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Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

NBC 1999

In the criminal justice system, sexually-based offenses are considered especially heinous. In New York City, the dedicated detectives who investigate these vicious felonies are members of an elite squad known as the Special Victims Unit. These are their stories.
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The Top 10 Actors and Characters of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Ranked Cast in 2024)

Mariska Hargitay

#1 - Mariska Hargitay (Olivia Benson)

Mariska Hargitay (born Mariska Magdolna Hargitay; January 23, 1964, height 5' 7¾" (1,72 m))  is an American actress, best known for her role as New York City sex crimes Detective Olivia Benson on on the NBC television drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has earned her multiple awards and nominations, including an Emmy and Golden Globe. The daughter of actress Jayne Mansfield and actor/bodybuilder Mickey Hargitay, Hargitay is a former beauty queen who made her film debut in the 1985 horror-comedy film Ghoulies, and her major television debut in the 1986 adventure drama series, Downtown. She appeared in numerous roles in film and television shows throughout the late 1980s and 1990s before being cast as Olivia Benson, a role that led to her founding the Joyful Heart Foundation, which provides support to women who have been sexually abused.

Mariska Hargitay plays as Olivia Benson in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Mariska Hargitay is the top #1 member of the cast and appears in 484 episodes.

Ice-T

#2 - Ice-T (Fin Tutuola)

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Tracy Morrow (born February 16, 1958), better known by his stage name Ice-T, is an American musician and actor. He was born in Newark, New Jersey and moved to district Crenshaw, Los Angeles, California when he was in the 7th grade. After graduating from high school he served in the United States Army for four years. He began his career as a rapper in the 1980s and was signed to Sire Records in 1987, when he released his debut album Rhyme Pays. The next year, he founded the record label Rhyme Syndicate Records (named after his collective of fellow hip hop artists called the Rhyme Syndicate) and released another album, Power. He co-founded the thrash metal band Body Count, which he introduced in his 1991 album O.G.: Original Gangster. Body Count released its self-titled debut album in 1992. Ice-T encountered controversy over his track "Cop Killer", which was perceived to glamorize killing police officers. Ice-T asked to be released from his contract with Warner Bros. Records, and his next solo album, Home Invasion was released later in the Fall of 1993 through Priority Records. Body Count's next album was released in 1994, and Ice-T released two more albums in the late 1990s. Since 2000, he has portrayed NYPD Detective Odafin Tutuola on the NBC police drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Ice-T plays as Fin Tutuola in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Ice-T is the top #2 member of the cast and appears in 484 episodes.

Richard Belzer

#3 - Richard Belzer (John Munch)

Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944) is an American stand-up comedian, author,  and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Richard Belzer plays as John Munch in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Richard Belzer is the top #3 member of the cast and appears in 319 episodes.

Kelli Giddish

#4 - Kelli Giddish (Amanda Rollins)

​From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Kelli Giddish (born April 13, 1980) is an American actress from Cumming, Georgia. Description above from the Wikipedia article Kelli Giddish, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Kelli Giddish plays as Amanda Rollins in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Kelli Giddish is the top #4 member of the cast and appears in 212 episodes.

Peter Scanavino

#5 - Peter Scanavino (Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr.)

Peter Scanavino (born February 29, 1980) is an American actor. Since 2005, Scanavino has had dozens of minor roles in films and on television, most notably Deception (2008), The Good Wife, and The Blacklist. In 2005, Scanavino guest-starred on the NBC crime-drama series Law & Order: Criminal Intent in the fifth-season episode "Diamond Dogs" as petty criminal Johnny Feist. He was also a guest on Law & Order as a suspect who was a graphic designer in the 2009 episode "Just A Girl in the World". In 2013, Scanavino guest-starred on the long-running NBC crime-drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in Season 14, Episode 13, "Monster's Legacy", as Johnny Dubcek. The same year, he starred in the independent romantic-comedy film Mutual Friends, directed by Matthew Watts. In 2014, Scanavino joined SVU in its sixteenth season, this time as Dominick Carisi Jr., nicknamed Sonny, a new SVU detective. Initially in a recurring capacity, Scanavino was promoted to the main cast in the fifth episode of the same season. According to SVU Executive Producer Warren Leight, Carisi "comes in and shakes things up" and is "a guy who maybe needs a little bit of refining." Scanavino noted that Carisi is "a total outsider. He's brusque and he doesn't really get the nuances and he's not very experienced so he puts his foot in his mouth a lot of times. But he's learning. He's picking it up. I think he's a good detective, but he's got a lot to learn on how to approach cases." Scanavino starred in an episode of Netflix's 2020 anthology series Social Distance as the father of his real-life son Leo Bai-Scanavino.

Peter Scanavino plays as Dominick "Sonny" Carisi Jr. in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Peter Scanavino is the top #5 member of the cast and appears in 141 episodes.

Stephanie March

#6 - Stephanie March (Alexandra Cabot)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Stephanie Caroline March (born July 23, 1974) is an American actress, best known for her portrayal of Alexandra Cabot on the television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Description above from the Wikipedia article Stephanie March, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Stephanie March plays as Alexandra Cabot in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Stephanie March is the top #6 member of the cast and appears in 94 episodes.

Diane Neal

#7 - Diane Neal (Casey Novak)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Diane Neal (born November 17, 1975 in Alexandria, Virginia) is an American actress widely known for her role as Casey Novak on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Diane Neal plays as Casey Novak in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Diane Neal is the top #7 member of the cast and appears in 86 episodes.

Dann Florek

#8 - Dann Florek (Donald Cragen)

Ezekial Dann Florek (born May 1, 1950) is an American actor and director. He is best known for his role as New York City Police Captain Donald Cragen on NBC's Law & Order and its spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Description above from the Wikipedia article Dann Florek, licensed under CC-BY-SA,full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Dann Florek plays as Donald Cragen in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Dann Florek is the top #8 member of the cast and appears in 66 episodes.

Danny Pino

#9 - Danny Pino (Miguel Galindo)

Danny Pino  (born April 15, 1974) is an American actor of Cuban descent.

Danny Pino plays as Miguel Galindo in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Danny Pino is the top #9 member of the cast and appears in 40 episodes.

Philip Winchester

#10 - Philip Winchester (Peter Stone)

Philip C. Winchester (born March 24, 1981) is an American actor.

Philip Winchester plays as Peter Stone in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Philip Winchester is the top #10 member of the cast and appears in 24 episodes.

Last updated: mar 28, 2024

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