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50 celebrities you forgot appeared on 'Law and

Order: SVU'
Gabbi Shaw May 17, 2018, 12:28 PM

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While people come and go, Olivia Benson remains. Michael Parmelee/NBC

"Law and Order: SVU" was recently renewed for a 20th season — it shares this
record number with "Gunsmoke." With no signs of slowing down, the detectives of
the Special Victims Unit are set to break this record next year.
Over the past two decades, hundreds of actors have made their way onto "SVU," but
with 429 episodes and counting, we understand if you can't remember every
famous face that's appeared on the show.

From Ludacris to Robin Williams, the guest stars of "SVU" vary greatly. Keep
scrolling to take a trip down memory lane and catch up with 50 of the most famous
celebrities to have appeared on "Law and Order: SVU."

Warning: Spoilers ahead for those who haven't watched all 19 seasons
 H O M E PA G E

Bradley Cooper appeared in both episodes of a season six

"SVU" and "Trial by Jury" crossover.
Cooper in season six, episode 20, "Night." NBC

Four years before his big break starring in "The Hangover," Cooper appeared as a
shady lawyer connected to a murder victim found with a wad of cash stuQed in her
mouth — the money was traced back to Cooper's character, Jason Whitaker.

Zoe Saldana's Rrst acting credit was on the original "Law &
Order" in 1999. Five years later she played Gabrielle Vega,
the daughter of a murder suspect, on "SVU."
Saldana in season five, episode 21, "Criminal." NBC

Saldana's character tried to convince the team that her father, who was convicted
for murder when he was 19, was reformed. She believed he was innocent, while the
detectives were dubious.

Fresh oW his stint on "Gilmore Girls," Milo Ventimiglia

appeared as an angry teen who put his stepfather behind
bars for allegedly molesting him.
Ventimiglia in season five, episode 11, "Escape." NBC

In typical "SVU" fashion, the case isn't as simple as it appears. Turns out Lee Healy
(Ventimiglia) wasn't actually molested by his stepfather, but involved in an
incestuous relationship with his cousin.

Brooke Shields played Sheila Porter in Rve episodes. Porter

is the biological grandmother of Benson's son, Noah.
Shields in season 19, episode eight, "Intent." NBC

Shields appeared in the most recent season of "SVU" as the biological grandmother
of Benson's son Noah, whose mother Ellie (her daughter) was brutally murdered in
gang-related violence.

While claiming to simply want to connect with her grandson, she ultimately tried
to kidnap him (unsuccessfully).

Robin Williams played against his typical comedic persona

when he appeared as anti-authoritarian activist Merritt
Rook.
Williams in season nine, episode 17, "Authority." NBC

Rook believed that the general public were mindless sheep bowing to authority
[gures. When his pregnant wife and their unborn child die, he concocts a twisted
plan to challenge authority that involves kidnapping Benson.

The episode, which happened to be the show's 200th, is a classic "ripped from the
headlines" story. Part of Rook's crimes included pretending to be a cop and forcing
a manager at a fast food restaurant to strip-search an employee — this actually
happened. The perpetrator was sentenced to [ve years in prison.

Acting legend Patti LuPone portrayed power-hungry

manager Lydia Lebasi.
LuPone in season 16, episode 11, "Agent Provocateur." NBC

LuPone's character is a powerful Hollywood agent that would do anything to

protect her clients — including stu]ng a 15-year-old girl into a suitcase and leaving
her for dead.

"Supergirl" actor and Broadway star Jeremy Jordan

appeared in the same episode, as a client of Lebasi's.
Jordan in season 16, episode 11, "Agent Provocateur." NBC

Jordan's character was the last person to see the girl his agent Lydia Lebasi (Patti
LuPone) stuQed into a suitcase alive.

John Stamos appeared as a slimy lawyer who was revealed

to to have fathered at least 47 children, making him a
"reproductive abuser."
Stamos in season 12, episode 22, "Bang." NBC

Ken Turner (Stamos) is a prominent lawyer with a [ancée and newly adopted baby.

However, it turns out that Turner is actually the adopted baby's biological father,
and that he's fathered at least 47 children, making him a "reproductive abuser."

