We've Already Lost Too Many Law & Order Cast Members

Dick Wolf's iconic "Law & Order" franchise has employed thousands of actors since it first launched in 1990. There are a ton of spin-off shows and even a made-for-TV film, and though the original series was canceled in 2010, Deadline reported in 2021 that it was being revived for another go-around. 

So many people have guest-starred on one incarnation of "Law & Order" or another — or, in many cases, several versions of the show — that Timothée Chalamet called it "the mothership" during a 2019 appearance on "The Ellen DeGeneres Show." He quipped that the show and its various spinoffs "give everybody their start, kind of, in acting."

Unfortunately, the "Law & Order" universe having so many alums over so many decades means that not all of the actors fans came to know and love are still with us. Though their performances live on in syndication, playing repeatedly during endless "Law & Order" marathons, some major leads and some regular guest stars have passed away since they first told us "their stories." We've already lost too many "Law & Order" actors, and we've got a roundup of actors you may not know have died below.

On "Law & Order," Jerry Orbach played Lennie Briscoe, one of the show's most iconic, enduring characters. Orbach appeared in just about every episode between 1991 and 2004, and he even crossed over to several "Law & Order" spinoffs, including "SVU," "Criminal Intent," and "Trial By Jury." When he appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" a few months before his death, Orbach reacted to news that he'd been named one of New York's Living Landmarks, first joking that it made him feel "old." "It was great. It was terrific," he said. "They made this thing of Living Landmarks, and I guess it means they can't tear me down."

Orbach was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004, and writer Walon Green recalled that by the time the actor shot his final episode of the spinoff series "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," he could only whisper. "He was losing his voice, and the day we were shooting his last scene in the show, he couldn't speak above a whisper. ... I said, 'Just shoot it,' Green recalled in a Television Academy Foundation interview. He remembered reassuring Orbach that they'd be able to work it out, adding, "So he did, he shot the scene and he finished the show. And then he died."

At Orbach's funeral (via Today), longtime costar Sam Waterston recalled, "​​He always knew his lines — and yours too." The actor added, "He chose a certain life, lived it as himself — and it worked out."

Fred Thompson once represented Tennessee in the United States Senate, but he left politics in 2002 and joined the cast of "Law & Order." Thompson would go on to play D.A. Arthur Branch in four separate "Law & Order" shows, and though his two careers seemed disparate, he disagreed. "Nowadays a politician is in front of the camera almost as much as an actor is, so it's not that much of a difference," he said in a behind-the-scenes feature (via The New York Times). He was cast in part because he was willing to bring right-wing ideology to TV, which creator Dick Wolf thought the show needed in the aftermath of 9/11. "There were times we couldn't get anyone on the show to say anything good about the [Bush] administration," recalled executive producer Michael Chernuchin. "Actors would just refuse."

Thompson was on the show for five years until he left to run for President. John McCain won the Republican nomination that year, and Thompson went back to acting until he died in 2015 from cancer. His "L&O" co-star Alana De La Garza tweeted, "A remarkable and lovely man. I feel honored to have worked with him and his family is in my prayers." 

Upon news of Thompson's death, Wolf sent in a statement to The Wrap. "Fred was one of the only people that I've met who was truly a renaissance man," he said. "Prosecutor, politician, actor, raconteur –- no matter what he did, he did it incredibly well." 

Steven Hill played District Attorney Adam Schiff for ten years on "Law & Order," joining the series' first season in 1990 after a long career that included a pivotal role on "Mission: Impossible." Despite the show being full of crime, Hill liked the underlying positivity of the franchise, telling The New York Times, "There's a certain positive statement in this show. So much is negative today. The positive must be stated to rescue us from pandemonium. To me it lies in that principle: law and order."

He left the show in 2000, and he did not act again before ultimately passing away in 2016. Per Variety, series creator Dick Wolf recalled, "Steven was not only one of the truly great actors of his generation, he was one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. He is also the only actor I've known who consistently tried to cut his own lines."

Oscar-winning actor Martin Landau remembered how a young Hill had set the New York theater scene on fire. "When I first became an actor, there were two young actors in New York: Marlon Brando and Steven Hill," he said, per "Ball of Fire." "A lot of people said that Steven would have been the one, not Marlon. He was legendary. Nuts, volatile, mad, and his work was exciting."

