The American television police procedural and legal drama Law & Order (1990–2010) follows the cases of a group of police detectives and prosecutors who represent the public interest in the criminal justice system.
Three of the regular characters have appeared as regulars in other NBC series: Captain Donald Cragen (Florek), who was on the first three seasons of Law & Order; ADA Alexandra Cabot (March), who led the cast of Conviction; and Sergeant John Munch (Belzer), as Baltimore detective in Homicide: Life on the Street.
Known for its revolving cast, most of the original stars had left the show within the first five seasons; though Dann Florek reprised his role of Capt. Donald Cragen on the spin-off series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from 1999 to 2014, and Chris Noth reprised his role of Det. Mike Logan on Law & Order: Criminal Intent from 2005 to 2008.
Emil Skoda was portrayed by J. K. Simmons from 1997 to 2010 ( Law & Order ). Emil Skoda is a psychiatrist who works with the New York Police Department. In addition to his own private practice, he often testifies for the prosecution as an expert witness on whether a defendant is legally sane to stand trial.
Samuel Atkinson WaterstonSamuel Atkinson Waterston is an actor who played Executive ADA Jack McCoy (later District Attorney) on Law & Order. He replaced Michael Moriarty as the series' Executive ADA, and later Fred Dalton Thompson as DA of the series. He first appeared in the Season 5 episode "Second Opinion".
Abigail M. Carmichael is a fictional character on the TV drama Law & Order created by René Balcer and portrayed by model/actress Angie Harmon. The character was regularly featured from 1998 to 2001. She appeared in 78 episodes (72 episodes of Law & Order, and six episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit).
Cast and crew changes Prior to the end of the season, Annie Parisse – who portrayed ADA Borgia – quit the series, wanting out of her contract. A show insider said to Fox News, "She saw the writing on the wall, they never treated her very well. They were always complaining about her hair.
There's just not any way to write it with more facets." Hennessy went on to say that she was wary of getting typecast because of her performance on the show, adding, "One of the reasons you see actors moving on is that it's so easy to become typecast.
Ben Stone was later replaced by Jack McCoy, and, due to his reputation for sleeping with his assistants, the first thing that Kincaid told him was that she would not be sleeping with him. (L&O: "Second Opinion") The two argued multiple times over trial strategies, but eventually became lovers.
In the episode "Scoundrels", McCoy reveals that defense attorney Sally Bell (Edie Falco) had been one of those ADAs. He at one point was revealed to have had a romantic relationship with his frequent courtroom adversary, defense attorney Vanessa Galiano (Roma Maffia).
Malcolm said Orbach, who began a new round of chemotherapy last spring, told the cast and crew of “Law & Order” that he had prostate cancer in April before leaving the show to play Briscoe in an upcoming spinoff series, “Law & Order: Trial by Jury.”
At the conclusion of the episode, Cabot is apparently killed in a drive-by shooting while saying goodnight to Benson and Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni). In the following scene, a cold, quiet SVU squad room is shown with Stabler reading a newspaper proclaiming her death.
Alexandra Borgia (d. April 26, 2006) was an Assistant District Attorney on Law & Order from 2005-2006. She was kidnapped, brutally beaten, and killed in the episode "Invaders", and was succeeded in the District Attorney's office by Connie Rubirosa.
Jerry Orbach (Detective Lennie Briscoe) left the show after 12 years to star in the spin-off Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005). He died of prostate cancer on December 28, 2004 at the age of 69 after filming only two episodes of the series.
After leaving the hit series after the birth of her second son, Jill took time out to be a mom and also return to her first love music. The multi-talented star, who sang on the soundtrack album for Crossing Jordan, hit the recording studio to work on her debut disc writing all the music and lyrics herself.
After Law & Order In 2000, the character of Schiff was written out of the show to accommodate Hill's resignation. Within the story arc of the show, Schiff leaves the DA's office to accept a role in coordinating commemorations of the Holocaust Project. He goes on to work with Simon Wiesenthal.
Portrayed by Dann Florek. Episodes: " Payback " – " Amaro's One-Eighty ", " Perverted Justice ". Donald Cragen is the Captain of the Special Victims Unit. Florek originally portrayed the character from 1990 to 1993 in the original Law & Order series.
The characters of Olivia Benson and Elliot Stabler were named for creator Dick Wolf 's children. Wolf's third child, daughter Sarina, had a character named for her, Benson's mother was named Serena, as well as former ADA Serena Southerlyn on the original Law & Order and Det. Serena Stevens on Law & Order: Criminal Intent .