Stamos' "Full House" co-star Bob Saget has also appeared

on "SVU."
Saget in season eight, episode nine, "Choreographed." NBC

Saget plays a jealous husband involved in a love square — his wife Naomi is
cheating on him with Wesley, who is married to a woman named Danielle. When
Danielle is found dead in Central Park, the detectives suspect Wesley, though Glenn
(played by Saget) later confesses.

Country singer Miranda Lambert played an aspiring actress

and rape victim in a season 13 episode.
Lambert in season 13, episode 13, "Father's Shadow." NBC

Lacey Ford, played by Lambert, is a rape victim who was assaulted by a powerful
TV producer (also a serial rapist).

However, she claims that her encounter was consensual, mostly because she is
concerned with what would happen to the TV show she auditioned for if the
producer was put in jail.

Shondaland vet Kate Burton played obce bully Annette

Cole, who was indirectly responsible for the death of the co-
founder of her company.
Burton in season 12, episode 18, "Bully." NBC

Cole is a woman with a mean streak who created a work environment so poisonous
that it leads to the murder of her company's co-founder.

Bradley Whitford portrayed a proliRc Rlm director who is

accused of molesting his daughter.
Whitford in season 15, episode 22, "Reasonable Doubt." NBC

The similarities between this case and the alleged crimes of Woody Allen and
Roman Polanski are too many to be a coincidence — and "SVU" has a tendency to
take storylines straight from the news.

Whitford's character, Frank Maddox, is a proli[c [lm director who is accused of

molesting his young daughter, though he claims that his ex-wife Catherine is
behind it all.

While the situation doesn't exactly parallel the situation between Woody Allen, Mia
Farrow, and their daughter Dylan (Allen is currently in a relationship with his ex-
girlfriend Farrow's daughter), it's clear that Maddox is supposed to be Allen. The
episode takes a Polanski-esque turn when Maddox eees to France while
maintaining his innocence, much like Polanski, who eed to Switzerland after being
accused of statutory rape.
"Modern Family" star Ty Burrell appeared in an early
episode as a lawyer determined to send a serial killer to his
death.
Burrell in season three, episode 15, "Execution." NBC

Burrell plays a lawyer trying to get a serial killer sentenced to death. While the SVU
team wants to postpone the killer's execution to determine if he was responsible for
another murder, Alan Messinger (Burrell) isn't having it.

"Sex and the City's" Cynthia Nixon won an Emmy for her role
as Janis in the season nine premiere.
Nixon in season nine, episode one, "Alternate." NBC

Janis, who suQers from multiple personality disorder, and her daughter April were
reported missing, though Janis was later found on a park bench with no memory of
her daughter.

Nixon played [ve distinct personalities in the episode, earning her an Emmy in
2008.

Laverne Cox's Rrst TV role was on an episode of "SVU" in

which she played Candace, the manager of a gym employing
a murder suspect.
Cox in season nine, episode 16, "Closet." NBC

"Orange is the New Black" breakout star Laverne Cox only appears in one scene,
where she tells Benson and Stabler that their suspect is an employee at her gym.

Henry Winkler played a con-man who married a woman for

her money.
Winkler in season three, episode 20, "Greed." NBC

The logistics of the case are confusing, but Winkler plays a man who married a rich
woman for her money, which he steals from her little by little before bludgeoning
her and trying to frame someone else.

Kate Mara's Rrst role ever was on the original "Law & Order"
in 1999. Four years later she returned to the franchise as a
gymnast named Lori.
Mara in season two, episode nine, "Pixies." NBC

At [rst, Lori appears to be a normal teen with a competitive streak, but it turns out
that she killed a fellow gymnast in a jealous rage.
Jesse McCartney also had his Rrst acting role on "Law &
Order," in 2000. He appeared on "SVU" eight years later.

McCartney in season 10, episode six, "Babes." NBC

Based on the news of a pregnancy pact between teenagers in Gloucester, MA, this
episode incorporates the "SVU" mainstays of potential rape and murder.

McCartney played Max Matarazzo, the boyfriend (but not baby daddy) of one of the
pregnant girls, who admits to strangling his girlfriend in a rage and then staging it
to look like a suicide.
Alec Baldwin played a journalist dubious about a victim's
claim of having experienced a hate crime.

