'Law & Order' Star Jerry Orbach Dies at 69
By FRAZIER MOORE, AP
NEW YORK (Dec. 29) - Actor Jerry Orbach, who played a sardonic, seen-it-all cop on TV's ''Law & Order'' and scored on Broadway as a song-and-dance man, has died of prostate cancer at 69, a representative of the show said Wednesday.
Orbach died Tuesday night in Manhattan after several weeks of treatment, Audrey Davis of the public relations agency Lippin Group said.
When his illness was diagnosed, he had begun production on NBC's upcoming spinoff ''Law & Order: Trial By Jury,'' after 12 seasons playing Detective Lennie Briscoe in the original series. His return to the new show had been expected early next year.
On Broadway, Orbach starred in hit musicals including ''Carnival,'' ''Promises, Promises'' (for which he won a Tony Award), ''Chicago'' and ''42nd Street.''
Earlier, he was in the original cast of the off-off-Broadway hit ''The Fantasticks,'' playing the narrator. The show went on to run for more than 40 years.
Lights on Broadway marquees were expected to be dimmed for one minute at curtain time Wednesday night in Orbach's memory.
Among his film appearances were roles in ''Dirty Dancing,'' ''Prince of the City'' and ''Crimes and Misdemeanors.'' In the animated feature ''Beauty and the Beast,'' he voiced the role of the candlestick, and got to sing a key song, ''Be Our Guest.''
Orbach is expected to appear in early episodes of ''Law & Order: Trial by Jury,'' for which he continued as Briscoe in a secondary role, when the show premieres later this season, Davis said.
''I'm immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th century show business,'' said Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the ''Law & Order'' series, in a statement. ''He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable.''
By FRAZIER MOORE, AP
NEW YORK (Dec. 29) - Actor Jerry Orbach, who played a sardonic, seen-it-all cop on TV's ''Law & Order'' and scored on Broadway as a song-and-dance man, has died of prostate cancer at 69, a representative of the show said Wednesday.
Orbach died Tuesday night in Manhattan after several weeks of treatment, Audrey Davis of the public relations agency Lippin Group said.
When his illness was diagnosed, he had begun production on NBC's upcoming spinoff ''Law & Order: Trial By Jury,'' after 12 seasons playing Detective Lennie Briscoe in the original series. His return to the new show had been expected early next year.
On Broadway, Orbach starred in hit musicals including ''Carnival,'' ''Promises, Promises'' (for which he won a Tony Award), ''Chicago'' and ''42nd Street.''
Earlier, he was in the original cast of the off-off-Broadway hit ''The Fantasticks,'' playing the narrator. The show went on to run for more than 40 years.
Lights on Broadway marquees were expected to be dimmed for one minute at curtain time Wednesday night in Orbach's memory.
Among his film appearances were roles in ''Dirty Dancing,'' ''Prince of the City'' and ''Crimes and Misdemeanors.'' In the animated feature ''Beauty and the Beast,'' he voiced the role of the candlestick, and got to sing a key song, ''Be Our Guest.''
Orbach is expected to appear in early episodes of ''Law & Order: Trial by Jury,'' for which he continued as Briscoe in a secondary role, when the show premieres later this season, Davis said.
''I'm immensely saddened by the passing of not only a friend and colleague, but a legendary figure of 20th century show business,'' said Dick Wolf, creator and executive producer of the ''Law & Order'' series, in a statement. ''He was one of the most honored performers of his generation. His loss is irreplaceable.''
