Jerry Orbach

From The Law & Order Wiki

Jerry Orbach
...as Detective Lennie Briscoe (L&O Season 3)
Characters Detective Lennie Briscoe & Frank Lehrman
Date of birth 20 October 1935
Place of birth The Bronx, New York City
Date of death 28 December 2004
Place of death Manhattan, New York City
...as Frank Lehrman
IMDb profile

Jerry Orbach was an actor who played Detective Lennie Briscoe in all four series of the Law & Order franchise.

Orbach starred on Law & Order for twelve years (1992-2004) and became one of the series' most popular characters. Before his starring rol he also played a Defense Attorney named Frank Lehrman in the second season episode "The Wages of Love".

Orbach also appeared in the TV movie "Exiled: A Law & Order Movie".

Orbach made guest appearances in the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit episodes "...Or Just Look Like One", "Hysteria", and "Entitled". He also appeared in the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Poison".

He also voice acted the character for the video games "Dead on the Money", "Double or Nothing", and "Justice is Served".

Orbach appeared as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Homicide: Life on the Street crossover episodes "For God and Country", "Baby, It's You: Part 2", and "Sideshow: Part 2".

Orbach was signed to continue in the role on Law & Order: Trial by Jury, but appeared in only the first two episodes of the series. Both episodes aired in March 2005, after his death. The fifth episode of the series, "Baby Boom", was dedicated to his memory.

In early December 2004, it was announced that Orbach had been receiving treatment for prostate cancer since spring 2004; he died at the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City on 28 December 2004. Orbach was 69 years old. His agent, Robert Malcolm, announced at the time of his death that Orbach's prostate cancer had been diagnosed more than 10 years before. The day after his death, the marquees on Broadway were dimmed in mourning, one of the highest honors of the American theatre world.

[edit] Trivia

• Orbach's character Briscoe is one of only five characters who have appeared in all four series of the Law & Order franchise. The other four are Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin), Elizabeth Rodgers (Leslie Hendrix), Arthur Branch (Fred Dalton Thompson), and Elizabeth Olivet (Carolyn McCormick).

• Along with Chris Noth, Dann Florek, and Fred Dalton Thompson, he is one of four Law & Order cast members who later joined the regular cast of one of the spin-off series.

• Orbach's son Chris made guest appearances in Law & Order and Special Victims Unit, and his cousin Ron appeared in Law & Order, Criminal Intent, and Trial by Jury.