3 fun facts about Chicago PD star Jason Beghe (you might be surprised to learn)

In Dick Wolf’s Chicago universe, no one carries a show like Jason Beghe. In Chicago P.D., the actor plays Hank Voight, a veteran cop who likes to get the job done, even if it means breaking a few rules. Beghe’s Voight made his Chicago franchise debut in Chicago Fire before headlining Chicago P.D. where the focus is on his intelligence unit.

Since then, imagining the Chicago universe without him has become rather impossible. It’s also been impossible to imagine any of Wolf’s franchises without Beghe. As it turns out, he’s been one of Wolf’s go-to talents. Over the years, Beghe has starred in other Wolf-produced TV dramas, including the 80s series Christine Cromwell, Law & Order: SVU, and Law & Order LA.

This is not the only thing about Beghe that might surprise fans. Having been in the business for so long, the actor has certainly lived an interesting life. Here are some fun facts you might not know about Beghe.

Jason Beghe is best friends with another TV star

Long before he became a Hollywood star, Beghe was a young boy attending ninth grade with none other than X-Files star David Duchovny.  During an interview with Sioux City Journal, Beghe revealed that he and Duchovny have been best friends since. And while both men do a lot of TV work, the last thing they do when they get together is talk shop. Instead, they prefer to reminisce about their days in high school together.

He was also good friends with JFK Jr.

As it turns out, Beghe had another famous schoolmate! Growing up in New York, the actor attended Collegiate School where he also became friends with the late John Fitzgerald Kennedy Jr. While speaking with The Daily Beast, Beghe talked a bit about hanging out with the former first son.

According to the actor, they’ve become such close pals that JFK Jr.'s mother, the late Jacqueline "Jackie" Kennedy even took him along on a trip to Europe. “The Secret Service would watch us, but they were great!” Beghe added.

Jason Beghe was in Thelma & Louise

Years before establishing himself as a Hollywood star, Beghe took on small roles in film and TV. Among them was this Oscar-winning Ridley Scott movie headlined by Susan Sarandon and Geena Davis. In Thelma & Louise, Beghe plays a state trooper who gets held at gunpoint by Thelma (Davis). Since then, he's been more successful with policing onscreen.