20 Actors Who Appeared on "Law & Order" Before They Were Stars
Maj Canton - October 2, 2009
To celebrate Law & Order's 20th season, we selected 20 performers who appeared on L&O when they were relatively unknown and then went on to become Hollywood celebs.
If you watch Law & Order, you know that the program needs an ever-changing list of guest actors since there's a different crime each week. And you also realize that L&O doesn't have many guest stars -- most celeb guests go on Law & Order: SVU instead. With so many performers and a keen eye for casting, L&O has discovered some incredible talent over the years.
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Adam Arkin |
Episode: Self Defense
Airdate: 11/11/1992
Before L&O: A bookie in the series, Tough Cookies (CBS, 1986); a patent attorney in the series, A Year in the Life (NBC, 1987); and a few minor recurring roles.
Breakout Role: Dr. Aaron Shutt on Chicago Hope (CBS, 1994) |
William H. Macy |
Episode: Everyone's Favorite Bagman
Airdate: 10/30/1990
Before L&O: Too many TV appearances to list them all, but he did have a recurring role in Another World way back in 1982.
Breakout Role: Dr. David Morgenstern on ER (NBC, 1994). |
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Chris Cooper |
Episode: Blood Libel
Airdate: 1/3/1996
Before L&O: An abusive husband in the TV movie, Bed of Lies (ABC, 1992); Anthony Blessing in the series pilot, Ned Blessing: The True Story of My Life (CBS, 1992).
Breakout Role: John LaRoche in the movie, "Adaptation," for which he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. |
Camryn Manheim |
Episode: Life Choice
Airdate: 1/8/1991
Before L&O: Miniscule role in the film, "The Bonfire of the Vanities."
Breakout Role: Ellenor Frutt on The Practice (ABC, 1997). |
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Claire Danes |
Episode: Skin Deep
Airdate: 9/23/1992
Before L&O: A little-known film called "Dreams of Love."
Breakout Role: Angela Chase on My So-Called Life (ABC, 1994). |
Julianna Margulies |
Episode: Conduct Unbecoming
Airdate: 3/10/1993
Before L&O: Played a prostitute in the Steven Seagall film, "Out of Justice," and also did some theater work.
Breakout Role: Nurse Carol Hathaway on ER (NBC, 1994). Good thing her character survived her drug overdose in the pilot. |
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Edie Falco |
Episode: Mother Love
Airdate: 2/24/1993
Before L&O: Small roles, like waitress and cab driver, in a handful of films.
Breakout Role: Carmela Soprano on The Sopranos (HBO, 1999). |
Leighton Meester |
Episode: Disciple
Airdate: 2/24/1999
Before L&O: Not much. She was only 12-years-old when she appeared on Law & Order.
Breakout Role: Blair Waldorf on Gossip Girl (CW, 2007). |
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Jennifer Garner |
Episode: Aftershock
Airdate: 5/22/1996
Before L&O: Minor characters in a TV miniseries and a few TV movies.
Breakout Role: Sydney Bristow on Alias (ABC, 2001) after playing central characters on two short-lived series -- Time of Your Life (Fox, 1999) and Significant Others (Fox, 1998). |
Cynthia Nixon |
Episode: Subterranean Homeboy Blue
Airdate: 9/20/1990
Before L&O: Very busy in film, TV, and theater. Played the daughter of the Presidential candidate in Tanner '88 (HBO, 1988).
Breakout Role: Miranda Hobbes on Sex and the City (HBO, 1998). |
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Lauren Graham |
Episode: D-Girl
Airdate: 3/13/1997
Before L&O: A few episodes as Shelley Jensen, Richard's clingy girlfriend, on Caroline in the City (NBC, 1995).
Breakout Role: Lorelai Gilmore on Gilmore Girls (WB, 2000). |
Ellen Pompeo |
Episode: Savior
Airdate: 3/13/1996
Before L&O: A SoHo bartender and the woman with fire-engine red hair in a L'Oreal commercial.
Breakout Role: Dr. Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 2005). |
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Philip Seymour Hoffman |
Episode: The Violence of Summer
Airdate: 2/5/1991
Before L&O: Not much. Law & Order was one of his first gigs worth mentioning after he graduated from NYU's Tisch School of the Arts in 1989.
Breakout Role: Some say "Boogie Nights," others say "Almost Famous." Either way, he slowly made his mark on the big screen. |
Maura Tierney |
Episode: Aria
Airdate: 10/1/1991
Before L&O: One-time appearances in a few TV series, including Family Ties (NBC, 1982), and minor roles in a couple TV movies.
Breakout Role: Lisa Miller in the TV series, NewsRadio (NBC, 1995). |
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Felicity Huffman |
Episode: Helpless
Airdate: 11/4/1992
Before L&O: Bit parts in films, TV movies and series. She even appeared in an Afterschool Special back in 1978.