Dennis Farina was a police officer before he became an actor, and he told the The New York Times in 2004, "I really don't think there's such a thing as an ex-policeman." He sure played enough of them, including Detective Joe Fontana for 46 episodes of "Law & Order." Known for his iconic mustache, Farina joined the show in Season 15 and even put in an appearance on "Trial by Jury." Given his interview to the New York Times, it's easy to see why he was happy to work there. "I just think 'Law & Order' is the gold standard," he said. "History is going to show that it's probably one of the best series of shows that has been on television."

Farina died in 2013 "from a blood clot in his lung" at the age of 69, per his obituary in The Guardian. In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, "Law & Order" creator Dick Wolf said, "I was stunned and saddened to hear about Dennis' unexpected passing this morning. The 'Law & Order' family extends sympathy and condolences to his family. He was a great guy."

Early in his career, Farina had made a guest appearance on "China Beach," a medical drama set during the Vietnam War. After his death, "China Beach" star Dana Delany tweeted, "Aww, Dennis Farina. He had a twinkle in his eye that could charm you & ice you at the same time. Too young."

Philip Bosco appeared as numerous characters on various "Law & Order" shows, including recurring as Judge Joseph P. Terhune on "SVU" and defense attorney Gordon Schell on the flagship series. In addition to a film career that included roles in "Working Girl" and "The First Wives Club," Bosco was a well-respected theater actor, having been in more than 50 productions on Broadway. In 1989, he won a Tony Award for his lead role in the play "Lend Me A Tenor." He memorably dedicated his award to his fellow cast members, but added, "It will of course be at my house in Teaneck. And you're absolutely welcome to come any time you like to see it."

Bosco passed away in 2018 from complications due to dementia, per his obituary in the Los Angeles Times.

Laura Linney, who acted opposite Bosco in the 2007 film "The Savages," memorialized him on Instagram. Alongside a photo of the late actor, she wrote in part, "He was a titan in the theatre world, and I was lucky enough to watch him work in person in The Savages ... He was a great man, a great actor, and heaven to be with. Very few gave as much to the theatre as this wonderful, kind man."

Ron Silver played defense attorney Bernie Adler on several episodes of both the original "Law & Order" series and "Law & Order: Trial By Jury." Silver was also known for being politically active in life, giving an unplanned speech in support of the National Endowment for the Arts at the Tony Awards in 1989. The following year, he told The Washington Post, "People are so afraid to say what they honestly think, make a decision or take sides. To me, neglect and indifference are states devoutly to be avoided in a democracy." On an episode of "Off the Record" (via The Washington Post), Silver elaborated, "​​Involvement in public affairs is a legitimate use of celebrity."

After 9/11, Silver switched from liberal politics to more conservative ones, supporting George W. Bush for re-election and speaking out in favor of the Iraq War. In a 2007 blog post on PJ Media, he recalled (via The Hollywood Reporter) that his support for Bush made him a target on the set of "The West Wing." "Often when I walked onto the set of 'The West Wing' some of my colleagues would greet me with a chanting of 'Ron, Ron, the neo-con,'" he wrote. "It was all done in fun but it had an edge."

Silver died in 2009 of esophageal cancer. Robin Bronk, executive director of the Creative Coalition — which Silver had co-founded — told The Philadelphia Inquirer, "He was a talented actor, a scholar, and a great believer in participatory democracy. He was an activist who became a great artist and his contributions will never be forgotten."

Iconic character actor James Rebhorn recurred on "Law & Order" as defense attorney Charles Garnett, playing the character numerous times between 1995 and 2002. Unlike a lot of shows, "Law & Order" has no problem re-using people in other roles; accordingly, Rebhorn played a different character before Garnett in 1992 and a third in 2008. 

Rebhorn, who also had roles in films like "The Talented Mr. Ripley" and "My Cousin Vinny," died from melanoma in 2014. He was first diagnosed in 1992, and because he was aware he was sick for so long, the actor penned his own obituary, per The Hollywood Reporter. In it, he made sure to give credit to those whose work allowed him to do what he did. "​​Jim was fortunate enough to earn his living doing what he loved," he wrote. "He was a professional actor. His unions were always there for him, and he will remain forever grateful for the benefits he gained as a result of the union struggle. ... He was a lucky man in every way."

