Happy 25th Anniversary, 'Law & Order'! Our 25 Favorite Before-They-Were-Stars 'L&O' Guest Stars
Kimberly PottsWriter, Yahoo Entertainment
Updated
Philip Seymour Hoffman in ‘The Violence of Summer’ (Season 1; February 5, 1991)
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His "Capote" Oscar was more than a decade in the future when Hoffman nabbed his first on-screen credit with this performance as Steven Hanauer, a drug dealer/would-be rapist. His co-stars in the ep: future Oscar nominee Samuel L. Jackson as attorney Louis Taggert, future "Ally McBeal" star Gil Bellows, and Sandy Baron aka Jerry’s memorable space pen nemesis Jack Klompus from "Seinfeld." More trivia: Hoffman then went by Philip Hoffman, while another actor in the episode — playing a hypnotherapist — used Phil Hoffman as his stage name.
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Claire Danes in ‘Skin Deep’ (Season 3; September 23, 1992)
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Consider it the origins of the famous Carrie Mathison cry face. The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning "Homeland" and "My So-Called Life" star made her TV debut as Tracy Brandt, an insecure teenager who got involved with her model mama’s sleazy photographer/pimp. Murder ensued. Also guest-starring: "Six Feet Under" star Lauren Ambrose — as Tracy’s gossiping schoolmate — in her first TV role, "Orange Is the New Black" star Lorraine Toussaint as lawyer Shambala Green, "24" star Alberta Watson as Tracy’s mom, and "Suits" star Gina Torres as a model.
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Wendell Pierce in ‘Consultation’ (Season 3; December 9, 1992)
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Before we knew him as The Bunk on "The Wire" or Antoine Batiste on "Treme," "The Odd Couple" star Pierce starred as Chief Ola-Gimju Nwaka, a tribal chief and diplomat who used people from his native Nigeria to smuggle diamonds and heroin. His illegal shenanigans resulted in the death of a pregnant woman when a balloon of heroin she was smuggling burst inside her body, and her husband was played by another "Wire" co-star, Seth Gilliam, who now plays Father Gabriel on "The Walking Dead." Another famous face in “Consultation”: model Beverly Johnson, who played an airline ticketing agent, and was dating "Law & Order" star Chris Noth at the time. Pierce, meanwhile, guest-starred in three more "L&O" episodes, as well as a pair of "Law & Order: Trial by Jury" installments.
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Edie Falco in ‘Mother Love’ (Season 3; February 24, 1993)
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Pre-"Oz," "The Sopranos," and "Nurse Jackie," Falco began a four-episode guest role as attorney Sally Bell. In this installment, Bell defended a drug dealer suspected of killing his Most Likely to Succeed student-turned-addict girlfriend. Turns out, he didn’t do it… the victim’s own mama did! Falco’s other appearances as Bell: Season 5’s “Scoundrels,” Season 7’s “Double Down,” and Season 8’s “Grief.” P.S. “Mother Love” also includes a guest appearance by Paul Schulze, as a crime scene investigator. Schulze also went on to star in "Oz," "The Sopranos," and "Nurse Jackie," playing Carmela’s priest, Father Intintola in "The Sopranos," and Eddie, Jackie’s pharmacist boyfriend, on "Nurse Jackie."
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Julianna Margulies in ‘Conduct Unbecoming’ (Season 3; March 10, 1993)
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The Emmy and Golden Globe-winning "ER" alum started her TV career with this guest spot, in which she played Navy Lt. Ruth Mendoza. In the episode — “ripped from today’s headlines” about the infamous Tailhook scandal from 1991 — Margulies’s Mendoza was a key witness in the investigation of the death of a fellow female officer, who died during a raucous Navy party in a Manhattan hotel. “Conduct Unbecoming” was also the first time Margulies starred with "Law & Order" original cast member Chris Noth, who would go on to play her husband on "The Good Wife."
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Allison Janney in ‘Old Friends’ (Season 4; May 25, 1994)
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The "Mom" and "The West Wing" Emmy winner had just a handful of TV credits to her name — including a tiny part in the Season 2 "Law & Order" episode “Star Struck” — when she played Ann Madsen, a baby food entrepreneur who unwittingly got into business with the Russian mafia, to no good end. In fact, her fate led the show’s EADA, Ben Stone (Michael Moriarty), to resign. Among the other guest stars in the ep: "Orange Is the New Black" stars Michael Harney as mob attorney Aaron Packard and Elizabeth Rodriguez as a murder witness.
