List of Law & Order characters

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. Known for its revolving cast, most of the original stars had left the show within the first five seasons;[1] 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. The longest-serving main cast members of the original series include Steven Hill as D.A. Adam Schiff (1990–2000), Jerry Orbach as Det. Lennie Briscoe (1992–2004),[2][3] S. Epatha Merkerson as Lt. Anita Van Buren (1993–2010),[4] Sam Waterston as EADA/DA Jack McCoy (1994–2010) and Jesse L. Martin as Det. Ed Green (1999–2008). Long-running recurring cast members on the series include John Fiore as Det. Tony Profaci (1990–1998), Carolyn McCormick as Dr. Elizabeth Olivet (1991–2009), Leslie Hendrix as Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers (1992–2010) and J. K. Simmons as Dr. Emil Skoda (1997–2010).

Characters

Name	Portrayed by	Occupation	Seasons
Name	Portrayed by	Occupation	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	Exiled: A Law & Order Movie	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20
Max Greevey	George Dzundza	Sergeant	Main
Mike Logan	Chris Noth	Junior Detective	Main									Main
Donald Cragen	Dann Florek	Captain	Main				Guest					Main	Guest					Guest
Ben Stone	Michael Moriarty	Executive Assistant District Attorney	Main
Paul Robinette	Richard Brooks	Assistant District Attorney	Main					Guest											Guest
Adam Schiff	Steven Hill	District Attorney	Main										Main
Phil Cerreta	Paul Sorvino	Sergeant		Main
Elizabeth Olivet	Carolyn McCormick	Psychologist		Recurring	Also starring		Recurring				Guest		Guest			Recurring		Guest	Recurring			Guest
Lennie Briscoe	Jerry Orbach	Senior Detective			Main
Anita Van Buren	S. Epatha Merkerson	Lieutenant				Main
Claire Kincaid	Jill Hennessy	Assistant District Attorney				Main
Jack McCoy	Sam Waterston	Executive Assistant District Attorney, District Attorney					Main
Rey Curtis	Benjamin Bratt	Junior Detective						Main															Guest
Jamie Ross	Carey Lowell	Assistant District Attorney							Main				Guest
Abbie Carmichael	Angie Harmon	Assistant District Attorney									Main		Main
Ed Green	Jesse L. Martin	Junior Detective, Senior Detective											Main
Nora Lewin	Dianne Wiest	Interim District Attorney												Main
Serena Southerlyn	Elisabeth Röhm	Assistant District Attorney													Main
Arthur Branch	Fred Dalton Thompson	District Attorney														Main
Joe Fontana	Dennis Farina	Senior Detective																Main
Nick Falco	Michael Imperioli	Junior Detective																Main	Guest
Alexandra Borgia	Annie Parisse	Assistant District Attorney																Main
Nina Cassady	Milena Govich	Junior Detective																		Main
Connie Rubirosa	Alana de la Garza	Assistant District Attorney																		Main
Cyrus Lupo	Jeremy Sisto	Junior Detective, Senior Detective																			Main
Michael Cutter	Linus Roache	Executive Assistant District Attorney																			Main
Kevin Bernard	Anthony Anderson	Junior Detective																			Main

Main characters

Actor	Character	Rank/Position	Seasons			Notes
Actor	Character	Rank/Position	Regular	Recurring	Guest	Notes
George Dzundza	Max Greevey	Sergeant	1
Chris Noth	Mike Logan	Junior Detective	1–5			Also appeared in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.
Dann Florek	Donald Cragen	Captain	1–3		5, 10, 15	Also appeared in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.
Michael Moriarty	Ben Stone	Executive Assistant District Attorney	1–4
Richard Brooks	Paul Robinette	Assistant District Attorney	1-3		6, 16, 17
Steven Hill	Adam Schiff	District Attorney	1–10
Paul Sorvino	Phil Cerreta	Sergeant	2–3		3
Jerry Orbach	Lennie Briscoe	Senior Detective	3–14
Carolyn McCormick	Dr. Elizabeth Olivet	Psychologist	3–4	5, 6, 7, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18	9, 10, 19, 20
S. Epatha Merkerson	Anita Van Buren	Lieutenant	4–20
Jill Hennessy	Claire Kincaid	Assistant District Attorney	4–6
Sam Waterston	Jack McCoy	Executive Assistant District Attorney, District Attorney	5–17 18–20
Benjamin Bratt	Rey Curtis	Junior Detective	6–9
Carey Lowell	Jamie Ross	Assistant District Attorney	7–8
Angie Harmon	Abbie Carmichael	Assistant District Attorney	9–11
Jesse L. Martin	Ed Green	Junior Detective, Senior Detective	10–16 17–18
Dianne Wiest	Nora Lewin	Interim District Attorney	11–12
Elisabeth Röhm	Serena Southerlyn	Assistant District Attorney	12–15
Fred Dalton Thompson	Arthur Branch	District Attorney	13–17
Dennis Farina	Joe Fontana	Senior Detective	15–16
Michael Imperioli	Nick Falco	Junior Detective	15		16	Temporarily Assigned
Annie Parisse	Alexandra Borgia	Assistant District Attorney	15–16
Milena Govich	Nina Cassady	Junior Detective	17
Alana de la Garza	Connie Rubirosa	Assistant District Attorney	17–20
Jeremy Sisto	Cyrus Lupo	Junior Detective, Senior Detective	18–20
Linus Roache	Michael Cutter	Executive Assistant District Attorney	18–20
Anthony Anderson	Kevin Bernard	Junior Detective	18–20

