Jerry Orbach
Orbach, who passed away in December of 2004, portrayed the veteran Detective Lennie Briscoe on Law & Order for 12 years. As before, Briscoe takes his work seriously but uses his wry sense of humor as a buttress against the pressures of being a DA Investigator. Orbach was nominated for an Emmy in the category of Outstanding Actor in a Drama Series for his work on Law & Order during the 1999-2000 season.
Born in the Bronx, Orbach moved frequently as a child. From the Bronx, he moved to Mt. Vernon, New York, then to Pennsylvania where he lived in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton before moving to Springfield, Massachusetts and Waukegan, Illinois. He graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and went on to study with Lee Strasberg. Orbach is a member of the Actor's Studio.
Orbach's professional acting career began in the theater. He did summer stock at the age of 16 and made his first New York stage appearance at the age of 21 in The Threepenny Opera as Mack the Knife. In 1960, he created the role of El Gallo in the Off-Broadway milestone, The Fantasticks. Orbach made his Broadway debut in 1961 in David Merrick's production of Carnival and received his first Tony Award nomination for his portrayal of Sky Masterson in the City Center revival of Guys and Dolls. He won a Tony Award for his starring role in Promises, Promises and has also appeared in The Cradle Will Rock, Scuba Duba, 6 Rms Riv Vu and Chicago. It was in this production that Orbach met his wife Elaine Cancilla, who replaced Chita Rivera as his co-star.
Orbach toured with the national company of Neil Simon's Chapter Two for nine months and was last seen on Broadway in the original production of 42nd Street. Orbach was inducted into the Broadway Hall of Fame in 1999. Orbach's film credits include Beauty and the Beast, Postcards from the Edge, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Dirty Dancing, Someone to Watch Over Me, F/X, Brewster's Millions, Prince of the City and The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight.
No stranger to television audiences, Orbach's television credits include guest appearances in the movie of Neil Simon's Broadway Bound, The Golden Girls, (both of which earned him Emmy nominations), Empty Nest and Murder, She Wrote. Additionally, he played Harry McGraw in the 1988 series The Law and Harry McGraw.
Jerry Orbach Facts
Birth Name | Jerome Bernard Orbach |
Occupation | Actor, TV Host |
Birthday | October 20, 1935 |
Sign | Libra |
Birthplace | New York, New York, USA |
Date of death | December 28, 2004 (New York, New York, USA, age 69) |
Height | 6' 2" (1m88) How tall is Jerry Orbach compared to you? |
Awards | 2005 Screen Actors Guild Awards: Best Male Actor in a Drama Series (for Law & Order) |
Selected Filmography
Beauty and the Beast | ||
Beauty and the Beast: 25th Anniversary Edition | ||
Dirty Dancing | ||
Beauty And The Beast: The Enchanted Christmas | ||
Prince of Central Park | ||
Aladdin and the King of Thieves | ||
Out For Justice | ||
Dirty Dancing: 30th Anniversary | ||
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