7 Major Stars You Forgot Starred in a ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Episode

Law & Order is one of those television phenomena that has existed for so long and spawned so many sequels and spin-offs that it is virtually impossible for anyone owning a TV not to have encountered it in some form. Beginning with the original Law and Order in 1990, these procedural crime stories about the world of law enforcement and the justice department have been the basis for a staggering number of episodes across seven shows and more than three decades.

The show’s endearing longevity means that for many up-and-coming actors, working on such a highly regarded series could be just the break they were looking for, or an opportunity for a surprise cameo from established actors. One of the longest-running series in the canon, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (aka SVU), has plenty of surprising major stars (past or present) appearing on the show.

Here are 7 major stars who popped up in Law & Order: SVU that you may have forgotten about.

Zoe Saldaña

Season 5, Episode 21 – “Criminal”

Before Zoe Saldaña found massive success in three of the biggest sci-fi franchises of all time (Star Trek, Avatar, and the MCU via Guardians of the Galaxy), she was paying her dues as a working actor doing her rounds in minor roles in various television shows and movies. In the 2004 SVU episode “Criminal,” Saldaña plays the protective daughter of a criminology professor with a criminal past. The episode strikingly tackles police bias by making one of the main cast (Captain Cragen, played by Don Florek) so blinded by his hatred of this former criminal that he ignores the evidence right in front of his face.

Although her scenes are few, Saldaña stands out by establishing her character’s justifiable attitude toward law enforcement with every facial expression and word she says. Likewise, we sense how difficult it is for her to turn to them for help when her father goes off the deep end following the wrongful conviction of murdering the woman he loved. She imbues a relatively minor role with real power.

Sarah Paulson

Season 11, Episode 12 – “Shadow”

According to her IMDb, the Law & Order episode “Family Values” is Sarah Paulson’s first on-screen acting credit. In the episode, she plays a 17-year-old girl suspected of murdering her mother. The episode showcases the talent she would spend decades honing, resulting in her current status as an acting icon. In 2010, she returned to the franchise in the SVU episode “Shadow” from season 11. This time, she plays a woman who murders her mother (and father) to guarantee she isn’t cut out of the will.

Paulson plays things up a little bit and nibbles on the scenery. Never once do you doubt she killed her parents, and the fun is watching her barely disguise that fact before blowing up, revealing the wrath boiling below the surface. It isn’t a funny character, but there is a campy glimmer in Paulson’s eye that is entertaining to watch — even if the rest of the episode isn’t great.

Bradley Cooper

Season 6, Episode 20 – “Night”

Although he is the current marquee name associated with the SVU season 6 episode “Night,” Bradley Cooper is just one of four famous faces appearing in this dark and violent story. While investigating a series of unsolved rapes, Stabler and Benson encounter a woman advocating for undocumented women. She is played by Rita Moreno, whom you probably remember as Anita in the first big-screen adaptation of West Side Story. They trace some fingerprints to a powerful but vile attorney played by Cooper.

You hate him from the minute he appears on-screen. Not only is he smug, but he seems to enjoy touting his understanding of the law over people as if this excuses his scumbag behavior. His client (who is identified as a rapist) is played by Doctor Otto Octavius himself, Alfred Molina, again playing a genius with a dark side. Perhaps the most incredible and unexpected guest in the episode is one Angela Lansbury. Instead of solving the murder, as she would in Murder She Wrote, she is a cold, cruel woman who is trying to protect her criminal son from facing criminal charges.

Robin Williams

Season 9, Episode 17 – “Authority”

For anyone who was hoping to see Robin Williams play the Joker in a Batman movie, the Season 9 episode of SVU (titled “Authority”) is as close as you’re going to get. Williams plays a man with a personal vendetta against all those with authority, thanks to putting his trust in a doctor who allowed his pregnant wife to die. While he doesn’t inflict the kind of chaos the clown prince of crime would, he gets pretty close by inspiring the masses to rise up against their employers and the status quo in an attempt to wake them up from their cattle-like existence.

He defends himself in court after convincing a fast food manager to sexually abuse an employee (and wins), organizes a pillow fight on courthouse steps, disguises his voice to create false alibis, and even has a secret lair. As dramatic and hard to take seriously as his antics are (the comic book tone doesn’t fit with SVU), and as shallow as the episode’s arguments are, Williams never falters in his performance. We completely buy him as a man who has allowed tragedy to corrupt and twist him in terrible ways.

Serena Williams

Season 5, Episode 12 – “Brotherhood”

Of all the stars on this list, the inclusion of Serena Williams is perhaps the most strenuous. Her role in the season 5 episode “Brotherhood” is truly a cameo, at best. However, she is one of the most recognizable athletes in the world, and “actor” isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when she is mentioned. Therefore, she is definitely a major star you likely forgot was in Law & Order: SVU.

The episode is about ritualistic sexual abuse at the hands of a college fraternity and how institutions have a way of rallying around protecting the guilty, regardless of how terrible their crimes are. Williams plays Chloe Spiers, a college basketball star who was one of many young women who were exploited by a fraternity brother, who filmed himself having sex with them and distributed the videos online. Her character isn’t on-screen for very long, but she serves the crucial plot function of providing detectives with a key piece of information that brings them one step closer to finding their killer.

Martin Short

Season 6, Episode 18 “Pure”

Honestly, the only conceivable way you could forget that Martin Short was in such a horrific episode of SVU as “Pure” is if you’ve never seen it, or you’ve never heard of Martin Short (which seems unlikely). The episode sees the titular Unit trying to find a missing young woman and constantly being impeded by a proposed psychic played by Short. He seems to have supernatural knowledge of not only the kidnapping but of the detectives as well. He has them running in circles while trying to conduct their investigation effectively and figure out what exactly his angle is.

As the viewer, we figure it out early on, but the suspense comes in wondering if the detectives will piece everything together in time to save the woman. Everything turns really dark once the truth about Short’s character and his motivations are revealed. Short is truly disturbing in the role of this utterly vile human being with beliefs that horrifically mirror much of real-life, toxic rhetoric circulating on the internet.

Adam Driver

Season 13, Episode 11 – “Theatre Tricks”

Adam Driver would go on to become one of the most recognizable modern actors, both for his distinct presence and delivery, which saw his range getting him cast in everything from Star Wars to the deeply emotional drama Marriage Story. Back in 2012, Driver would give a standout performance in SVU, playing the role of Jason Roberts, a theater director who uses a position to lure a woman into an ‘interactive performance’ that allows him to stalk and manipulate her.

It is a fantastic set-up that makes for a thrilling episode, as Driver sets up a series of escalating events that push his ‘participant’ to more uncomfortable extremes. Here, Driver delivers his part with a convincing intensity that alludes to his greater success as he moves on with his career into lead roles. It remains one of the best ‘before they were big’ appearances in all of Law & Order. Driver also appeared in the main series, back in 2010, season 20, episode 15.