# Ever been cast as a corpse on any "Law & Order" episode? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 18, 2012, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829 "2012-08-18T00:14:22Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/21 "2012-08-18T18:56:26Z")
You have to agree to be actually killed. No problem about the kidney. ---
**Author:** ![expectopatronum](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/expectopatronum/32/173_2.png) [@expectopatronum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/expectopatronum)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/22 "2012-08-18T19:10:10Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Yes, that was one weird episode, if I’m thinking of the same one (maybe I’m not). The mother was French. Christine Lahti, the nutso ADA was in it. Maybe you’re thinking of a different one… christine lahti wasn’t in that episode, it was one of the ones with sharon stone as ADA jo marlowe. she, along with benson and dr. warner were being held hostage in the morgue by the crazy french woman. that was indeed a weird episode. i’m not sure what she was trying to do by holding the dead kid’s corpse in her arms. i think they were just out of ideas. ---
**Author:** ![Count\_Blucher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c5a1d2/32.png) [@Count\_Blucher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Count_Blucher)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/23 "2012-08-18T19:30:04Z")
> [@tapu](#): > > You have to agree to be actually killed. No problem about the kidney. Cue “…The More You Know” jingle. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [August 18, 2012, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/24 "2012-08-18T23:43:03Z")
> [@expectopatronum](#): > > christine lahti wasn’t in that episode, it was one of the ones with sharon stone as ADA jo marlowe… Oh yeah, you’re right… Sharon Stone was kind of nutso, too… ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/25 "2012-08-19T00:38:23Z")
Probably the best known actor to ever play a corpse is Kevin Costner. He was cast as Alex in _The Big Chill_ - the guy whose funeral the other characters were attending. In the original script it was supposed to be a bigger role - there was supposed to be a flashback scene to their college days which would have shown Alex in life. But the flashback was cut and the only time we saw Alex was his body being prepared at the start of the movie (we don’t even see his face). ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 7:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/26 "2012-08-19T07:52:01Z")
Which is partly why Kasdan cast Kevin Costner in Silverado. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 9:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/27 "2012-08-19T09:14:12Z")
A friend of mine was the girlfriend (later corpse) of a suicide bomber on _Criminal Intent_. She never looked sexier, I must say! ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 10:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/28 "2012-08-19T10:17:09Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > I was the understudy for the corpse in a production of Don Giovanni. Does that count? If the guy who was supposed to play the part dies, then what do they do? ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 19, 2012, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/29 "2012-08-19T16:05:44Z")
Reburying this IMHO thread in Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Snooooopy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ee7513/32.png) [@Snooooopy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snooooopy)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/30 "2012-08-20T02:49:18Z")
I always dreamed of being lucky enough to be cast as a corpse on _Law & Order_. I would have even accepted _Criminal Intent_. Unfortunately, the only show in the franchise left standing is _Special Victims Unit_, and frankly, I am not particularly eager to appear in an episode where the detectives are likely to discuss all of the terrible things that were shoved up my ass. It just doesn’t seem worth it. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/31 "2012-08-20T04:06:09Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I am not particularly eager to appear in an episode where the detectives are likely to discuss all of the terrible things that were shoved up my ass. It just doesn’t seem worth it. Yeah, but is it art? ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Nemo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/little_nemo/32/3120_2.png) [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/32 "2012-08-20T05:41:30Z")
> [@Ellen\_Cherry](#): > > Reburying this IMHO thread in Cafe Society. “Judging from the evidence, the OP was posted in another forum and somebody moved the thread to Cafe Society.” ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 6:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/33 "2012-08-20T06:19:15Z")
I like how in _NCIS_ they will have fake corpses on Ducky’s table completely naked but with a bright light focused on the crotch area to hide any naughty bits (whereas real actor corpses are always partially covered by a sheet). ---
**Author:** ![tapu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/49beb7/32.png) [@tapu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tapu)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/34 "2012-08-20T12:32:27Z")
> [@ThelmaLou](#): > > Oh yeah, you’re right… Sharon Stone was kind of nutso, too… \ They do have their issues with ADAs. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Robot\_Arm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robot_arm/32/18280_2.png) [@Robot\_Arm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Robot_Arm)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/35 "2012-08-20T12:38:05Z")
> [@Snooooopy](#): > > I always dreamed of being lucky enough to be cast as a corpse on _Law & Order_. I would have even accepted _Criminal Intent_. Unfortunately, the only show in the franchise left standing is _Special Victims Unit_, and frankly, I am not particularly eager to appear in an episode where the detectives are likely to discuss all of the terrible things that were shoved up my ass. It just doesn’t seem worth it. Well, you might get to meet the rest of the cast, so then it depends on which era of the show we’re talking about. During the Diane Neal years, sign me up; Sharon Stone, not so much. ---
**Author:** ![Gyrate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gyrate/32/3588_2.png) [@Gyrate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gyrate)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/36 "2012-08-20T13:00:30Z")
> [@GuanoLad](#): > > I like how in _NCIS_ they will have fake corpses on Ducky’s table completely naked but with a bright light focused on the crotch area to hide any naughty bits (whereas real actor corpses are always partially covered by a sheet). We always refer to this as the Magic Glowing Genitals effect. In contrast, the BBC forensic shows (_Silent Witness_ in particular) can be extremely graphic in showing dead bodies. While they don’t go out of their way to show the crotch area, they don’t hide it either. It’s not recommended viewing during your dinner, I’ll tell you now. ---
**Author:** ![Indyellen](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/indyellen/32/4176_2.png) [@Indyellen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indyellen)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/37 "2012-08-20T16:53:55Z")
An old school buddy of mine is an actor ([Mike Doyle](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0236451/)) who is known for racking up deaths on TV shows, including _Law & Order: SVU_. The NY Times even did an [article](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/arts/television/03doyl.html) about it, and I seem to recall a video interview out there, too. He also has the distinction of being a guest on two different crime shows (_Criminal Minds_ and _In Plain Sight_) that were broadcast on the same night on two different networks. I’ve acted with him, so he’s my Degrees of Separation from a whole bunch of people. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [August 20, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/38 "2012-08-20T17:03:45Z")
> [@Indyellen](#): > > An old school buddy of mine is an actor ([Mike Doyle](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0236451/)) who is known for racking up deaths on TV shows, including _Law & Order: SVU_. The NY Times even did an [article](http://www.nytimes.com/2009/06/03/arts/television/03doyl.html) about it, and I seem to recall a video interview out there, too. > > He also has the distinction of being a guest on two different crime shows (_Criminal Minds_ and _In Plain Sight_) that were broadcast on the same night on two different networks. > > I’ve acted with him, so he’s my Degrees of Separation from a whole bunch of people. 😃 Maybe he’ll set some kind of record. He looks too young for it now, but in another 10-20 years, he’s be perfect for the role of the partner cop who’s gonna retire in two weeks, but answers one too many calls for help and gets blasted. There’s tons of those roles every year. In the meantime, he should look for roles in gladiator flicks and series, so he can die bloody dramatic deaths in the arena. ---
**Author:** ![Sam\_A.Robrin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sam_a.robrin/32/14497_2.png) [@Sam\_A.Robrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sam_A.Robrin)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 1:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/39 "2012-08-21T01:38:07Z")
I _did_ die in a horror movie, but never on a TV show! ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 21, 2012, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829/40 "2012-08-21T12:38:39Z")
Ooo tell. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ever-been-cast-as-a-corpse-on-any-law-order-episode/631829.md?page=3)