Roland Emmerich, who directed Rebhorn in "Independence Day," tweeted, "It's a sad day. I just learned James Rebhorn passed. Such a great talent and always a joy to work with." Director Richard Kelly shared, "I loved working with the great James Rebhorn on THE BOX. He was one of our most reliable and underrated character actors. RIP."

Character actor Mark Blum played six different characters across three "Law & Order" shows, including "Criminal Intent" and "SVU," in addition to recurring on the main show as Assistant D.A. Frank Lazar. Blum told The New York Times in 1980, "I never for a minute [in high school] considered [acting] for a career. I was raised in one of those basic middle-class Jewish families in the suburbs, and that just wasn't something somebody thought about." In addition to his roles on "Law & Order," fans might remember Blum from the Amazon Prime Video show "Mozart in the Jungle," where he played Union Bob, and on Netflix's "You," where he was the friendly bookseller who helped a young Joe escape his terrible family life.

Blum passed away in March 2020 from complications due to the coronavirus, becoming one of the first high-profile people to die during the pandemic. Madonna remembered her "Desperately Seeking Susan" costar on Instagram, writing, "I Want to Acknowledge the Passing of a remarkable Human, fellow actor and friend Mark Blum, who succumbed to Coronavirus. This is really tragic and my heart goes out to him, his family and his loved ones. I remember him as funny warm, loving and professional when we made Desperately Seeking Susan."

"Mark Blum was a truly wonderful actor, but more importantly, was a funny, sensitive, and beautiful man," recalled his "Mozart in the Jungle" co-star Malcolm McDowell on Twitter. The first episode of "You" Season 3 was dedicated to the actor (via Entertainment Weekly).

Character actor Doris Belack played Judge Margaret Barry on both "Law & Order" and "SVU." Judge Barry was the quintessential "Law & Order" judge, according to fans on Twitter, who share things like, "She was the Law and Order judge we all loved." Belack enjoyed a long career before joining the long-running crime procedural, including spending almost a decade on "One Life to Live" and playing a producer in "Tootsie." In 1979, she offered sage wisdom to The New York Times: "You can't act, you mustn't act, you shouldn't act, unless it's the only thing in the world you want to do."

Belack's husband of 65 years was Philip Rose, legendary Broadway producer. Per Variety, he died four months before she did in 2011. Looking back on her friend's life, actor Elizabeth Perry recalled Belack's crucial role in getting Lorraine Hansberry's groundbreaking play "A Raisin in the Sun" brought to Broadway in the 1950s. Perry noted that Belack believed strongly in the play because of her beliefs about civil rights at the time. "She not only supported the idea, she worked and supported them both while Philip went around raising money to produce 'Raisin,'" Perry recalled to The New York Times. "She was a strong liberal voice, and she had a lot of influence over his choices."

Larry Sherman played Judge Colin Fraser in numerous episodes of "Law & Order" between 1994 and 2005, including "American Jihad," a classic episode of the show. Before he finally found recognition in the '90s, the actor had uncredited roles in a number of iconic films ranging from Alfred Hitchcock's "North By Northwest" all the way up through "When Harry Met Sally."

Sherman died in 2017 while in hospice care due to an unspecified illness. Reflecting on his father's time on "Law & Order," his son Charles told Deadline, "My Dad loved working with Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston. He came up with Walter Matthau, Paul Newman, Sidney Poitier and that crowd."

Sherman had an entirely different job before joining the "Law & Order" stable of actors, although the position probably required him to play pretend just as often as his later on-screen career did: He was once Donald Trump's first publicist. His son Charles told Variety, "My dad got Trump his first '60 Minutes' interview, his first 'Sports Illustrated cover,' and a lot of other press." He added that he had met Trump "at the Vanity Fair Oscar parties, and once when I went to one of the presidential debates," recalling Trump saying of his father, "Great, great, guy! Love Larry. Best PR guy I ever had."

