DCI Gene Hunt

Gene Hunt
Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes character
Philip Glenister as Gene Hunt in Ashes to Ashes
First appearance	Life on Mars: Episode 1, series 1
Last appearance	Ashes to Ashes: Episode 8, series 3
Portrayed by	Philip Glenister (older) Mason Kayne (younger)/ Colm Meaney (US pilot) Harvey Keitel (US version)
Books	The Rules of Modern Policing The Future of Modern Policing
Information
Occupation	Police Officer Greater Lancaster Constabulary (fictional) (1953) Greater Manchester Police (1973-1980) Metropolitan Police (1981-3)
Title	Detective Chief Inspector (DCI)
Spouse(s)	Unnamed wife (divorced before events of Ashes to Ashes in 1981)
Nationality	British

DCI Gene Hunt is a fictional character in BBC One's science fiction/police procedural drama Life on Mars and its sequel, 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. His younger self, also known as the ghost of Gene Hunt, is portrayed by Mason Kayne.

The character is portrayed as politically incorrect, brutal and corrupt - but fundamentally good. 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.

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". 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". The character is ultimately revealed to be an integral part of the strange world that both Sam Tyler and Alex Drake inhabit.

During the course of Life on Mars, Hunt gradually reveals his personal background to other characters in the show. For example, Hunt explains to Tyler that his father was an abusive alcoholic. He also explains that his brother, Stuart, was a drug addict who died even after Hunt's repeated attempts to reform him.