Police officers

Sergeants

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes	Junior Partners	Notes
Maxwell "Max" Greevey	George Dzundza	1990–1991	23	Mike Logan	Murdered in 1991.
Philip "Phil" Cerreta	Paul Sorvino	1991–1992	31	Mike Logan	Transferred to a desk job at the 110th Precinct after being shot on the job.

Senior detectives

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes	Junior Partners	Notes
Leonard "Lennie" Wilbur Briscoe	Jerry Orbach	1992–2004	273	Mike Logan (1992–1995) Rey Curtis (1995–1999) Ed Green (1999–2004)	Retired (2004) Deceased (2005) (due to Jerry Orbach's death).
Joseph "Joe" Fontana	Dennis Farina	2004–2006	46	Ed Green (2004–2006) Nick Falco (2005)	Retired (2006).
Edward "Ed" Green	Jesse L. Martin	2006–2008	198	Nina Cassady (2006–2007) Cyrus Lupo (2008)	Promoted to Senior Detective (2006). Retired following his absolution during an Internal Affairs investigation (2008).
Cyrus Lupo	Jeremy Sisto	2008–2010	63	Kevin Bernard (2008–2010)	Transferred from Intelligence Division (2008). Promoted to Senior Detective (2008).

Junior detectives

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes	Senior Partners	Notes
Michael "Mike" Logan	Chris Noth	1990–1995	111	Max Greevey (1990–1991) Phil Cerreta (1991–1992) Lennie Briscoe (1992–1995)	Assigned to Staten Island from 1995 to 2005 after punching a homophobic politician. Solved a major murder & police corruption case in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie. Joined One Police Plaza's Major Case Squad 2005–2008. Retired after solving a cold case (CI: "Last Rites").
Reynaldo "Rey" Curtis	Benjamin Bratt	1995–1999	94	Lennie Briscoe	Took early retirement so he could care for his ill wife (1999). Returned in 2009 to bury his deceased wife in New York.
Edward "Ed" Green	Jesse L. Martin	1999–2006	198	Lennie Briscoe (1999–2004) Joe Fontana (2004–2006)	Promoted to senior detective (2006). Retired following his absolution during an Internal Affairs investigation (2008).
Nicolas "Nick" Falco	Michael Imperioli	2005	5	Joe Fontana	Temporary replacement from Brooklyn for Ed Green, while Green was recovering from a gunshot wound. Appears again in 2006 as a murder suspect, but was later cleared.
Nina Cassidy	Milena Govich	2006–2007	22	Ed Green	Nicknamed "Detective Beauty Queen" after her involvement in a shooting that led to her promotion. Dismissed in 2007, although no reason is given on the show (however, it was most likely due to her lack of detective experience).
Cyrus Lupo	Jeremy Sisto	2008	63	Ed Green (2008)	Transferred from Intelligence Division (2008). Promoted to Senior Detective (2008).
Kevin Bernard	Anthony Anderson	2008–2010	49	Cyrus Lupo	Transferred from Internal Affairs (2008).

