20 'Law & Order' cameos you probably forgot about

Mandy Patinkin is an actor who just pops up in projects. You’ll be watching something, and all of a sudden, he’s there. And that’s what happened in 2003 when he was a guest star on Law & Order. The episode revolved around a robbery and murder in a jewelry store. 

Post-Boy Meets World and pre-Parks and Recreation, Adam Scott had a guest spot on an episode of Law & Order about the death of a military contractor. This was before Scott was in Step Brothers, too, so it’s possible his presence flew under your radar. 

Despite her distinct look, Jena Malone makes a great character actor. A few years before hitting more mainstream success with her work in The Hunger Games franchise, Malone played a character on Law & Order. 

Television fans likely noticed when January Jones was on Law & Order because Mad Men had begun airing by then. The famed TV wife played a con artist in an episode of the longtime crime drama. 

Any time Elliott Gould is on screen, people wonder why he’s not on screen more (and yes, he’s on-screen quite a bit, but even that isn’t enough). Okay, maybe not everyone wonders that, but we’re willing to bet at least some people did when he was on an episode of Law & Order in 2009. 

Logan Marshall-Green might be a forgotten guest star to some Law & Order fans, but he made an impact on at least one casting director for the franchise because he’s appeared on both the original series and SVU. 

Pedro Pascal’s career seems to be taking off now, but he’s been in the business for decades. The star was on Law & Order, as well as Criminal Intent and SVU starting in the late 2000s. He’s played four different characters between the three series. 

Idris Elba is no stranger to crime dramas. Before starting his work on The Wire, Elba had a guest role on Law & Order as a manager of a nightclub that doubles as the site of a murder.

A quick scan of Jason Ritter’s IMDb is all it takes to see him as someone who would have a guest role on Law & Order. It’s not that he’s not talented. He’s just a super busy guy. Ritter has been on both Law & Order and SVU. 

Sebastian Stan was in an episode of Law & Order in the early 2000s, serving as his first credited acting job after starting his career as an adult. Oddly enough, Stan guest starred in an episode with Ty Burrell of Modern Family. 

The last notable TV series Harry Hamlin was in might be The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Hamlin is still an icon, though, and he’s seemingly a beloved part of the Law & Order franchise. He’s been on the original, as well as SVU and True Crime. 

Kerry Washington’s guest role on Law & Order was just her manifesting Scandal, although her role on the former crime drama was a little different than the latter. Washington was in the same episode of Law & Order as Idris Elba. 

There is a shockingly low number of celebrity guests who reprised their role from Law & Order in one of the spin-offs. Jeffrey Tambor has been in both the original and SVU, the latter as a recurring character, but he played two different people. Tambor was in the same Law & Order episode as Harry Hamlin. 

Vivica A. Fox is another actress who stays booked and busy, so it’s no surprise that she’s been on Law & Order. The star lent her talents to a wild episode (to be fair, they’re all a little wild) about an author’s murder. 

It’s possible you didn’t recognize Lynda Carter in Law & Order because she wasn’t wearing a headband or flying. Carter is one of the rare celebs who played the same character in multiple series in the franchise, first appearing on SVU and then the original. 

Not many people get to play themselves on Law & Order, but when you’re the mayor of New York City, you get special privileges. Near the end of his time in office, Rudy Giuliani guest starred as himself on an episode of the series. 

Law & Order only lets icons play the same roles in different franchises. Candice Bergen got to play the same character in Law & Order as she did in three episodes of Trial by Jury. 

Two of Laverne Cox’s very first acting credits are with the Law & Order franchise, both coming several years before Orange Is the New Black. The star was a guest on both SVU and the original, joining Vivica A. Fox and Colman Domingo in an episode of the latter. 

Even Billie Jean King wasn’t allowed to play herself on Law & Order. The tennis icon has acted as herself in multiple series, but she took a true acting turn in Law & Order and played Judge Muriel Gilden. 

Chadwick Boseman also had Law & Order to thank for one of his very first acting roles. The bygone Marvel icon was a guest in an episode in the early 2000s in which a witness to a murder is also murdered.