Detective Philip K. "Phil" Fish is a fictional

NYPD The City of New York Police Department, also referred to as New York City Police Department (NYPD), is the primary law enforcement agency within New York City. Established on May 23, 1845, the NYPD is the largest, and one of the oldest, munic ...

detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

in the TV series ''

Barney Miller ''Barney Miller'' is an American sitcom television series set in a New York City Police Department police station on East 6th Street in Greenwich Village (Lower Manhattan). The series was broadcast on American Broadcasting Company, ABC from Janu ...

'' and later in the spin off series ''

Fish A fish (: fish or fishes) is an aquatic animal, aquatic, Anamniotes, anamniotic, gill-bearing vertebrate animal with swimming fish fin, fins and craniate, a hard skull, but lacking limb (anatomy), limbs with digit (anatomy), digits. Fish can ...

''. He was played by

Abe Vigoda Abraham Vigoda (February 24, 1921 – January 26, 2016) was an American actor known for his portrayals of Salvatore Tessio in ''The Godfather'' (1972) and Phil Fish in both ''Barney Miller'' (1975–1977, 1982) and ''Fish'' (1977–1978). His ...

. He was a series regular for the first three seasons and, after that, a recurring character, appearing in 63 out of 171 episodes of the show. Fish was an unusual character for a television

: aged, grumpy, and suffering from a variety of maladies for which he constantly needs medication. His most recurring malady was inflamed

hemorrhoids Hemorrhoids (or haemorrhoids), also known as piles, are vascular structures in the anal canal. In their normal state, they are cushions that help with stool control. They become a disease when swollen or inflamed; the unqualified term ''he ...

, for which he would bring a donut cushion to his desk chair. Fish's wife was Bernice, played by

Florence Stanley Florence Stanley (born Florence Lenore Schwartz;Room, Adrian (2010). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins, 5th ed.'. Jefferson, NC: McFarland & Company. p. 453. ."United States, Social Security Numerical Identi ...

, who appeared in six episodes. She would make occasional visits to the squad room. On one occasion, Fish forgot her name during breakfast. In-universe, he retired at the age of 63 with 38 years of service from the 12th Precinct. The character of Fish became the center of his own series, ''

'', in which he and his wife served as

foster parent Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home (residential child care community or treatment centre), or private home of a state- certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family memb ...

s for a number of troubled children, referred to euphemistically as PINS, or "persons in need of supervision". His successor at the precinct was Det. Arthur P. Dietrich. Fish visited the 12th Precinct twice after his retirement from the force, once shortly afterward in fourth season and again in the 18th episode of the seventh season: "Lady and the Bomb". In that episode, three years after his previous appearance, he revealed that the PINS program had been shut down by the government due to funding cuts (although it was implied he was still in touch with the foster children and attempting to do what he could for them.) This is his last appearance in the Barney Miller universe.

References

Fictional New York City Police Department detectives Barney Miller characters Television characters introduced in 1974 American male characters in sitcoms {{tv-char-stub