Supervising officers

Name	Portrayed by	Rank	Year	Episodes	Notes
Donald "Don" Cragen	Dann Florek	Captain	1990–1993	66	Transferred to the Anti-Corruption Task Force and later to the Manhattan Special Victims Unit. Left the NYPD in 2014, taking a six-month vacation that brought him up to the mandatory retirement age. Returned briefly in 2015 to help the SVU re-examine a decades-old rape case.
Anita Van Buren	S. Epatha Merkerson	Lieutenant	1993–2010	390

Prosecutors

Executive assistant district attorneys

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Partners	Episodes	Notes
Ben Stone	Michael Moriarty	1990–1994	Paul Robinette & Claire Kincaid	88	* Resigns due to his feelings of guilt over the death of a witness whose safety he tried to guarantee. * In 1996, Adam Schiff informs Jack McCoy that Stone is travelling in Europe. * In 2018, an episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit discusses his death, and shows his funeral.
Jack McCoy	Sam Waterston	1994–2007	Claire Kincaid, Jamie Ross, Abbie Carmichael, Serena Southerlyn, Alexandra Borgia & Connie Rubirosa	368	* Promoted to interim D.A. (2008) * Begins his campaign to be elected as New York County District Attorney in 2009, with support from Adam Schiff. * Later episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit references a "new District Attorney," implying McCoy is no longer in office.
Michael Cutter	Linus Roache	2008–2010	Connie Rubirosa	63	* Promoted to Bureau Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit of the DA's office. (2011)

Assistant district attorneys

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Partners	Episodes	Notes
Paul Robinette	Richard Brooks	1990–1993	Ben Stone	66	* Resigns to pursue private practice in 1993. * Appears in three subsequent episodes as a defense attorney between 1996 and 2005.
Claire Kincaid	Jill Hennessy	1993–1996	Ben Stone & Jack McCoy	68	* Dies in a car crash in 1996.
Jamie Ross	Carey Lowell	1996–1998	Jack McCoy	47	* Resigns to pursue private practice and to spend more time with her daughter (1998). * Reappears as a defense attorney in 1999 and 2001. * Reappears as a judge in Law & Order: Trial By Jury (2005).
Abbie Carmichael	Angie Harmon	1998–2001	Jack McCoy	72	* Resigns to accept a job at the United States Attorney General's Office (2001).
Serena Southerlyn	Elisabeth Röhm	2001–2005	Jack McCoy	85	* Fired by Arthur Branch for being inappropriately sympathetic towards a defendant she was prosecuting (2005).
Alexandra Borgia	Annie Parisse	2005–2006	Jack McCoy	34	* Dies after being kidnapped and beaten during a murder trial (2006).
Connie Rubirosa	Alana de la Garza	2006–2010	Jack McCoy & Michael Cutter	85	* Moves to Los Angeles and joins the DA's office there as a DDA (2011). * Later appears in Law & Order: SVU as a federal prosecutor leading an investigation into an underage sex trafficking operation (2014).

In the 1997 season 7 episode "We Like Mike", Caleb Duff is listed as Assistant District Attorney beneath Adam Schiff as District Attorney and John J McCoy as Executive Assistant District Attorney at the New York County District Attorney's Office, though he never appears on screen.

Manhattan district attorneys

Name	Portrayed by	Terms	Episodes	Notes
Alfred Wentworth	Roy Thinnes	1990	1	* Only appears in "Everybody's Favorite Bagman"
Adam Schiff	Steven Hill	1990–2000	228	* Leaves office to work overseas for The Holocaust Project with Simon Wiesenthal and to investigate Swiss Banks during WWII, went with former President Jimmy Carter as part of a delegation to Zimbabwe in 2008.
Nora Lewin	Dianne Wiest	2000–2002	48	* Prior to her appointment as interim DA by the Governor of New York, she was a law professor Chooses not to run for election following her interim term.
Arthur Branch	Fred Thompson	2002–2007	116	Branch's departure, the reason for which was never specified on the series, occurred after Thompson announced his campaign for the Republican Party's 2008 nomination for President.
Jack McCoy	Sam Waterston	2007–2010	368	* Appointed interim DA after Branch's departure in 2007. * Begins his election campaign to become New York County District Attorney in 2009. * Episode count includes those as Executive Assistant DA (62 as DA).

Other main characters

Name	Portrayed by	Years	Episodes
Psychologist Dr. Elizabeth Olivet	Carolyn McCormick	1991–1997; 1999; 2002–2009	87
Medical Examiner Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers	Leslie Hendrix	1992–2010	139
Psychiatrist Dr. Emil Skoda	J. K. Simmons	1997–2004; 2010	44

Recurring characters

NYPD officials

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
Chief of Detectives Laird	James Biberi	2008–2010	3
Borough Chief Commander James Dietz	Michael Cullen	1998–1999	3
Borough Detective Commander Joseph Strudevant	Dan Lauria	2000–2001	2

27th Precinct support detectives

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
Detective Tony Profaci	John Fiore	1990–1998	53
Detective Morris LeMotte	Larry Clarke	1998–2000	20
Detective Reina Perez	Nancy Ticotin	2001	6
Detective Ana Cordova	Andrea Navedo	2001–2004	24
Sergeant Martinez	Joe Gonzalez	2002–2004	7
Detective Mariluz Rivera	Selenis Leyva	2004–2006	18
Detective Joe Cormack	Joe Forbrich	2008–2009	17