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Chris Messina in ‘Rebels’ (Season 6; September 27, 1995)
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In the first of his three "Law & Order" guest spots — each portraying a different character — Messina played Tommy Bell, a college student with a jones for hanging out at a tough biker bar. Until he stumbled out the front door one night after getting stabbed by his girlfriend’s ex. Yeah, the episode, Messina’s second TV credit ever, was a short one for him, but he did have another future TV star as his girlfriend, Caridad Montero: "Orange Is the New Black" and "Fear the Walking Dead" star Elizabeth Rodriguez, who starred in three "L&O" episodes herself. Caridad, by the way, had a role in Tommy’s murder by her ex, biker Igor, played by "Prison Break" alum Robert Knepper.
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Jennifer Garner in ‘Aftershock’ (Season 6; May 22, 1996)
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In this season ender, four of the main characters were shaken after witnessing the execution of a man they helped prosecute. Lennie Briscoe fell off the wagon; Jack McCoy got drunk and, uncharacteristically, talked about his abusive father; Claire Kincaid played hooky; and Rey Curtis spent the day, and a one-night stand, with a graduate student named Jaime (pre-"Felicity" and "Alias" Garner), while ignoring calls from his wife. Jaime was never seen on the show again, but Curtis’s dalliance with her continued to impact his marriage for the remainder of his time with the NYPD. In the somber episode’s most heartbreaking, and impactful, moment, Claire was killed in a car accident while driving a drunk Lennie home.
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Taye Diggs in ‘Good Girl’ (Season 7; October 2, 1996)
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In just his second TV credit, Diggs entered the "Law & Order" universe as Sky Bell, a DJ whose girlfriend is a suspect in the murder of her ex-boyfriend. She didn’t do it, and Sky’s screen time was brief, but Diggs made enough of an impression that it led to his star-making turn as Winston Shakespeare in "How Stella Got Her Groove Back." Other guest stars in “Good Girl”: "Breaking Bad" Emmy nominee Giancarlo Esposito as the attorney for the parents of the murder victim, and "Mistresses" star Jennifer Esposito as a friend of the girl who did murder college student Charlie Mason.
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Lauren Graham in ‘D-Girl,’ ‘Turnaround,’ and ‘Showtime’ (Season 7; March 13, 20, and 27, 1997)
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Just a couple of months before her memorable guest appearance as Jerry’s speed dial-obsessed girlfriend on "Seinfeld," and a couple of years before "Gilmore Girls," Graham played Hollywood studio exec Lisa Lundquist in this three-episode "Law & Order" arc. Lundquist helped Detectives Briscoe and Curtis investigate the murder of her studio boss… and helped herself to a little romance with Curtis. The murderer of studio head Heidi Ellison was revealed to be her ex-husband, filmmaker Eddie Newman, who was played by Scott Cohen. Cohen would go on to play Max, Lorelai Gilmore’s jilted fiancé on "Gilmore Girls." Other guest stars: Janeane Garofalo as Greta Heiss, Ellison’s assistant; "Orange Is the New Black" star Michael Harney as NYPD Lt. Stu Miller; and "I Spy" star Robert Culp as Robert Culp.
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Emmy Rossum in ‘Ritual’ (Season 8; December 17, 1997)
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In her first on-screen credit, "Shameless" star Rossum played Alison Martin, an 11-year-old in the middle of a rift between her father and his wife and mother-in-law. At issue: Alison’s father was against his Egyptian mother-in-law’s plan to have a doctor perform a female circumcision on Alison. When Mr. Martin couldn’t get his wife and mother-in-law to abandon the surgery, he killed the surgeon. Additional guest star: Emmy-nominated "Barney Miller" star Steve Landesberg as Howard Cahill, Mr. Martin’s attorney.
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Vera Farmiga in ‘Expert’ (Season 8; January 21, 1998)
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Farmiga played Lindsay Carson, a special events planner who was suspected of trying to kill a psychologist (and murdering another man in the process) who had testified in a murder trial that sent her father to prison. Carson used the same defense — dissociative disorder — her father had used… and was equally unsuccessful. The "Bates Motel" star popped up in "Law & Order" land shortly after her first-ever TV series, "Roar," was canceled after just eight low-rated episodes. The Fox drama, a fantasy/action adventure series set in 400 A.D. Ireland, also starred the late Heath Ledger in his first, and last, American TV series.
