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1,303 votes
Law & Order

Law & Order

NBC 1990

In cases ripped from the headlines, police investigate serious and often deadly crimes, weighing the evidence and questioning the suspects until someone is taken into custody. The district attorney's office then builds a case to convict the perpetrator by proving the person guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. Working together, these expert teams navigate all sides of the complex criminal justice system to make New York a safer place.
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The Top 10 Actors and Characters of Law & Order (Ranked Cast in 2024)

Sam Waterston

#1 - Sam Waterston (Jack McCoy)

Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy on the NBC television series Law & Order. He has been nominated for multiple Golden Globe-, Screen Actors Guild-, BAFTA- and Emmy Awards, having starred in over eighty film and television productions during his forty-five year career. Allmovie has characterised Waterston as having "cultivated a loyal following with his quietly charismatic, unfailingly solid performances." Description above from the Wikipedia article Sam Waterston, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Sam Waterston plays as Jack McCoy in Law & Order.
Sam Waterston is the top #1 member of the cast and appears in 391 episodes.

S. Epatha Merkerson

#2 - S. Epatha Merkerson (Anita Van Buren)

S. Epatha Merkerson (born Sharon Epatha Merkerson) is an American film, stage, and television actress. She has won a Golden Globe, Emmy Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, Obie Award, 4 NAACP Image Awards, and 2 Tony Award nominations. She is best known for her role as NYPD Lieutenant Anita Van Buren (1993–2010) on the long-running NBC police procedural drama series Law & Order, as well as the Law & Order TV movie Exiled. She appeared in 390 episodes of the series, more than any other cast member. She has a starring role as Sharon Goodwin on NBC's Chicago Med. She also had a recurring role as Reba (the mail carrier) on Pee-wee's Playhouse, and Ms. St. Marth on the TV series Here and Now. She has appeared in feature films including She's Gotta Have It, Loose Cannons, Jacob's Ladder, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, Random Hearts, Radio, Black Snake Moan, Lincoln (2012), and Peeples. She has also appeared in TV movies including A Place for Annie, A Mother's Prayer, Breaking Through, Lackawanna Blues, and The Gabby Douglas Story.

S. Epatha Merkerson plays as Anita Van Buren in Law & Order.
S. Epatha Merkerson is the top #2 member of the cast and appears in 390 episodes.

Jerry Orbach

#3 - Jerry Orbach (Lennie Briscoe)

Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer. He is best known for his role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the series Law & Order (1992–2004) and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991), as well as for being a noted musical theatre star; his prominent roles included originating the character of El Gallo in The Fantasticks, the longest-running musical play in history, as Chuck Baxter in the original production of Promises, Promises (for which he won a Tony Award), Julian Marsh in 42nd Street, and Billy Flynn in the original production of Chicago. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jerry Orbach, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Jerry Orbach plays as Lennie Briscoe in Law & Order.
Jerry Orbach is the top #3 member of the cast and appears in 259 episodes.

Steven Hill

#4 - Steven Hill (Adam Schiff)

Steven Hill (born Solomon Krakovsky; February 24, 1922 – August 23, 2016) was an American actor. His two better-known roles are district attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series Law & Order, whom he portrayed for 10 seasons (1990–2000), and Dan Briggs, the original team leader of the Impossible Missions Force on the CBS television series Mission: Impossible, whom he portrayed in the initial season of the show (1966–1967). Description above from the Wikipedia article Paulette Goddard, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Steven Hill plays as Adam Schiff in Law & Order.
Steven Hill is the top #4 member of the cast and appears in 229 episodes.

Jesse L. Martin

#5 - Jesse L. Martin (Joe West)

Jesse Lamont Martin (né Watkins; January 18, 1969) is an American actor and singer. He originated the role of Tom Collins on Broadway in the musical Rent and performed on television as NYPD Detective Ed Green on Law & Order and Captain Joe West on The Flash.

Jesse L. Martin plays as Joe West in Law & Order.
Jesse L. Martin is the top #5 member of the cast and appears in 171 episodes.

Fred Dalton Thompson

#6 - Fred Dalton Thompson (Arthur Branch)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.   Fred Dalton Thompson (born Freddie Dalton Thompson; August 19, 1942), is an American politician, actor, attorney, lobbyist, columnist, and radio host. He served as a Republican U.S. Senator from Tennessee from 1994 through 2003. Thompson served as chairman of the International Security Advisory Board at the United States Department of State, was a member of the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and is a Visiting Fellow with the American Enterprise Institute, specializing in national security and intelligence. As an actor, Thompson has appeared in a large number of movies and television shows. He has frequently portrayed governmental figures. In the final months of his U.S. Senate term in 2002, Thompson joined the cast of the long-running NBC television series Law & Order, playing Manhattan District Attorney Arthur Branch. In May 2007 he took a break from acting in order to run for the 2008 Republican presidential nomination. In 2009 he returned to acting with a guest appearance on television series; and is co-starring with Brian Dennehy in the movie Alleged, about the Scopes Monkey Trial. Description above from the Wikipedia article  Fred Dalton Thompson, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Fred Dalton Thompson plays as Arthur Branch in Law & Order.
Fred Dalton Thompson is the top #6 member of the cast and appears in 116 episodes.

Chris Noth

#7 - Chris Noth (Mike Logan)

Chris Noth is an American stage, film and television actor, best known for his roles as Detective Mike Logan on Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, as Mr. Big on Sex and the City, and as Peter Florrick on the CBS series The Good Wife.

Chris Noth plays as Mike Logan in Law & Order.
Chris Noth is the top #7 member of the cast and appears in 111 episodes.

Benjamin Bratt

#8 - Benjamin Bratt (Rey Curtis)

Benjamin George Bratt (born December 16, 1963) is an American actor. He is most known for his role as Rey Curtis on the TV series Law & Order; and his appearances in the movies Blood in Blood Out, Miss Congeniality, Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs, Traffic, and Piñero. He starred on the A&E Network drama The Cleaner.

Benjamin Bratt plays as Rey Curtis in Law & Order.
Benjamin Bratt is the top #8 member of the cast and appears in 94 episodes.

Jeremy Sisto

#9 - Jeremy Sisto (Jubal Valentine)

Jeremy Merton Sisto (born October 6, 1974) is an American actor, who had recurring roles as Billy Chenowith on the HBO series Six Feet Under and Detective Cyrus Lupo on Law & Order on television and also starred in the films Jesus, Clueless, and Thirteen. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jeremy Sisto, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Jeremy Sisto plays as Jubal Valentine in Law & Order.
Jeremy Sisto is the top #9 member of the cast and appears in 89 episodes.

Michael Moriarty

#10 - Michael Moriarty (Ben Stone)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Michael Moriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order. Description above from the Wikipedia article Michael Moriarty, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Michael Moriarty plays as Ben Stone in Law & Order.
Michael Moriarty is the top #10 member of the cast and appears in 88 episodes.

Last updated: apr 24, 2024

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