Crime Scene Unit investigators / crime laboratory technicians

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
CSU Technician Julian Beck	John Cariani	2002–2006	26
CSU Technician Jessica Reed	Liz Larsen	1998–2006	12
CSU Technician Lisa Santoro	Abigail Lopez	2004–2005	3
Forensic Technician Medill	Donald Corren	1992–1999	17
Forensic Technician Arlene Shrier	Christine Farrell	1992–1999	16
Computer Forensic Technician Myra Camp	Megan Byrne	2003–2004	6

Medical Examiners

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
Borak	Josh Pais	1990–2002	15
Brody	Richard Hirschfeld	2002–2006	12

Assistant Medical Examiners

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
Anskel	Baron Vaughn	2008–2009	2

Defense attorneys

Name	Portrayed by	Year	# of Eps
Danielle Melnick	Tovah Feldshuh	1991–2007	13
Professor Norman Rothenberg	Jeffrey DeMunn	1993–2008	8
Shambala Green	Lorraine Toussaint	1990–1994, 2003	7
Lawrence "Larry" Weaver	Bob Dishy	1994–2002	7
Nick Margolis	Ben Shenkman	1999–2009	6
Bill Patton	Bill Moor	1991–2000	6
Helen Brolin	Maria Tucci	1993–2003	6
Peter Behrens	Tom O'Rourke	1996–2001	6
Arthur Gold	George Grizzard	1992–2000	6
Al Archer	Dennis Boutsikaris	1996–2004	5
Charles Garnett	James Rebhorn	1995–2001	5
James Granick	Ned Eisenberg	1997–2008	5
Douglas Greer	Richard Venture	1991–2000	5
Anne Paulsen	Glynnis O'Connor	1998–2004	5
Sally Bell	Edie Falco	1993–1998	4
Aaron Solomon	John Benjamin Hickey	2002–2006	4
Daniel Metzler	John Cunningham	1997–2008	4
Mr. Axtell	Jack Gilpin	1997–2001	4
Barry Kaufer	Lee Shepherd	1998–2002	4
Charlotte Swan	Helen Carey	1999–2005	4
Leon Chiles	Joe Morton	2000–2005	4
Paul Robinette	Richard Brooks	1996, 2005, 2006	3
Gordon Schell	Philip Bosco	1990–1994	3
Deirdre Powell	Joanna Merlin	1994–1998	3
Max Hellman	Ron Orbach	1994, 2002	3
James Linde	Joe Grifasi	1996–2001	3
Stephen Olson	Spencer Garrett	2000–2004	3
Erica Gardner	Kate Burton	2001–2004	3
Jessica Sheets	Susan Floyd	2002–2006	3
Randolph J. 'Randy' Dworkin, Esq.	Peter Jacobson	2003–2006	3
Vanessa Galiano	Roma Maffia	2003–2006	3
Madeline Myers	Kate Miller	2003–2007	3
Rodney Fallon	Giancarlo Esposito	2004–2005	3
Sanford Remz	Dylan Baker	2004–2006	3
Gary Lowenthal	Eric Bogosian	1992–1993	2
Lanie Stieglitz	Elaine Stritch	1992, 1997	2
Ruth Miller	Patti LuPone	1996, 1997	2
Stan Shatenstein	Sig Libowitz	1997, 2005	2
Bernie Adler	Ron Silver	2004–2007	2
Grubman	Elizabeth Marvel	2008–2009	2
Marcus Woll	Jonathan Cake	2009	2

Arraignment judges

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
Arraignment Judge Morris Torledsky	David Lipman	1992–2005	26
Arraignment Judge Colin Fraser	Larry Sherman	1994–2004	12
Arraignment Judge Harriet Doremus	Barbara Spiegel	1991–2003	12
Arraignment Judge Janice Goldberg	Fran Lebowitz	2001–2007	12
Arraignment Judge Ian Feist	Merwin Goldsmith	1991–2005	11
Arraignment Judge William Koehler	Mark Kenneth Smaltz	1998–2007	11
Arraignment Judge Antonia Mellon	Mary Lou Mellaces	1999–2006	9
Arraignment Judge Joseph Flint	Doug Stender	1999–2005	9
Arraignment Judge Anna Shiro	Karen Shallo	2000–2005	8
Arraignment Judge David Venturelli	Vince Pacimeo	1998–2000	4
Arraignment Judge Lisa Cutler	Kathleen Chalfant	2001–2009	3
Arraignment Judge Harper	Brian Smiar	1990	2