Baldwin in season 15, episode 18, "Criminal Stories." NBC

Baldwin's character Jimmy MacArthur is a journalist who has been given full
access to the Special Victims Unit by the NYPD in order to write an article.

He initially publishes a scathing article claiming that a woman lied about being the
victim of a hate crime — which she was — but writes another one supporting her
when it turns out that she wasn't lying about getting raped.

Sarah Hyland has appeared twice on "SVU." She's also

appeared on the original "Law & Order" and "Law & Order:
Trial by Jury."

Hyland in season three, episode one, "Repression" and season 10, episode 12, "Hothouse." NBC

The "Modern Family" star is no stranger to the criminal justice system — she has
four episodes across three "Law and Order" shows under her belt, playing
everything from the child of a man falsely accused of molesting his other daughter
to a murderous roommate.

Viola Davis has appeared in seven episodes across Rve

years as attorney Donna Emmett.
Davis in season nine, episode 19, "Cold." NBC

Emmett has gone up against the SVU multiple times throughout the show —
perhaps Davis' experience as a lawyer on "SVU" prepared her for her Emmy-
winning role as Annalise Keating on "How to Get Away with Murder."

"Gilmore Girls'" Kelly Bishop has appeared in three episodes

as two diWerent characters.
Bishop in season one, episode 22, "Slaves," and season 10, episode 8, "Persona." NBC

In her [rst appearance, the "Gilmore Girls" actress plays an unnamed registrar
employee in the show's [rst season. She has a much more substantial role nine
years later as lawyer Julia Zimmer.

Zimmer featured in two episodes in the show's 10th season before meeting her
untimely demise — she was murdered by a former client.

Bishop's TV daughter-in-law Sutton Foster (they starred

together in "Bunheads") also guest-starred as an assistant
to the leader of a lesbian rights group called LesBeStrong.
Foster in season 11, episode 13, "P.C." NBC

Foster, who currently stars on "Younger" with recurring "SVU" guest-star Peter
Hermann, plays a woman named Rosemary who becomes the latest victim in a
string of hate crimes against lesbians.

The leader of LesBestrong was played by none other than

comedian Kathy Gribn, whose character is forced to reveal
the truth about her sexuality.
Griffin in season 11, episode 13, "P.C." NBC

Gri]n plays Babs DuQy, the leader of a lesbian rights group called LesBeStrong that
accuses the SVU team of homophobia.

Eventually, DuQy is outed as bisexual, which she was worried would be a problem
considering her entire platform was based on her being a lesbian.

Sutton Foster's "Younger" co-star Hilary DuW shed her

Disney image when she played a young mother accused of
murdering her daughter.
Duff in season 10, episode 19, "Selfish." NBC

DuQ played Ashlee Walker, a young woman who was accused by her own mother of
murdering her daughter, Sierra. It was revealed throughout the episode that Walker
had indeed buried her daughter, but wasn't guilty of her death — Sierra had died of
the measles.

The case combined the public health crisis of anti-vaxxers with the highly
publicized and controversial murder trial of Casey Anthony.

Amanda Seyfried played a young woman found beaten and

duct-taped underneath a park bench who changed the story
of what happened to her multiple times.
Seyfried in season six, episode five, "Outcry." NBC

Seyfriend plays Tandi McCain, who claims she's been attacked by a group of
uniformed men, but later changes her story to tell the truth: she was raped by her
stepfather's boss, but he needed to keep the job in order to keep his health
insurance.

Tennis icon Serena Williams played a college basketball

player named Chloe, who was the prime suspect in the
murder of a frat boy.
Williams in season five, episode 12, "Brotherhood." NBC

Chloe (Williams) is the prime suspect in the murder of Tyler Henry, a fellow
student who posted videos of her stripping on his website, until her alibi proves
that she was at an away game the night of the murder.

Elizabeth Banks played a woman who was forced to do porn

in order to pay for her daughter's medical bills.
Banks in season three, episode seven, "Sacrifice." NBC

When her producer turns up dead, her husband becomes the prime suspect.