Cragen was written out of Law & Order in 1993, as he is transferred to Anti-Corruption Task Force, occasionally making guest appearances on the show. The character was brought back full-time in 1999 to be the Captain of the Special Victims Unit.
Since its debut in September 1999, the series has followed the career of Olivia Benson, as she progresses from the rank of Detective, working with a partner (initially Elliot Stabler, and later Nick Amaro ), to Lieutenant, replacing Donald Cragen as commanding officer of SVU, and then to Captain.
Portrayed by Robert John Burke. Episodes: " Counterfeit " – " The Longest Night of Rain ". Ed Tucker is an officer in the Internal Affairs Bureau of the NYPD who has frequently been assigned to question the SVU squad whenever there is an allegation of misconduct.
Elliot Stabler was portrayed by Christopher Meloni from 1999 to 2011. Portrayed by Christopher Meloni. Episodes: " Payback " – " Smoked ", " Return of the Prodigal Son ". Elliot Stabler was a senior detective in Manhattan's 16th Precinct, also known as the Special Victims Unit, which investigates sex crimes.
Christine Lahti was originally slated to guest-star in a single four episode-arc as Executive ADA Sonya Paxton, in the eleventh season of the long-running Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, while producers found a permanent replacement for outgoing ADA Alexandra Cabot ( Stephanie March ).
Nicholson was born and raised in Medford, Massachusetts (outside Boston), and is the eldest of four siblings. She is the daughter of Kate (Gilday) and James O. Nicholson, Jr., and is of Irish heritage. Nicholson moved to New York which led to a modeling career in Paris. She attended Hunter College ...
Samantha Buck was born on December 20, 1974 in Dallas, Texas, USA as Samantha Susan Buck. She is an actress and director, known for Best Kept Secret (2013), Fearless (2006) and Person of Interest (2011). She has been married to Marie Schlingmann since May 6, 2016.
Actor/singer songwriter Alicia Witt has had a nearly three-decade long career, starting with her film debut, in 1984, as "Alia" in David Lynch 's science fiction classic, Dune (1984). Witt was born in Worcester, Massachusetts, to Diane (Pietro), a high school teacher, and Robert Witt, a photographer ...
Jenna Stern was born in Los Angeles, California, and is the daughter of British-born, Oscar-nominated actress Samantha Eggar and American producer Tom Stern. Her brother, Nicolas Stern, is a Producer for film and television and lives with his family in Los Angeles. She graduated U.C. Berkeley in ...
Deirdre Lovejoy was born on June 30, 1962 in Abilene, Texas, USA as Deirdre Helen Lovejoy. She is an actress, known for Raising Dion (2019), The Blacklist (2013) and The Wire (2002).
Cynthia Nixon was born in New York City on April 9, 1966, to Anne Elizabeth Knoll, an actress, and Walter E. Nixon, Jr., a radio journalist. She has German and English ancestry. Nixon made a memorable film debut in Little Darlings (1980). Her Broadway credits include "The Last Night of Ballyhoo," "...
Mireille Enos was born in Houston, Texas, to Monique, a teacher, and Jon Goree Enos. Her Texas-born American father, and French mother, met while her father was serving on a Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She is the fourth of five children and grew up in Houston, Texas...
Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images. With "Law and Order: Organized Crime," Christopher Meloni returned to his most famous role, that of Detective Elliot Stabler, which is the polar opposite of a part he had in an HBO series in 1989, which he categorized as "immensely forgettable" to Your Tango.
As one of the major TV franchises that shoots in New York instead of Los Angeles, the various "Law and Order" series have frequently made use of the huge talent pool of Broadway-level actors living and working in the city.
Maggie Q, best known for her work on "Nikita" and "Insurgent," whom he met when both were cast members of the CBS drama "Stalker.". They called off their four-year engagement, per People, in 2019.
He's starred on one-season wonders like "Big Shots," "Hostages," and "L.A. to Vegas" and longer-lasting fare like "American Horror Story" and "Law and Order: Organized Crime," where he portrays mob-connected businessman Richard Wheatley, whose pharmaceutical company might hide an illegal drug smuggling operation.
Fortunately, as detailed in "A Year and Six Seconds," she found love again, with fellow writer Peter Lattman. He's a financial reporter and features writer who wrote for such high-end print media stalwarts as The New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Dylan McDermott has an active love life. Since his high-profile, Emmy-nominated role as good-guy lawyer Bobby Donnell on "The Practice" in 1997, not too much time passes without Dylan McDermott gracing a high-profile television series.