She appears in every film except the second, and is promoted to lieutenant and then captain.
In the Police Academy: The Series episode "Dead Man Talking", Callahan has retired from the Police Force and has been elected District Attorney.
Sgt. Nick Lassard
Played by: Matt McCoy
Nephew of Eric Lassard (and possibly the son of Capt. Pete Lassard), he appears in the fifth and sixth films. Nick is an officer in the Miami police department in the fifth film where he assumes the role of lead prankster and womanizer, the role held by Mahoney in the previous films. Again assuming this role in the sixth film, he is also portrayed as a skilled gymnast: at the end of Police Academy 6 he escapes injury by swinging on an overpass and landing in a speeding Bigfoot. When the Mastermind took the form of Commissioner Hurst, only Nick wasn't fooled by this and is able to point out the real Hurst from the fake with a Pinocchio test. Mahoney and Nick's characters are very similar, as much as Harris and Mauser, although Lassard shows some more professionalism in his duties, likely respectful of the Lassard family name in law enforcement.
Cmndt. Eric Lassard
Played by: George Gaynes
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Main article: Eric Lassard |
Eric Lassard is Commandant, or head, of the Metropolitan Police Academy (sometimes also called the Midcity Police Academy). He is initially not into the politics of the police department. When Chief Hurst and Lieutenant Harris are denouncing the new female mayor's policy change to remove the barriers from academy admissions, he plays along with them and quickly dismisses their comments once they've left the room. A few years later, however, he will initiate a program known as Citizens on Patrol (COP), which is a community outreach course. Lassard featured in all seven films. He is often portrayed as benevolent yet clueless, fond of his pet goldfish and of making many, many long-winded, optimistic speeches about the future of the academy.
Lt./Capt. Thaddeus Harris
Played by: G.W. Bailey
"Mister Nasty" of the police academy, he always attempts to discredit and get rid of Lassard and his men, but ends up being the butt of most of the jokes. Starting with Police Academy 4, he inherits Proctor from Mauser. He generally seems to be success-driven, at the cost of Lassard and his men. Started as lieutenant in the first film but is promoted to captain in other films to come. His catchphrase is: "Move it! Move it! Move it!". He is also deathly afraid of heights, as evidenced in an undercover stakeout in the sixth film, in which his and Proctor's covers are window washers for a high-rise office tower. He derives pleasure from tormenting and belittling his subordinates - first the cadets he instructs at the academy, then Lassard's men whom he outranks. Although he is generally disliked by his colleagues because of his treatment of them, those same people end up rescuing him.
Despite his role as antagonist, some scenes display Harris' genuine desire to see graduates become good cops. His initial dislike of Mahoney is based in part on his belief that he is disrupting the development of people, "who might make pretty good police officers". He heavily favors Blankes and Copeland and recruits them as squad leaders. Later, in the seventh movie, Harris and the rest of the team develop a 'peace' of sorts, with Harris joining them in the rescue attempt of Callahan and providing the team with the necessary equipment to track the criminals. He even demonstrates trust in Tackleberry by requesting he be the one to shoot a locator bullet into the bad guy's car, notably calling him by his nickname "Tack" when doing so.
He works with Proctor in the fourth, fifth, and sixth films and the animated series. In the animated series, Captain Harris is portrayed as gruff but not as sadistic as he was in the movies, and generally more competent. He also seems to take out his dislike of Mahoney through red tape rather than direct action. When Captain Harris was tasked with investigating a string of crimes at the beach, he is also responsible for getting all the officers undercover assignments, to which Mahoney and Jones are assigned to be sanitation workers picking up litter. While Jones accepts his assignment, Mahoney complains that Harris gave them this work to express his dislike of them. A reformed Mauser defends Mahoney and confronts Harris for his actions. He then belittles Harris for taking out his anger on his former cadets out of convenience, rather than disciplinary purposes.