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Jim Gaffigan in ‘Flight’ (Season 9; October 21, 1998)
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The comedian and star of an eponymous hit TV Land series played (in just his second TV credit) George Rozakis, a maintenance man who helped Detectives Briscoe and Curtis establish that a suspect had been cheating in his wife. Gaffigan later played an adoptive father/reality TV star/murder suspect in the Season 20 episode “Reality Bites,” and also made guest appearances on "Law & Order: SVU" and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"… ah, the life of a New York City actor. Also in the “Flight”: Emmy-nominated "The Good Wife" actor Dylan Baker, as Aaron Downing, an unhappily-married man who killed his young son — and then himself — to save the boy from growing up into an unhappy adult. "Rectify" mom J. Smith-Cameron played Downing’s wife.
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Zoe Saldana in ‘Refuge’ (Season 9; May 26, 1999)
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The "Star Trek" and "Avatar" star earned her first screen credit with her role as Belinca, a woman who is unhappy about the man her sister had chosen to father her children. Playing Belinca’s sister, Louisa, in the season finale: "Orange Is the New Black" star Selenis Leyva. Saldana also went on to guest star in a 2004 episode of "Law & Order: SVU."
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Ellen Pompeo in ‘Fools for Love’ (Season 10; February 23, 2000)
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She got her first TV credit in a 1996 episode, but it’s this installment that earns Pompeo the award for what is certainly one of the most disturbing and creepy "Law & Order" guest roles ever. She played Laura Kendrick, a young woman whose teen sister and friend were murdered by Laura’s sicko boyfriend, Peter. Not only had Peter kept the two teens locked up, he tortured and raped them before killing them. Most shocking: Laura not only knew, but she participated in the abuse and murders — to make Peter happy — and responded with indifference when the Kendrick parents learned the whole truth about their daughters.
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Charlie Day in ‘Swept Away’ (Season 11; February 28, 2001)
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"The Real World" had aired for nine seasons by then (Season 10, "The Real World: Back to New York," would air in the summer of 2001), but this episode attempted fresh commentary on the MTV reality series, via a show-within-the-show called "Deal With It." Pre-"It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia," Charlie Day played Jeremy, one of the show’s castmates — the loner, rebel one. Detectives Briscoe and Green were drawn into the production when one of the castmates — Wes, the one everyone hates — died after being pushed off the roof of the building. Jeremy, by the way, didn’t do it; it was roommate Paul, played by "Happy Endings" star Zachary Knighton.
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Ginnifer Goodwin in ‘Myth of Fingerprints’ (Season 12; November 14, 2001)
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Before "Big Love," and just as she was starting on "Ed," Goodwin had a brief, but memorable appearance as Erica, the girlfriend of the murder victim whose demise kicked off the episode. What’s so memorable about that? Take a look at the pic… and just how much the future "Once Upon a Time" star looks like a disco-era Shirley, as in "Laverne &." Right? Lifetime, when you make that inevitable "The Unauthorized Laverne & Shirley Story" — and we know you will — spend the cash and get Goodwin for the role of Shirley Feeney/Cindy Williams.
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Idris Elba in ‘3 Dawg Night’ (Season 12; November 28, 2001)
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The man who should be Bond made his American TV series debut as Lonnie Liston, the floor manager of a club where a hip-hop star and his Hollywood actress girlfriend were involved in the shooting death of a wannabe musician. And yes, with his smooth British accent, Elba remained 007 cool, even under intense interrogation by Detectives Briscoe and Green.
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Kerry Washington in ‘3 Dawg Night’ (Season 12; November 28, 2001)
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And the woman who played the actress girlfriend of music superstar Darryl “G Train” Collins in “3 Dawg Night”? The Emmy and Golden Globe-nominated Washington, who proved how tough she could be on-screen long before Olivia Pope was born. In a story that wasn’t exactly ripped from, but certainly inspired by, headlines about the infamous P. Diddy/J. Lo club shooting incident, Washington’s Allie Lawrence — who we learned had just starred in a movie with Brad Pitt — was holding her hip-hop honey’s gun. When an obnoxious DJ and aspiring musician dissed Collins and then molested her while they were trying to leave the club, she reacted by pulling out the weapon and shooting the DJ. Who did, and didn’t, take the fall for the murder is the episode’s little twist at the end.
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Corey Stoll in ‘Heart of Darkness’ (Season 16; January 18, 2006)
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The "House of Cards" and "The Strain" star played Gerald Ruane, the big brother of a journalist with severe mental illness issues. When younger brother Tadhg decided he could no longer live with his illness, Gerald and Tadhg’s girlfriend, Angela, helped him swallow a load of pills, then Gerald held him under water until he died. Angela was played by another familiar face: "Vikings," "Glee," "Heroes," and "Nip/Tuck" star Jessalyn Gilsig. And Stoll went on to have another "L&O" experience: He starred as Detective Tomas “TJ” Jaruszalski in the short-lived spinoff series "Law & Order: L.A." in 2010.