Trial judges

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
Trial Judge Alan Berman	David Rosenbaum	1992–2004	14
Trial Judge Walter Bradley	Peter McRobbie	2001–2009	13
Trial Judge Lisa Pongracic	Charlotte Colavin	1992–2006	13
Trial Judge Elizabeth Mizener	Lynn Cohen	1993–2006	12
Trial Judge Walter Schreiber	John Ramsey	1991–2001	11
Trial Judge Margaret Barry	Doris Belack	1990–2001	10
Trial Judge Herman Mooney	Ben Hammer	1991–2002	9
Trial Judge Harrison Taylor	Michael Mulheren	1999–2006	9
Trial Judge Andrew Barsky	Fred J. Scollay	1992–1999	8
Trial Judge Donald Karan	Jordan Charney	2000–2006	8
Trial Judge Grace Larkin	Rochelle Oliver	1990–2003	8
Trial Judge Rebecca Stein	Joan Copeland	1991–2001	8
Trial Judge Rebecca Steinman	Susan Blommaert	1991–2004	8
Trial Judge Deborah Burke	Donna Hanover	1997–2004	7
Trial Judge Michael Callahan	Bernie McInerney	1991–1999	7
Trial Judge Henry Fillmore	William Severs	1991–2004	7
Trial Judge Rosalyn Lenz	Tanya Berezin	1991–2001	7
Trial Judge Barbara Lusky	Iris Little Thomas	1999–2009	7
Trial Judge Eric Caffey	John Newton	1991–1998	6
Trial Judge Rochelle Desmond	Patricia R. Floyd	2006–2009	6
Trial Judge Nathan Murphy	Mark Zimmerman	1997–2008	6
Trial Judge Robert Quinn	Roger Serbagi	1992–1999	6
Trial Judge Joseph Rivera	Shawn Elliott	1994–2002	6
Trial Judge Carla Solomon	Lauren Klein	1999–2005	6
Trial Judge William Wright	Ron McLarty	1998–2000	4
Trial Judge Hugo Bright	Robert J. Hogan	2003–2006	4
Trial Judge Delano Burns	Mike Hodge	1991–2006	4
Trial Judge John Laramie	Peter Francis James	2008–2010	4
Trial Judge Manuel Leon	Sam Gray	1990–1994	4
Trial Judge Michael Schneider	David Little	2004–2006	4
Trial Judge Norman Barclay	Wayne Duvall	2004–2010	3
Trial Judge Gary Feldman	Cliff Gorman	1998	3
Trial Judge Derek Hafner	David Wolos-Fonteno	2001–2009	3
Trial Judge Elayne Link	Maggie Burke	1993–2003	3
Trial Judge Ida Zeller	Polly Adams	2009	3
Trial Judge Keith Fischer	Tom Mardirosian	2004–2006	2
Trial Judge Linda Taft	Jenna Stern	2009–2010	2
Trial Judge Barry Dilwynn	Jeffrey Tambor	2007	1

Appellate judges

Name	Portrayed by	Year	Episodes
Appellate Judge Pamela Jensen	Norma Fire	1993–2003	7
Appellate Judge Shawn McNamara	George Bartenieff	1993–1999	4
Appellate Judge Bloom	Ira Wheeler	1991–1993	2
Appellate Judge Lewis Getman	Leslie Barrett	1991–1993	2
Appellate Judge Wayne Humphrey	Chester A. Sims II	1993–1995	2
Appellate Judge Barry Marton	Graham Brown	1991–1993	2

References

Carlson, Erin (2008-10-31). "Can 'Law & Order' outlive 'Gunsmoke'?". San Jose Mercury News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-11-06.
Starr, Michael (May 18, 2004). "Jerry Orbach Signs Off After 12 Years on 'Law & Order'". Fox News. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
Brantley, Ben; Severo, Richard (December 29, 2004). "Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order,' Dies at 69". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2009.
"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-04. Retrieved 2010-04-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)

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[APMercury-1] Carlson, Erin (2008-10-31). "Can 'Law & Order' outlive 'Gunsmoke'?". San Jose Mercury News. Associated Press. Retrieved 2008-11-06.

[Orbach_departure-2] Starr, Michael (May 18, 2004). "Jerry Orbach Signs Off After 12 Years on 'Law & Order'". Fox News. Retrieved December 20, 2009.

[Orbach_death-3] Brantley, Ben; Severo, Richard (December 29, 2004). "Jerry Orbach, Star of 'Law & Order,' Dies at 69". The New York Times. Retrieved December 20, 2009.

[4] "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2010-04-04. Retrieved 2010-04-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)