The
American television
Television is one of the major mass media outlets in the United States. , household ownership of television sets in the country is 96.7%, with approximately 114,200,000 American households owning at least one television set as of August 2013. ...
police procedural
The police show, or police crime drama, is a subgenre of procedural drama and detective fiction that emphasizes the investigative procedure of a police officer or department as the protagonist(s), as contrasted with other genres that focus on eith ...
and
legal drama
A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice play ...
''
Law & Order
''Law & Order'' is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment, launching the '' Law & Order'' franchise.
''Law & Order'' aired its entire run on NBC, premiering on ...
'' (1990–2010, 2022–present) 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;
though
Dann Florek
Ezekial Dann Florek (born May 1, 1950) is an American actor and film 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'', and Dav ...
reprised his role of
Capt. Donald Cragen on the spin-off series ''
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' from 1999 to 2014, and
Chris Noth
Christopher David Noth ( ; born November 13, 1954) is an American actor. He is known for his television roles as NYPD Detective Mike Logan on ''Law & Order'' (1990–95), Big on ''Sex and the City'' (1998–2004), and Peter Florrick on ''The ...
reprised his role of
Det. Mike Logan on ''
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' is an American police procedural Drama (film and television), drama television series set in New York City, where it was also primarily produced. Created and Executive producer#Motion pictures and television, p ...
'' from 2005 to 2008. The longest-serving main cast members of the original series include
Steven Hill
Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...
as
D.A. Adam Schiff (1990–2000),
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard Orbach (October 20, 1935 – December 28, 2004) was an American actor and singer, described at the time of his death as "one of the last'' bona fide'' leading men of the Broadway musical and global celebrity on television" and a " ...
as
Det. Lennie Briscoe (1992–2004),
S. Epatha Merkerson
Sharon Epatha Merkerson (born November 28, 1952) is a film, stage, and television actor. Known by her stage name S. Epatha Merkerson, she has received numerous high-profile accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, ...
as
Lt. Anita Van Buren (1993–2010),
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson Waterston (born November 15, 1940) is an American actor. Waterston is known for his work in theater, television and, film. He has received a Primetime Emmy Award, Golden Globe Award, and Screen Actors Guild Award, and has receive ...
as
EADA/DA Jack McCoy (1994–2010, 2022–present)
Jesse L. Martin
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 ...
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
Carolyn Inez McCormick (born September 19, 1959) is an American actress who played Dr. Elizabeth Olivet in the ''Law & Order'' franchise.
Life and career
McCormick was born and raised in Midland, Texas, and graduated first in her class from ...
as
Dr. Elizabeth Olivet (1991–2009),
Leslie Hendrix
Leslie Hendrix is an American actress. She is best known for playing the role of medical examiner Elizabeth Rodgers on four ''Law & Order'' series (''Law & Order'', '' Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'', '' Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' and '' ...
as
Dr. Elizabeth Rodgers (1992–2010) and
J. K. Simmons
Jonathan Kimble Simmons (born January 9, 1955) is an American actor, considered one of the most prolific and well-established character actors of his generation. He has appeared in over 200 films and television roles since his debut in 1986. He i ...
as
Dr. Emil Skoda (1997–2010).
Characters
Main characters
Police officers
Sergeants
Senior detectives
Junior detectives
Supervising officers
Prosecutors
Executive Assistant District Attorneys
Assistant District Attorneys
*In the 1997
season 7
A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and po ...
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
Other main characters
Recurring characters
NYPD personnel
NYPD officials
27th Precinct support detectives
Crime Scene Unit investigators / crime lab technicians
Assistant Medical Examiners
Defense attorneys
Judges
Arraignment judges
Trial judges
Appellate judges
Guest characters
Defense attorneys
See also
*
''Law & Order'' (franchise)
*
List of ''Law & Order: Special Victims Unit'' characters
*
List of ''Law & Order: Criminal Intent'' characters
*
List of ''Law & Order: LA'' characters
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Law and Order characters
Law & Order (franchise)
Lists of American crime television series characters
Lists of American drama television series characters