However, she eventually confesses to killing the producer, claiming that he was
holding her back from becoming more successful.

Her husband was played by Mark-Paul Gosselaar, who is

better known as "Saved by the Bell's " Zack Morris.
Gosselaar in season three, episode seven, "Sacrifice." NBC

The episode begins with Gosselaar's character being shot and sexually assaulted
outside of a gay club. He is the prime suspect in the death of his wife's producer,
before she confessed.

Elliott Gould played an English professor who admitted to

having sexual relations with his students, claiming they were
consensual.
Gould in season 14, episode eight, "Lessons Learned." NBC

Gould's character, Walter Thompkins, comes forward about his sexual

relationships with students because he fears that they might have contributed to a
toxic environment that condones sexual abuse of minors. However, he maintains
that all of his relationships were consensual.

Whoopi Goldberg played an overworked employee of the

Department of Child Services whose neglect led to the
death of a child.
Goldberg in season 17, episode four, "Institutional Fail." NBC

Janette Moore (played by Goldberg), who works for the Department of Child
Services, had her employees fabricate records of home visits to help with their
heavy caseloads — this led to the preventable death of a young girl who was being
abused by her family.

Comedy legend Martin Short played an alleged psychic with

a dark compulsion.

Short in season six, episode 18, "Pure." NBC

Short claims to be a psychic that knows details about the death of a young girl
named Kaley. However, it turns out that he's a rapist that preys on virgins with the
help of his wife.

Fred Savage played an accused rapist named Michael

Gardner whose legal knowledge allowed him to almost get
oW scot-free.

Savage in season four, episode 22, "Futility." NBC

Banishing viewers' fond memories of Kevin in "The Wonder Years," Savage appears
as a cunning rapist that scares his victims into not testifying, and outwits the DA at
every turn.

Sarah Paulson appeared as a manipulative heiress named

Anne Gillette, who was the prime suspect in the murder of
her parents.
Paulson in season 11, episode 12, "Shadow." NBC

Gillette hit each of the investigators where it hurt; she threatened Stabler's family
and insulted Detective Ramsey's mother.

She was eventually brought down by Sergeant Fin Tutuola, whom she didn't know
was with the SVU.

Before becoming a zombie killer on "The Walking Dead,"

Norman Reedus played a rock star with negative views on
psychology.
Reedus in season seven, episode 22, "Influence." NBC

Reedus plays a famous rock-star who convinces one of his fans to stop taking her
bipolar medication after she drives into a crowd, killing multiple people.

On the stand, he admits to not believing in psychology and medication because he

had been involuntarily committed after a suicide attempt.

Pedro Pascal played a corrupt ATF (Bureau of Alcohol,

Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives) agent who sold someone
their murder weapon.
Pascal in season 12, episode 24, "Smoked." NBC

Special Agent Greer (Pascal) sells a gun to a man named Eddie Skinner, who uses it
to murder a woman named Annette Fox, who was scheduled to testify at a rape
trial.

Four months before starring on "Girls," Adam Driver

appeared as an IT expert obsessed with a rape victim.
Driver in season 13, episode 11, "Theatre Tricks." NBC

Driver plays Jason Roberts, an IT whiz obsessed with a rape victim — he even had a
live feed of her apartment, though he claims he had nothing to do with her rape. He
is eventually cleared, and even helps [nd the perpetrator.

Harry Hamlin has appeared in three separate "Law & Order"

shows, including a two-episode stint on "SVU."
Hamlin in season 16, episode nine, "Pattern Seventeen." NBC

Hamlin's role as Deputy Chief Charles Patton was pivotal for "SVU." His appearance
[nally explained why Detective Amanda Rollins left Atlanta: he forced her to have
sex with him to get her sister oQ the hook for check fraud.

He admits to raping another woman, his newest protegé, and pleads guilty for his
crimes.

Lynda Carter played a woman that committed crimes with

her daughter in a crossover arc between "SVU" and "Law &
Order."
Carter in season seven, episode two, "Design." NBC

Lorraine Dillon (Carter) is part of a mother-daughter criminal duo who is

eventually brought down in the "SVU" episode "Design," and the "Law & Order"
episode "Flaw."

