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Played by Robert Joy | Photos

What do we know about Sid:

Dr. Sid Hammerback, an American of partial Lithuanian ancestry from one of his grandmothers, is a New York City Medical Examiner described as an "off-the-charts genius" who traded in a career as a chef to become a medical examiner. Dr. Sid Hammerback has now had the longest tenure as a coroner of the five shown on the series.

Hammerback nearly dies from a severe allergic reaction to a meatball gyro sandwich he ate ("The Ride In") and is saved by the timely intervention of Stella Bonasera, who administers CPR and a shot of epinephrine from the first aid kit. When Stella expresses concern that she may have exposed him to HIV, he comforts her, more worried about her own emotional well-being. "I'm sorry I scared you," he tells her contritely. In the episode "Page Turner," he nearly dies once again, this time from prolonged contact with a murder victim who had died of radiation poisoning. However, he undergoes heavy treatment at the hospital and is shown to be fine at the end of the episode, with a few of his friends and co-workers visiting him.

He was close friends with former coroner Marty Pino and his wife, Anabel, and was the one who convinced the two to marry ("Point of No Return"). He also had the task of firing Pino after he was found forging overtime slips to aid his gambling and debt problems. He was visibly upset when Anabel was murdered, finding himself unable to conduct the autopsy on her. He also stopped a suicidal Pino, when he was about to be arrested for running drugs and creating heroin from peoples' bodies (a practice which led to Anabel's death) by turning unexpectedly up at the scene of the arrest. Sid asks Pino how many victims there were and is struck with horror as he hears the number, which the viewer never finds out.

Despite any eccentricities on his part, Hammerback sincerely cares for the well-being of his coworkers. He invited Mac Taylor to join his family for their Thanksgiving festivities so the Mac would not have to spend another holiday alone. He has apparently either known or worked with Mac Taylor, Sheldon Hawkes, and Peyton Driscoll for an unspecified number of years ("Dancing with the Fishes").

Backstory:

Hammerback was once a chef before becoming an ME.

Work style:

He has a habit of overtalking and oversharing, and has offered commentary on such unusual behaviors as threesomes and necrophilia–much to the unease of predecessor Sheldon Hawkes, who, in one episode, refers to Sid's commentary as "going to that creepy place" ("People With Money"). In "Admissions," he mentions to Mac that he occasionally holds a curiosity for what it would be like to take a swig of hydrofluoric acid. When Mac jokingly responds that he himself wonders about doing a live autopsy on himself, Sid genuinely agrees before realizing, slightly crestfallen, that Mac is messing with him.

What drives Sid:

Relationships:
Sid has been divorced at least once ("Hung Out to Dry,") and celebrated by getting incredibly drunk and falling down a flight of stairs, though he claims he "didn't feel a thing." Hammerback is currently married with two daughters, one about college age ("Not What It Looks Like," "The Ride In").

Defining Cases (or Episodes):

Season 1:
Did not appear

Season 2:
First appearance - "Dancing with the Fishes" (episode 205)


Season 3:
Hammerback nearly dies from a severe allergic reaction to a meatball gyro sandwich he ate (episode 317, "The Ride In") and is saved by the timely intervention of Stella Bonasera, who administers CPR and a shot of epinephrine from the first aid kit.

Season 4:


Season 5:
In episode 502, "Page Turner," he nearly dies from prolonged contact with a murder victim who had died of radiation poisoning. However, he undergoes heavy treatment at the hospital and is shown to be fine at the end of the episode, with a few of his friends and co-workers visiting him.

He was close friends with former coroner Marty Pino and his wife, Anabel, and was the one who convinced the two to marry ("Point of No Return"). He also had the task of firing Pino after he was found forging overtime slips to aid his gambling and debt problems. He was visibly upset when Anabel was murdered, finding himself unable to conduct the autopsy on her. He also stopped a suicidal Pino, when he was about to be arrested for running drugs and creating heroin from peoples' bodies (a practice which led to Anabel's death) by turning unexpectedly up at the scene of the arrest. Sid asks Pino how many victims there were and is struck with horror as he hears the number, which the viewer never finds out.

Secrets:

Trivia:

He mentions that he, like Stella, has had experience in dance ("Dancing with the Fishes"). In the episode "Personal Foul," he mentions that he enjoys fencing. In "Communication Breakdown", it is shown that he understands and speaks at least some very small degree of Lithuanian. His level of fluency is unknown. Sid is known for the breakaway reading glasses he uses in the morgue, thought to be CliC reading glasses.

Quotes:

Sid [Examining the body of a woman who was sawed in half]: Do I even need to state the cause of death?
(318, Sleight Out of Hand)


Sid [to Mac and Hawkes] The rawness of the flesh indicates she was alive during the beheading, but I bet she didn't feel a thing. Her blood alcohol level was 0.26 - blotto. The highest I've ever registered was 0.23, but that was in celebration of my first divorce. I fell down a flight of stairs, didn't feel a thing.
(304, Hung Out to Dry)

Sid: Sorry for the delay, QT and I were necking.
Stella: Come again?
Sid: Necking... looking at his neck.
Stella: [makes sound of understanding and slight relief]
Sid: You don't think I would kiss a corpse, do you?
Stella: No, no. Of course not.
Sid: That's disgusting.
Stella: I agree.
Sid: Long as we got that straight.
(213, Risk)

[Sid and Peyton flip a coin to decide who gets to examine the mummy]
Hammerback: "It's heads - she's yours. Can I at least watch? This is one of the best well preserved mummies I've seen in my many years as a pathologist. The environmental conditions of temperature and humidity and ventilation must have been just optimal! One could only compare it to the best sex you've ever had reaching climax at exactly that precise-"
Peyton: "Alright Sid, you can help. But I get to print her."
(302, Not What it Looks Like)