In the animated series episode Police Academy Blues, Harris finally achieves his long-awaited dream of becoming commandant when Lassard is forced to step down, due to the Professor's Supercar being stolen under Lassard's watch. However, Commandant Harris's crowning moment is short-lived, as Mahoney and crew track down and capture the Supercar robbers, ensuring Lassard's reinstatement as commandant, and Harris's demotion to the rank of captain once again.
Sgt./Lt./Capt./Cmdr. Carl Proctor
Played by: Lance Kinsey
Lt. Carl Proctor[2] is a gullible sidekick to Mauser in Police Academy 2 and 3 and Harris in 4, 5 and 6. In his debut in the second movie, he is originally assertive and staunchly supports Mauser but is also a dimwit and in subsequent appearances portrayed even more so. He even disliked Mahoney and his friends and helps Harris or Mauser dis-credit them. That is why he was part of butt of Mahoney and his friends pranks on him. In 3, is the second-in-command of Mauser's police academy. Despite losing his job after Mauser's academy is shut down, he gets another job as Captain Harris' underling. Proctor seems to bear the brunt of some of the biggest pranks, such as being lifted by crane while he is inside an outhouse and placed onto the field of a sporting stadium. When Proctor hears the national anthem, he stands up immediately and shocks everyone in the audience. He is generally nicer than Harris or Mauser and is often just following orders, which he mostly manages to screw up. But that is just an act, just like Harris they both think Lassard's men are a joke and mostly he is usually Harris spy to dis-credit them and throw them off the force. Another aspect of Proctor is his childlike attitude in some adult situations, like when he thought the Blue Oyster Bar was a seafood joint or saying to a bartender, "Could I get a pink—no make it a green—umbrella?" before he introduces himself to a couple of bathing beauties in Florida. Although Proctor has been subject to pranks and slapstick stunts, unlike Harris, he does not appear to show a vicious attitude towards Mahoney and his friends, either because he is too stupid to realize Mahoney was behind the pranks or he is very forgiving. In Police Academy 5, it is revealed that he and Harris are related through the marriage of Proctor's sister and Harris' nephew. He also appears along with Harris in the animated series, in which Proctor is temporarily promoted to Acting Captain in one episode, due to Harris being hospitalized.[3]
Lt./Capt./Cmndt./Sheriff Ernie Mauser
Played by: Art Metrano
Mauser (or Meiser[4] in the series; Bouser in the animated series) is a similar character to Harris, and his role in the movies is essentially the same. Playing a ruthless and demeaning, success-driven officer, Mauser is often the butt of many of the jokes played by Lassard's men. His lackey is Proctor. He appears in Police Academy 2 and 3. In Police Academy 2, he tricks his way into becoming Captain of the Precinct. In the end of the movie, he was demoted back to lieutenant and Pete Lassard was back as captain, since Pete, Mahoney and his friends finally put away Zed's vicious gang behind bars and Pete was reinstated as captain. In Police Academy 3, he is the Commandant of the rival police academy and took advantage of Blankes and Copeland's desire to seek revenge on Lassard for graduating at the bottom of their class. His police academy is eventually dismantled by the state government as his cadets prove to be far less responsive to actual emergencies than Lassard's men.
However, in the animated series, Mauser becomes a good character and is head of the K9 Corps. His attitude towards Mahoney and the others improves drastically. Mauser's attitude towards Harris is similar to Hurst's (in the later films), in that he points out his flaws and belittles Harris for his behavior. Due to Art Metrano's accident in 1989 that left him partially paralyzed, Mauser, now a wheelchair user and County Sheriff, makes his final appearance in the 1997 live-action series episode "Hoop Nightmares". In this episode, it is revealed that Mauser was once a good friend of Eric Lassard's successor, Stuart Hefilfinger, but Mauser apparently harbors some resentment towards Stuart for getting the position of Academy Commandant that Mauser wanted. This episode also finally answers the question of Mauser's first name - Ernie.
