Beginning in 1990, Law & Order examined criminal situations from the perspectives of both police investigations and judicial prosecutions. Before being abruptly discontinued in 2010, the program had a record-breaking 20 successful seasons and received 50 Emmy nominations. The drama had gradually lost viewers in the seasons before its demise, which prompted NBC to terminate it, per Deadline. In its stead, a spin-off called Law & Order: Los Angeles was broadcast, however, it was unsuccessful and only ran for one season. According to The Futon Critic, in May 2011, NBC Entertainment’s then-chairman, Bob Greenblatt, told reporters: “Law & Order: LA I think we just didn’t get it off the ground right.”
Law & Order also gave rise to the popular spinoffs Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which has been credited for creating the true crime obsession and employs the same concept as the original series to investigate sexual offenses, and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, which looks into high-profile cases while sometimes adopting the perspective of the offender. If that wasn’t complex enough, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has its own spinoff called Law & Order: Organized Crime that debuted in 2021 and centers on an elite team that looks into the city’s gangs and organized crime. Law & Order returned to television in 2022 after 10 years off the air, according to Parade. The Law & Order franchise features actors that have appeared in hundreds of episodes thanks to its numerous seasons across several shows. Here are their stories…
Mariska Hargitay — 540+ Episodes
Actress Mariska Hargitay plays Olivia Benson on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Her character has also crossed over to other shows within the Law & Order universe. Besides being in Law & Order, fans might know Hargitay from her role in the television movie Plain Truth, in 1999’s crocodile thriller, Lake Placid, and in the medical drama ER. Hargitay has had over 150 awards nominations and more than 50 awards wins, six of which are Primetime Emmys.
Ice-T — 500+ Episodes
NBCUniversal Television Distribution
Odafin “Fin” Tutuola is portrayed by actor Ice-T in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Additionally, his character has appeared in other Law & Order-related programs. Ice-T is well-known as a rapper, songwriter, and producer in addition to his role in Law & Order. He has voiced a character in the animated movie Ugly Dolls, appeared in the short film Apartment 309, and starred in On the Edge. With just 14 awards nominations and four awards wins, Ice-T has had a modest career.
Dann Florek — 400+ Episodes
When Law & Order originally aired in 1990, Dann Florek took on the role of Captain Cragen. In 1999, he made a comeback in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit spinoff. He exercised his supervisory authority for around two-and-a-half decades while on-screen. Hardball, The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer, and Smart Guy are just a few of the series and movies where Florek has appeared. His more recent work has included theater, including parts in plays like the 2016 Broadway production of The Front Page and the 2019 play The Joy Wheel.
Sam Waterston — 390+ Episodes
Sam Waterston, an actor and producer, portrays Jack McCoy in Law & Order. He is also known for his work on Serial Mom and The Great Gatsby. Waterston frequently portrays Abraham Lincoln (three times) and other Presidents of the United States. He has recently been in The Newsroom, On the Basis of Sex, and Grace and Frankie. In 1984, Waterston starred in The Killing Fields, for which he received an Oscar nomination. He has since gained 30-plus awards nominations and seven wins.
S. Epatha Merkerson — 380+ Episodes
S. Epatha Merkerson has a long list of Broadway and Off-Broadway credits and honors, including a Drama Desk Award and a Tony Award nominations, for her performance in the August Wilson play The Piano Lesson, an Obie Award for her performance in I’m Not Stupid, and a Helen Hayes Award for her starring role in the Studio Theater production of the play The Old Settler. She is best known since 1993 as the astute and cunning Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the long-running television show Law & Order. A guest starring role on an episode of The Cosby Show marked her debut on television. Merkerson has the distinction of being a past Image Award nominee for Law & Order for three consecutive years by the NAACP.
Christopher Meloni — 320+ Episodes
Christopher Meloni has captured the interest of both male and female viewers, becoming a breakout sensation on the small screen while portraying either side of the police. His emotionally appealing characterization of a psychopathic killer in the riveting cable television prison drama Oz originally captured viewers’ attention. As the unconventional criminal investigator Elliot Stabler on the hit drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, he really came into his own. Along with these projects, Meloni has appeared in Man of Steel, Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, The Last Don, Leaving L.A., and NYPD Blue. He has started playing Detective Stabler again on the Law & Order: Organized Crime spin-off. Reports of Meloni having too big of an ego on set surfaced in 2022, but the actor has since responded to dispel the notions.
