Gilbert R. “Gil” Hill was born on November 5, 1931, in Birmingham, Alabama and died on February 29, 2016.
He was a former President of the Detroit City Council.
Gill was also a Detroit police officer and part-time actor, gaining recognition in the Beverly Hills Cop movie franchise.
He served in the United States Air Force in 1950 and was stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base near Detroit.
Since he left the Air Force he stayed in the area, joining the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department in 1957.
Gilbert moved to the Detroit Police Department, in 1959.
Gill was promoted to detective and was assigned to the homicide division the following year, in 1969.
He went on to be promoted to the rank of Inspector in charge of the Homicide Division.
Hill also appeared in the Beverly Hills Cop films, playing the role of Inspector Todd, the boss of Eddie Murphy’s character Axel Foley.
He retired as commander and was elected to the Detroit City Council in 1989, eventually becoming president of the council.
Gill ran unsuccessfully for Mayor of Detroit against Kwame Kilpatrick in the 2001 election.
Gill Hill was initially considered to be the leading candidate and had support from many people connected with incumbent mayor Dennis Archer.
Gilbert R. “Gil” Hill passed away at 84 yrs old due to pneumonia.