Holling Vincoeur

 Vincoeur was born January 1, 1929 in the, but also sometimes speaks of childhood trips to visit relatives in. He is a of the. He owns and manages The Brick, a bar and restaurant which is a center of social life in Cicely.

Family
Holling is descended from, and despises his ancestors as "aristocratic scum of the worst kind"; he left Canada to escape the shame of their memory and shortened his from de Vincœur. Later, he mentions that his ancestors include s.

Holling describes his father, grandfather, and other male relatives as "despicable human beings" (one of his ancestors was so hated the anniversary of his death is still celebrated as a in France) and this is referred to often throughout the series. A century-old reveals that Holling's grandfather, when stranded in a blizzard,  Ruth-Anne Miller's grandfather. In another episode, Holling dreams that he was compelled to his abusive father from early childhood.

Also referenced are the Vincoeur males' extreme lifespans. Holling's father and grandfather were s, who never remarried after their wives died young. With this history, Holling hesitates to marry because, despite being more than 40 years older than Shelly, it is possible for him to outlive her by decades with a.

Personality
Holling has a calm and forthright manner and is arguably the most rational of the town's quirky denizens. He doesn't like.

Occupation
Before owning The Brick, Holling was an expert, , and. In the summer of 1938, Holling and a guy named Lon Guysberg left school in the 11th grade to lay s outside.

A few years before the series starts he was nearly killed by "Jesse" the. In a, Jesse confronts Holling with all the animals he has shot, and he swears off hunting because of the uneven nature of the confrontation. Thereafter, he continues to go into the wilderness and stalk animals, but he now "shoots" them only with  and a  camera. His photography gets him into trouble with Maurice once. He also likes to take pictures of s with Ruth-Anne.

Holling holds the office of during the first half of the series, though in a town so small his duties are so light that it is rarely mentioned. Re-elected without opposition for many years, he narrowly loses the office to Edna Hancock, who holds a grudge against him over a stop sign.

Love life
Despite looking younger in the pilot episode, he is actually aged 62 years as the series opens. Holling is romantically involved with Shelly Tambo, a woman young enough to be his granddaughter. Shelly was brought to Cicely by Maurice Minnifield (until then Holling's best friend since around 1970 when they first met), who hoped to marry her; but she soon fell in love with Holling. Later, Holling reveals to Maggie, he had a relationship with a woman named Eleanor 40 years before, who he bought a star for.

In the first seasons, Holling believes that he is incapable of fathering children due to a low sperm count, but this assumption is corrected when he learns of the existence of a middle-aged daughter, Jackie Vincoeur. Accodring to Jackie, she has two children, Holling's grandchildren. Unfortunately, Jackie has the dishonorable character of her Vincoeur ancestors, which concerns Holling when Shelly becomes pregnant. Shelly convinces him that because he is not a bad person and she is a good person their child will be okay. Their child is a daughter, Miranda Bliss ("Randi"), and in a surreal episode during Shelly's last days of pregnancy it is implied she and Holling will later have a son, Jared, though he is not yet conceived by the end of the series be cause of Northern Exposure's early cancellation.

Holling almost marries Shelly early in the series after a possible pregnancy. Shelly pressures him to get circumcized, but changes her mind at the last minute. Shelly asks Holling to marry her finally after a bout of dancer hallucinations.

Holling secretly supported a boy his entire life, due to a tragic fight to the death against the boy's father.

Quotes

 * "A-Hunting We Will Go" (3-8)

Holling: I'd rather get my brains blown out in the wild than wait in terror at the.


 * "The Three Amigos" (3-16)

Holling (to Shelly): What a time we had: splashed through s, ate like s, slept like s.


 * "Sleeping with the Enemy" (4-24)

Holling: Well I'd like to talk to you, if I may. Shelly: Oh, H, I almost forgot. Did you remember to call Tiny Toddlers and line up the little guy's beetle-grass mat and desk? Holling: Well, I'll phone tomorrow. Right now I have a more pressing concern. Shelly: Well, shoot, big guy. Holling: Well you remember that time I told you about when I was stranded out on that ? Shelly: Mmm-hmm. Holling: My had loosed from its  and drifted out and far away. Shelly: And you almost froze your tush off, but the dried out and you strangled a  and made. Holling: My only way back to shore was to ice floe, the threat of  a mere misstep away. Shelly: But you made it back. Holling: Yes. And do you know why? Shelly: 'Cause you are one rugged. Holling: True. But, see, Shelly, I didn't want to leave that island. Not right then. I was forced to. Shelly: Forced? By who? ? Holling: It was my needs. Shelly: Your what? Holling: My needs. Shelly: Your s? Holling: My needs. My wants, my desires. Shelly: Oh. Holling: My needs welled up within me and once they got started there was no way of stopping them. They were like a thirst that needed to be quenched...a hunger that needed to be fed. My needs needed to find a proper refuge. And they wouldn't quit until they did. Shelly: Your needs? Holling: Yes, my needs! Shelly, my God, I'm talking about my needs. I'm talking about. Shelly: Johnny? Holling: It was Johnny that forced me off of that island. It was Johnny that needed a woman, bad. And he didn't care if I died or not. I mean because if he didn't find her I was just gonna bust. Shelly: Wow! So you swam in frozen water and walked through snow all for Johnny? Holling: Yeah. Shelly: That is a great story, hon. Holling: Yeah. Shelly: I think I'll go take an. My s are killing me, and my are acting up on me, too.


 * "Mister Sandman" (5-12)

Holling (reacting to his dreams): I'm my mother. I'm my father. I'm ?!


 * "The Mommy's Curse" (6-14)

Holling: A man's hat is his pride, Maurice!



Holling: A new hat... fun for a while.. a little variety, change you know, something different. For a good fit, and a comfortable feeling there is nothing like an old hat. You know what I mean? Maurice: I know that you mean. Holling: Well then? Maurice: Well.