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Jeffrey Donovan in ‘Good Faith’ (Season 17; March 30, 2007)
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Just months before the premiere of his star-making role in "Burn Notice," Donovan made his second "L&O" guest appearance in this episode, in which his Jacob Reese, a fundamentalist Christian, committed murder. His initial defense: He killed his daughter’s teacher after the teacher taught his kid about evolution. Reese said he had to kill the teacher to save his daughter from losing her religion. Reese’s defense attorney: Danielle Melnick, played by "The Walking Dead" star and Broadway legend Tovah Feldshuh, who played Melnick in 13 episodes and earned an Emmy nomination for the performance in 2003. As for Donovan’s earlier "L&O" appearance (his first TV role ever), in Season 6’s “Jeopardy," he played a magazine publisher who was murdered in the opening scene.
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Laverne Cox in ‘Sweetie’ (Season 19; March 10, 2008)
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The "Orange Is the New Black" star played Minnie, a prostitute who helped Detective Lupo suss out murder suspect Cody Larson, another prostitute whose real-life experience of being turned into a 10-year-old hooker by his mother was stolen by an author named Sweetie Ness and turned into a bestselling memoir. More familiar faces in “Sweetie”: Vivica A. Fox as Sweetie’s agent, Kate Tenny; Heather Matarazzo as a Sweetie stalker named Janice Dunlap; Broadway star Billy Magnussen as Larson, the real “Sweetie”; and the late "Silicon Valley" star Christopher Evan Welch as Larson’s attorney David Haig. Cox, earlier the same year, had also guest starred in the Season 9 “Closet” episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."
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Danai Gurira in ‘Fed’ (Season 20; December 11, 2009)
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"The Walking Dead’s" Michonne guest-starred as Courtney Owens, the head of a community activist nonprofit known as the Rights Alliance. When a member of her group was killed, several other members — including Courtney and her embezzling co-worker husband — were suspects. Gurira had previously guested on an episode of "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" that was her first TV credit. Meanwhile, the "Law & Order" universe has provided jobs for many stars of "The Walking Dead," including Chad L. Coleman, Seth Gilliam, Tovah Feldshuh, Dallas Roberts, Scott Wilson, Michael Rooker, and Jeffrey DeMunn. Norman Reedus, Jon Bernthal, Emily Kinney, Sarah Wayne Callies, Tyler James Williams, Coleman, DeMunn, Roberts, and Lauren Cohan guest starred on episodes of "Law & Order: SVU;" Kinney, Gilliam, Bernthal, Roberts, and Sonequa Martin-Green were guests on "Law & Order: Criminal Intent;" Steven Yeun was a guest star on "Law & Order: L.A."; and Gilliam and DeMunn guest starred on "Law & Order: Trial by Jury."
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Adam Driver in ‘Brilliant Disguise’ (Season 20; March 8, 2010)
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The "Girls" star appeared to be a very bad boy in this "L&O" appearance. He played Robby Vickery, a med student who was suspected of murdering and robbing hookers to pay for a gambling habit. Spoiler alert: He didn’t do it, but he knew who did in the particularly twist-filled episode. Driver also went on to guest star in the Season 13 “Theatre Tricks” episode of "Law & Order: SVU."
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Robin Lord Taylor in ‘Innocence’ (Season 20; March 15, 2010)
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The "Gotham" breakout guest starred in three "L&O" episodes in his pre-Oswald Cobblepot days, including this final-season entry in which he played Cedric Stuber, a homophobic young man who killed a gay man as he was walking home from a party with his husband. Other guest stars in the episode: "Veep" Emmy nominee Anna Chlumsky as Lisa Klein, a law student who worked on Stuber’s appeal after he was convicted; Cheyenne Jackson as Jon Sorrentino, whose husband was murdered by Stuber; and Ernie Hudson as Frank, Lt. Anita Van Buren’s boyfriend.
NBCDick Wolf’s Law & Order premiered 25 years ago on Sept. 13, and in addition to being one of the most addictive TV series ever, the New York City-set legal drama is a who’s who of many of great actors and actresses working today, from Emmy and Oscar winners to significant portions of the casts of series like The Walking Dead, Orange Is the New Black, The Wire, and The Sopranos.
In honor of the enduring legacy of the show, which still airs repeats daily on networks like WE tv, TNT, Sundance, and WGN, we flashback to 25 of our favorite L&O guest stars… and the naughty, naughty things they did in primetime.
Law & Order: The Complete Series is available on DVD.
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