Richard Belzer — 320+ Episodes
The character of John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, which he played from 2011 to 2016, is the one for whom Richard Belzer is most known. Scarface, Homicide: Life on the Streets, Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and 30 Rock are some of his other notable appearances. Belzer was nominated for Favorite Scene Stealing Star at the 2008 People’s Choice Awards as well as Best Support Actor at the 2010 Hoboken International Film Festival. He is notorious for using darkly colored spectacles in his movies and television shows.
Jerry Orbach — 270+ Episodes
NBCUniversal
For around 12 years, Jerry Orbach played Leonard “Lennie” Briscoe on Law & Order and all of its spinoffs. His performances in movies and television shows such as Universal Soldier, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and the King of Thieves, Murder, She Wrote, and Dirty Dancing have earned him recognition. Sadly, Orbach lost his fight with prostate cancer ten years after his diagnosis, in December 2004, at the age of 69. Throughout his lengthy career, he received three Primetime Emmy nominations.
Leslie Hendrix — 260+ Episodes
Leslie Hendrix played Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers, the medical examiner, in Law & Order, Law & Order: Criminal Intent, as well as a few more Law & Order spinoffs. Hendrix made her Broadway debut in 1992 in A Streetcar Named Desire as Jessica Lange’s understudy. Her other notable roles include those in Arthur, All My Children, and Gotham. Hendrix’s most recent films are Sleeping with Danger, Power Book II: Ghost, Ann Rule’s A Murder to Remember, and About a Teacher.
Kelli Giddish — 250+ Episodes
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s Season 8, Episode 12, “Outsider,” featured actress Kelli Giddish in the role of a rape victim. She was given the starring role of Detective Amanda Rollins in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and other of the show’s spin-offs because of how well-liked she was by the show’s production. Giddish is well-known for her parts in The Burg, Chase, and All My Children. She most recently performed The Narrator in The Brief Tragedy of Ernest Carter and Sophia Russo in The Good Wife.
Steven Hill — 220+ Episodes
Steven Hill is the stage name of actor Solomon Krakovsky, who was born to Russian Jewish immigrants. His acting career took off after he co-starred with Hedy Lamarr in A Lady Without a Passport in 1950. The Firm, Kiss Her Goodbye, Playhouse 90, Ben Casey, Mission: Impossible, King, On Valentine’s Day, Raw Deal, and Billy Bathgate are just a few of the movies and television programs he went on to feature in throughout the years. After taking a sabbatical from acting for more than 20 years, Hill resumed acting when he was cast as a last-minute substitute for a prominent position in Law & Order. In this role, he played Adam Schiff, a logical District Attorney that everyone came to adore. Hill sadly passed away in 2016 at the age of 94 after a cancer battle.
Jesse L. Martin — 190+ Episodes
Jesse Lamont Watkins became known as Jesse L. Martin. After his parents’ divorce, he and his siblings took the surname of his mother’s second husband. His breakout performance was in the Pulitzer Prize–winning Broadway musical Rent by Jonathan Larson. His first leading part in the television series 413 Hope St. followed that with further acclaim. Ed Green is portrayed by Jesse Martin on Law & Order and its spinoffs. His performances in The Flash, Smash, The Letter Carrier, and A Muppets Christmas: Letters to Santa have also earned him recognition.
Kathryn Erbe — 140+ Episodes
On Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Alexandra “Alex” Eames is portrayed by Kathryn Erbe. Her Law & Order: Criminal Intent character served as a gestational surrogate for her infertile sister in order to include Erbe’s real-life pregnancy in the show. Erbe is well-known for her parts in Stir of Echoes, What About Bob?, and D2: The Mighty Ducks in addition to the Law & Order franchise. For her performance in 2021’s Red Pill, she most recently took up the Best Actress prize at the Barcelona Planet Film Festival.
Vincent D’Onofrio — 140+ Episodes
In the television program Law & Order: Criminal Intent, Vincent D’Onofrio played Robert Goren, the lead detective. The off-Broadway play This Property Is Condemned was where he had his first paid performance. In the years that followed, D’Onofrio appeared in the Jurassic World series, Full Metal Jacket, Men in Black, Ed Wood, and other films. He recently appeared in roles on Marvel’s Hawkeye (as mob boss Kingpin), Godfather of Harlem, Night of the Cooters, and Ratched. Throughout his career, in addition to numerous nominations, he has been nominated for one Primetime Emmy.