Prolific character actor Lynn Cohen played five different roles across three "Law & Order" shows. She was best known for recurring as Judge Elizabeth Mizener on the flagship series, playing the character numerous times between 1993 and 2006. Outside of the "L&O" franchise, fans will recognize Cohen for her role as Magda, Miranda's nanny on "Sex and the City," or as the similarly named but entirely unrelated character Mags in "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire."

In an interview with USA Today (via Azcentral), Cohen described how she chooses projects, explaining that she avoided taking cliché roles for women over a certain age. "I'm not interested in doing scripts where a woman is old and useless and sits in a corner and is dying of one thing or another and has Alzheimer's. There are a lot of scripts out there like that," she said. "It's like, have you no imagination? Do you never go to the grocery store and see some mean old lady push you out of the way?" 

When Cohen passed away in 2020, Deadline noted that no cause of death was publicly released. Sarah Jessica Parker memorialized her costar on Instagram, writing, "Beautiful Lynn Cohen. Miranda's dear and necessary Magda. Our dear SATC colleague. Talent, grace, inspiration. RIP."

Actor Ron McLarty played Judge William Wright on numerous episodes of the original "Law & Order," with the character also crossing over to "Law & Order: Trial by Jury." In addition to a long career as an audiobook narrator, McLarty was also an author, and he told Eclectica that he viewed writing as his primary job. "When it became clear to me that the road to publication was bumpy to say the least, I became an actor to support the writing habit. For the most part I've been a supporting player," he said. McLarty noted that he became very good at observing people. "I subconsciously found myself studying folks everywhere I went and filing the information in my big head," he explained. "And besides recalling this for acting gigs, I slowly realized I could use the same tool for writing." 

His novel "The Memory of Running" found a fan in Stephen King, who called it "bighearted and as satisfying as one of your mom's home-cooked Sunday dinners," per Entertainment Weekly. McLarty told BookPage that he found freedom in writing that he couldn't get in the other half of his career. "In acting, you have to audition; you're looking for them to give you permission to do what you do. But I didn't need that for writing," he said.

McLarty died in 2020 after having dementia. His wife, actor Kate Skinner, told The Hollywood Reporter, "He was the light of my life and I am bereft and heartbroken."

Veteran Tony-winning stage actor George Grizzard played defense attorney Arthur Gold on numerous episodes of "Law & Order" between 1992 and 2000. The character frequently tried to distract his opponents with excess paperwork through filing numerous unnecessary motions, per the "Law & Order" wiki. Grizzard also appeared on a number of other iconic television shows, including "The Twilight Zone," "Murder, She Wrote," and "The Cosby Show."

Grizzard originally found fame as part of the original cast of "Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?" on Broadway. He played Nick, the younger student who is taken in by the older drunken couple playing mind games. He told the Associated Press he had no clue the play would be such a huge hit until he heard how audiences reacted. "Then it was like wildfire — the reaction from people and the crowds clamoring to get in. It was startling. 'Virginia Woolf' was such a brilliant play on so many levels. It made people's minds go wild." 

The actor passed away in 2007 from lung cancer. Per "Theater Talk Archive," playwright Edward Albee, who worked with Grizzard in "Virginia Woolf," "Seascape," and "A Delicate Balance," remembered, "I was very fortunate having George in three of my plays. ... He was a first-rate actor. He could play a lot of things."

Robert Hogan played nine separate characters on three different "Law & Order" shows, but he made his biggest impact on the franchise with his recurring role as Judge Hugo Bright on a number of episodes of the flagship series. In 2014, during a fireside chat for a play he was in at the Two River Theater, Hogan reflected on some early career advice he received from vaudeville actor Cliff Hall, his costar in a play called "No Time for Sergeants." "This is where you work," he recalled the older actor saying. "This is where you want to be. So arrange your life differently. Get here as though this is the beginning." It was indeed the beginning, and Hogan was a regular presence on television dating back to the 1960s; Leonardo DiCaprio's character even mentions him by name in Quentin Tarantino's "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood."

Per USA Today, Hogan served in the Army during the Korean War, and he was even the inspiration for the main character's name in the classic show "Hogan's Heroes," according to the book "Hogan's Heroes: Behind the Scenes at Stalag 13." He died in 2021 due to "complications from pneumonia." He had previously been diagnosed with Alzheimer's, and in his obituary, his family requested that donations be made in his name to organizations that help Alzheimer's patients.