Gene Hunt

DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character from Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes. The character is portrayed by Philip Glenister in both Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes, whereas in the American version he is portrayed by Harvey Keitel.

The character is portrayed as politically incorrect, brutal and corrupt. Hunt is often displayed to maintain a love-hate relationship with both Sam Tyler (John Simm) and Alex Drake (Keeley Hawes), the leading protagonists of Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes respectively. However, subordinate members of his team display much loyalty and respect for him.

The character received critical and public acclaim for his role in Life on Mars, being dubbed a "national hero", an unlikely sex symbol and a "top cop".[1] A third and final series of Ashes to Ashes was said to "reveal all about Gene Hunt and what his alternative world really means in a stunning finale" and that the "truth [would] out".[2] The character is ultimately revealed to be an integral part of the supernatural world that both Sam Tyler and Alex Drake inhabit.

In Episode 8, he was later left alone.

Character Background
During the course of Life on Mars, Hunt gradually reveals his personal background to other characters in the show. For example, Hunt explains to Sam Tyler that his father was an abusive drinker who beat him during his childhood years. He also explains that his brother, Stuart, was a drug addict who died even after Hunt's repeated attempts to reform him. It is unclear whether this was actually the truth or what he had created as a back story, but it seems most likely to be the truth.

Hunt was also conscripted into the British Army and carried out his national service, before going on to join the Manchester and Salford Police at the age of nineteen.