Jerry Orbach: 1935-2004 Law & Order Star Succumbs to Cancer
Longtime stage, film and television actor Jerry Orbach has died of prostate cancer at age 69. Orbach, perhaps best known for his 12 seasons on the long-running NBC series Law & Order, had been diagnosed with the disease earlier this year. At the time, he had been filming episodes of the latest L&O spin-off, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, which is scheduled to premiere next year.
A performer of rare versatility, Orbach so fully inhabited the character of Law & Order’s crusty detective Lennie Briscoe, a recovering alcoholic tormented by the murder of his drug-addicted daughter at the hands of a street dealer, that many viewers were unaware that he began his career as a song-and-dance man. Highlights of his prolific musical-theater career include originating the roles of El Gallo in The Fantasticks, Billy Flynn in Chicago and Julian Marsh in 42nd Street on the New York stage, and receiving a Tony Award for the 1969 musical
Promises, Promises, based on the Oscar-winning Billy Wilder film
The Apartment.
The only child of a former vaudeville actor father and radio singer mother, Jerome Bernard Orbach was born in the Bronx on October 20, 1935. After several moves, the family eventually settled in Waukegan, Ill. In 1952, upon graduation from high school, he performed in summer stock at the Chase Playhouse in Wheeling, Ill., where his fellow troupe members included Mae West, Vincent Price and John Ireland. After studying drama at the University of Illinois and Northwestern University, Orbach relocated to New York, where he studied with Lee Strasberg at the Actors Studio.
Although he idolized Marlon Brando and Montgomery Clift, and in his early years aspired to complex dramatic roles, Orbach found a rewarding niche in musicals. He was so associated with the musical theater, in fact, that he initially had difficulty expanding into other mediums and genres. But by the 1980s, he had branched into films and television, where he was equally at home in both comedies and dramas. His memorable feature films include Prince of the City and F/X, as well as an outstanding performance in a small but deeply resonant supporting role in Woody Allen’s Crimes and Misdemeanors, and a touching turn as Jennifer Grey’s father in Dirty Dancing. Orbach also provided the voice for Lumiere, the candelabra in the animated feature Beauty and the Beast, in which he sang the rousing song “Be Our Guest.”
Orbach made his first television appearance in the early 1960s, and over the course of his career was nominated for three Emmys. His first, a 1990 nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series, came for an episode of The Golden Girls. Two years later, he was nominated for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Special for a production of Neil Simon’s Broadway Bound. In 2000, he garnered a nomination for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Law & Order.
Before becoming a regular cast member, Orbach appeared on Law & Order as a defense attorney during the show’s second season. A year later, he landed the defining role of Det. Briscoe. Between his Broadway legacy and more than a decade on Law & Order, Orbach became so associated with New York City that in 2003 the New York Landmark Conservancy declared him a Living Landmark.
Of Orbach’s passing, Dick Wolf, executive producer and creator of all the Law & Order-branded series, said, “I’m immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th century show business who was a star of screen, stage and television. From Chicago to 42nd Street, from Prince of the City to Law & Order, he was one of the most honored actors of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable.”
Fellow Law & Order cast member Sam Waterston added, “Jerry loved his life and his work, and we loved him right back. He was a wonderful actor and an extraordinarily good man. He made us laugh every day. I miss him.”
Orbach leaves behind his wife of 24 years, Elaine, whom he met during the Broadway run of Chicago, in which she replaced Chita Rivera as Velma. He is also survived by two sons, Anthony and Christopher, with his first wife, Marta Curro, his fellow cast member in a New York production of The Threepenny Opera.
No funeral arrangements have been announced.