Jerry Orbach was born on October 20, 1935 in New York City.
On December 28, 2004 Jerry Orbach passed away in Manhattan,
New York from prostate cancer.
Jerry's father, Leon, was a former vaudevillian actor and
his mother, Emily, was a radio singer.
For a revival of GUYS NAD DOLLS Jerry Orbach had a 1965 Tony
nomination for a (Musical). Orbach won the 1969 Tony Award
for Best Actor (Musical) for his 1968 role of Chuck Baxter
in the Burt Bacharach/Hal David musical PROMISES, PROMISES,
a stage adaptation of Billy Wilder's THE APARTMENT (1960).
In 1976, Jerry Orbach was nominated for the Tony Award for
Best Actor in a Musical for his performance in CHICAGO. Jerry
Orbach created the roles of El Gallo in THE FANTASTICKS, Billy
Flynn in CHICAGO and Julian Marsh in 42nd STREET on the New
York stage.
Making his film debut in 1958, Jerry Orcach played a gangster
in COP HATER. In the adaptation of Jimmy Breslin's THE GANG
THAT COULDN'T SHOOT STRAIGHT in 1971 was the first and only
time Jerry Orcach played the leading role in a movie. Orbach
received the Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence at
the 1999 Lucille Lortel Awards.
One of only two actors to play the same character (Detective
Lennie Briscoe) on five different television series: LAW &
ORDER (1990), HOMICIDE: LIFE ON THE STREET (1993), LAW & ORDER:
SPECIAL VICTIMS UNIT (1999), LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT
(2001) and LAW & ORDER: TRIAL BY JURY (2005). Jerry Orcach's
sometime co-stared with Richard Belzer who is the other actor,
having appeared on six different television shows as Detective
John Munch.
Before being cast as Det. Lennie Briscoe, Jerry Orbach read
for the roles of Max Greevey and Phil Cerreta on LAW & ORDER
(1990). Was one of the first in a long series of actors who
have played multiple characters on LAW & ORDER (1990). Before
he played Det. Lennie Briscoe, Orbach guest-starred as defense
attorney Frank Lehrman in the 2nd season episode THE WAGES
OF LOVE.
On Monday, 20th March 2000 he sued on-line auctioneer eBay
Inc. in Manhattan (New York) federal court for displaying
his Social Security number on the Internet. The suit alleges
that eBay began broadcasting the confidential information
on its Web site on Wednesday 15th March 2000 when it advertised
the sale of two of Orbach's contracts from 1958.
Jerry Orbach's other notable credits include...
