Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid is a fictional character on the television series '' Law & Order'', played by

Jill Hennessy Jillian Noel Hennessy (born November 25, 1968) is a Canadian actress and singer. She is most known for her roles on the American television series '' Law & Order'', on which she played prosecutor Claire Kincaid for three seasons, and ''Crossin ...

from 1993 to 1996. She appeared in 69 episodes (68 of ''Law & Order'', and the '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' episode "For God and Country").

Character overview

Kincaid is introduced in the episode "Sweeps" as an

Assistant District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...

in the Manhattan DA's office. She is portrayed as an idealistic, outspoken feminist and agnostic who becomes increasingly disillusioned with her job. She is vocally

pro-choice Abortion-rights movements, also referred to as pro-choice movements, advocate for the right to have legal access to induced abortion services including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their pr ...

, opposes the death penalty, and has ambivalent feelings about

drug prohibition The prohibition of drugs through sumptuary legislation or religious law is a common means of attempting to prevent the recreational use of certain intoxicating substances. While some drugs are illegal to possess, many governments regulate the ...

. These political views often come into conflict with the realities of the legal system. She graduated from Harvard Law School, where her stepfather Mac Geller (

Len Cariou Leonard Joseph Cariou (; born September 30, 1939) is a Canadian actor and stage director, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of '' Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street'', for which he won the Tony Award ...

) had been one of her professors. It is suggested throughout the fifth and sixth season that Kincaid and Executive ADA

Jack McCoy John James McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama ''Law & Order''. He was created by Dick Wolf and Michael S. Chernuchin and has been portrayed by Sam Waterston during both the show's original run from 1994 to 2010 and since it ...

(

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 ...

) have a sexual relationship. However, it is not explicitly stated until season 9, long after the character had been killed in a traffic accident and exited the show.

Notable episodes

During her first season on the show, she is paired with Executive ADA Ben Stone (

Michael Moriarty Michael Moriarty (born April 5, 1941) is an American-Canadian actor and jazz musician. He received an Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award for his first acting role on American television as a Nazi SS officer in the 1978 mini-series ''Holocaust'' ...

). During the prosecution of a

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ...

case, he threatens to fire her after she fails to share key information she learned while interviewing a witness, which subsequently comes out in trial, jeopardizing the case. Stone eventually relents and refuses to accept her resignation, relating to her because of a key mistake he made early in his career. In another case, Kincaid temporarily resigns after it is revealed she and a judge that the DA's office is prosecuting were once lovers, possibly jeopardizing the case against him. After Stone resigns from the DA's office, she is paired with

(

), the new Executive ADA. In the two seasons they appear in together, she and the brash, competitive McCoy often butt heads over the social and political implications of their

trial In law, a trial is a coming together of parties to a dispute, to present information (in the form of evidence) in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court. The tribunal ...

strategies, as well as McCoy's penchant for going to legal extremes to get a conviction. The two eventually form a close bond, however, and it is hinted in several episodes that they become lovers. In the episode "Aftershock", Kincaid is killed just as she is considering leaving the DA's office; her car is struck by a

drunk driver Drunk driving (or drink-driving in British English) is the act of driving under the influence of alcohol. A small increase in the blood alcohol content increases the relative risk of a motor vehicle crash. In the United States, alcohol is i ...

as she takes an inebriated Lennie Briscoe (

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 " ...

) home from a bar. McCoy is haunted by her death, as evidenced by his intense, legally questionable efforts to prosecute a drunk driver and his indignation at being questioned about the circumstances of her death. Following her death, Briscoe re-enters Alcoholics Anonymous and remains sober for the rest of his life; it is implied that he feels his drinking was responsible for her death. In one episode of Season 6, "Corpus Delicti", Claire Kincaid was played by Jill Hennessy's identical twin sister, Jacqueline Hennessy, in certain courtroom scenes. This was because Jill was filming in Baltimore for the crossover episode of '' Homicide: Life on the Street'', which was broadcast a few weeks later. Jacqueline Hennessy's indetectable performance was left uncredited.

Jamie Ross Jamie Ross (born 4 May 1939 in Markinch) is a Scottish-American actor, best known for his work on Broadway. Career Ross made his Broadway debut in 1971 as Major Caldwell in Leon Uris's short lived musical ''Ari''. His first major success w ...

( Carey Lowell) replaced Kincaid as McCoy's assistant.

Behind the scenes

The Kincaid character was written out after Hennessy publicly expressed her concerns about being typecast as an "uptight lawyer"."'Law & Order': 20 Years of Arresting Drama", ''TV Guide Special Collector's Issue''. Kincaid was originally intended to be portrayed as

paralyzed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 5 ...

and leaving the DA's office for private practice after the events of "Aftershock". This was eventually changed to Kincaid's death, which wasn't officially confirmed until Season 9. Hennessy rejects claims she refused to come back for a follow-up episode: "I made it clear I wanted to come back. I found out they killed me off from a friend who watched the show and told me, 'Jill, they said you were dead!' I was surprised, because I always thought I would return. Even now, I'd love to come back for some bizarre flashbacks."

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kincaid, Claire Law & Order characters Fictional assistant district attorneys Fictional Harvard University people Fictional American lawyers Television characters introduced in 1993 Crossover characters in television American female characters in television pt:Claire Kincaid