Melissa Joan Hart put all thoughts of "Sabrina the Teenage

Witch" out of viewers' heads when she guest-starred as a
teacher who claimed she was raped by one of her students.
Hart in season nine, episode three, "Impulsive." NBC

Hart plays Sarah Trent, a teacher who had sex with one of her students, Shane.
Shane contracts gonorrhea and claims he got it from her, but in return she accuses
him of rape.

Child star Iain Armitage had his Rrst ever role on "SVU" as a
precocious little boy who was kidnapped by his nanny.
Armitage in season 18, episode eight, "Chasing Theo." NBC

Before stealing scenes in "Big Little Lies" and "Young Sheldon," Armitage played a
young boy named Theo who has a neglectful mother. Theo is kidnapped by his
nanny, whom he actually prefers to his mother.

Just months after the series Rnale of "Ghost Whisperer,"

Jennifer Love Hewitt played a traumatized woman who was
raped by the same man four times over the course of 15
years.

Hewitt in season 12, episode three, "Behave." NBC

Vicki Sayers (Hewitt) moved across the country multiple times to escape her rapist,
but he keeps [nding her.

1990s heartthrob Luke Perry appeared in the season 10

premiere as a rapist.

Perry in season 10, episode one, "Trials." NBC

Perry's character Noah is especially twisted: he was able to get one of his rape
victims to unknowingly marry him. He's later arrested when another victim
identi[es his voice.
Ludacris had a two-episode arc in seasons seven and eight
in which he plays a rapist and murderer intent on proving
corruption within the SVU.

Ludacris in season eight, episode 22, "Screwed." NBC

Ludacris plays Darius Parker, a man whose life spirals out of control when he [nds
out he's the product of incest, as his father is also his grandfather. He becomes a
rapist and murderer obsessed with proving that the detectives at SVU are corrupt.
"The Vampire Diaries" star Ian Somerhalder appeared as
Charlie Baker, a seemingly normal man with violent
tendencies.

Somerhalder in season four, episode 20, "Dominance." NBC

Charlie originally frames his brother Billy for his crimes (rape and murder), but is
eventually caught when an ex-girlfriend reveals that he demanded a threesome
with his brother, which turned into Charlie raping Billy.

"Grey's Anatomy's" Chandra Wilson appeared in two

diWerent episodes three years apart.
Wilson in season four, episode eight, "Waste," and season seven episode three "911." NBC

Wilson's [rst role was that of a nurse, but she got more screen time the second time
around, as an FBI expert who [gures out that a kidnapper and rapist manipulated a
phone company's switchboard so that his victim was unable to be traced via 911.

Comedian Brad Garrett appeared in two episodes as a

corrections obcer accused of sexually assaulting female
inmates.
Garrett in season 17, episode 23, "Heartfelt Passages." NBC

Gary Munson (Garrett) is a corrupt corrections o]cer who repeatedly rapes his
inmates. As his lies unravel, he becomes desperate and takes his wife and Sergeant
Mike Dodds hostage.

Munson became one of the show's most hated villains when he fatally shoots
Dodds during the hostage situation.

"The Obce's" Rainn Wilson appeared as an unnamed janitor

in a season four episode.
Wilson in season four, episode eight, "Waste." NBC

Wilson only has a couple of lines as a janitor in this episode about the rape of a
comatose patient.

Hayden Panettiere Rrst appeared as a young girl in season

two, and four years later returned as a teenager.
Panettiere in season two, episode 11, "Abuse," and season six, episode 15 "Hooked." NBC

In "Abuse," Panettiere plays a little girl with suspicious injuries, though her parents
are cleared of any wrongdoing.

In "Hooked," she portrays a teenager who prostitutes herself at the mall along with
a friend, and ends up killing a doctor who recorded their threesome.

"Will and Grace's" Debra Messing played a "Nancy Grace"-

esque character who was obsessed with catching predators
after the disappearance of her own sister when they were
both kids.
Messing in season 12, episode 17, "Pursuit." NBC

Messing's character Alicia Harding begins the episode by taking down a child
predator, but eventually becomes the target of a stalker.

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