Breakout Role: Dana Whitaker on Sports Night (ABC, 1998). |
Kate Walsh |
Episode: Navy Blues
Airdate: 10/15/1997
Before L&O: Part of a comedy troupe (Burn Manhattan), mutliple roles in off-Broadway comedies, and a couple indie films
Breakout Role: Nicki Fifer on The Drew Carey Show (ABC, 1995), starting in October 1997. That role put her on the map, but her stint as Dr. Addison Shepherd on Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 2005), and now on Private Practice (ABC, 2007), pushed her over the top. |
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Samuel L. Jackson |
Episode: The Violence of Summer
Airdate: 2/5/1991
Before L&O: Extremely busy -- what else would you expect -- with dozens of jobs but no starring roles yet.
Breakout Role: Jules Winnfield in Quentin Tarantino's "Pulp Fiction." |
Isaiah Washington |
Episode: Out of Control
Airdate: 11/12/1991
Before L&O: Theater in New Haven, CT and New York, a few obscure films and a role as a hustler in the movie, "Strictly Business."
Breakout Role: Dr. Preston Burke on Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 2005). |
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Laura Linney |
Episode: Blue Bamboo
Airdate: 10/5/1994
Before L&O: Started on Broadway, then portrayed a teacher in two films and played a drug-addled, pregnant teen in the TV movie, Blind Spot (CBS, 1993).
Breakout Role: Mary Ann Singleton in the Emmy-winning miniseries, Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (PBS, 1993). |
Chandra Wilson |
Episode: Cradle to Grave
Airdate: 3/31/1992
Before L&O: Won a Theatre World Award for Outstanding Debut Performance in the play, "The Good Times Are Killing Me."
Breakout Role: Dr. Miranda Bailey on Grey's Anatomy (ABC, 2005). |
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Who knew that there was such a strong connection between Law & Order and Grey's Anatomy? Four members of the original cast of Grey's appeared on L&O when they were unknowns.
Comments
Post a Comment- From: Erin
- Date: October 6, 2009
John Krasinski was on just one year before breaking out on the office. http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1024677/.
- From: Ian from Baltimore
- Date: October 6, 2009
Personally, I knew Ellen Pompeo from 2002's movie Old School starring Will Ferrell. And Isaiah Washington was in the George Clooney/Jennifer Lopez movie Out of Sight. And Phillip S Hoffman was in 2 small movies - you may have heard of them - Scent of a Woman and Twister.
- From: CVD
- Date: October 6, 2009
Ian - the point is these people were in L&O BEFORE the projects you mentioned. Hence the point of the story, "before they were famous". Old School is a very recent movie and both Scent of a Woman and Twister came out AFTER Phillip Seymore Hoffman's L&O Rule.
- From: Mike
- Date: October 6, 2009
@CVD: I think Ian is saying that their breakout roles were earlier than the article mentions but still after L&O.
@Ian: Always hard to pick breakout roles because we all remember different things and performers impact us differently, but always fun to discuss!
- From: George
- Date: October 6, 2009
First movie I remember watching Phillip Seymour Hoffman and thinking "this guy is good" was "Patch Adams"
- From: Matthew
- Date: October 7, 2009
It's interesting what "makes" an actor. Many of these were known to me...even if they were only "small" roles. The reason many of these people went on to success is that they were able to give a small role as much heart as the big ones.
- From: Sean
- Date: October 8, 2009
Generally speaking if you do a cameo on L&O you have a good chance of getting a job on Greys Anatomy
- From: H)wood
- Date: October 8, 2009
Wow, I just realised I've slept with all of them!
- From: Lisa
- Date: October 24, 2009
I remember everyone one of those episodes I've seen every law and order it's my favorite show still today
- From: Jeanine Baker
- Date: February 23, 2010
What about Abigail Breslin
- From: Amy Wrong
- Date: March 1, 2010
WHOA! You guys all seem to have forgotten that Samuel L. Jackson was in one of the best movies EVER made, GOODFELLAS, as "Stacks" Edwards, and that came out in 1990. Just about everybody in that movie was destined to be a star!
Edie Falco was fantastic as a lawyer on L&O (saw it twice recently), and I MUST MUST mention Roma Maffia (currently of Nip/Tuck fame) had an absolutely MIND BLOWING appearance or two (or more?) as a lawyer on L&O also. She came on that screen and STOLE the show! Had a recurring role as a judge on Boston Legal as well. I LOVE LAW AND ORDER!
- From: mjkbk
- Date: May 14, 2010
Adam Arkin received an Emmy nomination for one of those "minor recurring roles"--as 'Adam' on "Northern Exposure", beginning in 1990.
- From: dreamer
- Date: May 14, 2010
Leighton Meester's breakout role was in the excellent Surface (2005) which NBC stupidly axed.
- From: EF
- Date: May 14, 2010
Umm, this is a wax statue of samuel l jackson. I'm not sure why, but this seems offensive, no?
http://dc.about.com/od/photosofmuseums/ss/MTussaudsPics_8.htm
- From: no one
- Date: May 15, 2010
Jennette McCurdy of "iCarly" played a great kid victim on L&O. She's a teenager now on a comedy series - it was a shock when I realized I was watching her on an old rerun.