# Jerry Orbach dead at 69 **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 29, 2004, 2:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095 "2004-12-29T14:48:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/21 "2004-12-29T15:57:53Z")
Damn. The man _made_ Law and Order. He was set to star in a spinoff series called L&O: Trial by Jury. This must be taking a lot of people by surprise. R.I.P. Mr. Orbach ☹ ---
**Author:** ![middleman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9a140/32.png) [@middleman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/middleman)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/22 "2004-12-29T16:04:48Z")
Wasn’t he also the all-time Celeb Jeopardy winner? ---
**Author:** ![Ponder\_Stibbons](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ponder_stibbons/32/343_2.png) [@Ponder\_Stibbons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ponder_Stibbons)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/23 "2004-12-29T16:13:08Z")
I’ll miss ya, “Lenny”. [New York Times article](http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/arts/AP-Obit-Jerry-Orbach.html). ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/24 "2004-12-29T16:18:04Z")
Some links: Playbill.com, the main theater website, which is still scrambling to put together their story. The fine folks at [All That Chat](http://talkinbroadway.com/allthatchat) are shocked, too; some of them have good memories they’re sharing of shows they saw and meetings they had with Jerry. He was a class act offstage too. [NBC’s L&O page](http://www.nbc.com/Law_&_Order/index.html) has reinstated the little figure of Jerry walking up to you and telling you to check out the game–I think they just added it since they’ve hastily truncated the main pic to put him in the side. And finally, a French L&O fan has preserved Lennie’s full farewell (NBC happened to show that repeat last week, but they CUT PARTS OF THIS SCENE!!) [here.](http://www.lawandorder-fr.com/multimedia/?video=bye_briscoe&format=rv) It’s in English. ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/25 "2004-12-29T16:43:12Z")
I have to add that I only knew him through L&O. I had no idea he had such a distinguished theater career. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/26 "2004-12-29T16:46:41Z")
> [@Larry Borgia](#): > > I have to add that I only knew him through L&O. I had no idea he had such a distinguished theater career. He got the part on L&O because Dick Wolf saw him in a movie, where he played a hard-bitten detective. Which movie was that? ---
**Author:** ![Guy\_Incognito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guy_incognito/32/3920_2.png) [@Guy\_Incognito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guy_Incognito)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/27 "2004-12-29T16:49:39Z")
I swear that I gasped a little bit when I first read the headlines. I’m a big L & O fan and this is hitting me like a slap in the face. Too sad for words… ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Some\_Guy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ad7895/32.png) [@Just\_Some\_Guy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Some_Guy)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/28 "2004-12-29T16:49:49Z")
I hope that in this situation the production company doesn’t follow the traditional impulse and just bury his last work on the new spinoff. Orbach was a fantastic actor and I loved him in the Brisco role. I want to see those episodes that he completed (if any) just to go back to it one last time… ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/29 "2004-12-29T16:58:54Z")
Ooops, I didn’t see this when I created a new thread. It’s so sad-I hadn’t even heard that he was sick, clueless little twit that I am. The first time I ever saw him was in _Dirty Dancing_ and I’ve always liked him. I agree, they need to do a funeral for Lennie. Do they do the whole shebang funeral with the guards and bagpipes for retired cops, or is it only cops slain in duty? Greevey got one-they OWE it to Lennie. And Logan and Curtis have to be there too. Especially Mike Logan. Damn, he was only 69. That’s far too young. BTW, those who are late to L&O might not even know that Jerry showed up in the first season, playing a defense attourney. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/30 "2004-12-29T16:59:56Z")
I was hoping for a complete recovery for him. What a loss. This ranks right up there, IMHO, with Phil Hartman’s tragic death. Thank you Jerry! ---
**Author:** ![Rufus\_Xavier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eada6e/32.png) [@Rufus\_Xavier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rufus_Xavier)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/31 "2004-12-29T17:02:57Z")
I liked him a lot. I really enjoyed him in Crimes and Misdemeanors, where he played Martin Landau’s brother. I never watched L & O, but every time my wife and I saw his face on TV, we would do our Lumiere impressions, basically a fake French accent. “Sacre Bleu! Anozer murder!” ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/32 "2004-12-29T17:11:27Z")
I’m a huge Law & Order fan. This is a terrible loss. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Mehitabel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8797f3/32.png) [@Mehitabel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mehitabel)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/33 "2004-12-29T17:52:16Z")
The lights will be dimmed tonight, according to Playbill. I have my primitive digital camera that can make mpg’s and I’ll stand on 44 or 45th and see if I can film it, and then get the French guy to host it. RIP, Jerry. Mazel tov. ---
**Author:** ![MysteryFellow63427](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e4f/32.png) [@MysteryFellow63427](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MysteryFellow63427)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/34 "2004-12-29T17:54:06Z")
I mourn the passing of a legend. R.I.P. Mr. Orbach. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/35 "2004-12-29T18:00:47Z")
> [@Guinastasia](#): > > I agree, they need to do a funeral for Lennie. Do they do the whole shebang funeral with the guards and bagpipes for retired cops, or is it only cops slain in duty? Greevey got one-they OWE it to Lennie. And Logan and Curtis have to be there too. Especially Mike Logan. Does anyone have contact info for Dick Wolf Productions? Maybe if enough of us write… IIRC, Jerry’s leaving the show did not have the stigma of a strained relationship with Wolf, like Noth or Moriarity. Hopefully Mr. Wolf will be open to a tribute show. Let’s see, he retired off the show, so let’s get his death rolled into a Whodunit L&O episode. We could bring bag Chris Noth and Benjamin Bratt, and maybe pull in the cast from SVU and CI (CI only if we must, though.) They could do a two-hour episode at the height of sweeps in May. It’s the least they could do. ---
**Author:** ![NotWithoutRage](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NotWithoutRage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NotWithoutRage)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/36 "2004-12-29T18:04:31Z")
We’ll be taking pictures outside the Neder tonight. ☹ Threads on both [ATC](http://www.allthatchat.com/allthatchat/display_message.php?id=81007) and [BroadwayWorld](http://www.broadwayworld.com/board/readmessage.cfm?thread=659311&dt=122904010436) ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/37 "2004-12-29T18:06:49Z")
_Crimes and Misdemeanors_ is sitting on my desk in a pile of NetFlix. We are watching it tonight, no matter how tired I am. My heart just breaks at the tought. One of my favorite actors, and one _hell_ of a song and dance man. ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/38 "2004-12-29T18:09:00Z")
Here’s a link to the contact info for Wolf Films- [http://www.kftv.com/company-1781656.html](http://www.kftv.com/company-1781656.html) ---
**Author:** ![Rubystreak](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Rubystreak](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rubystreak)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/39 "2004-12-29T18:21:29Z")
God DAMMIT! I loved Jerry Orbach. He was one of my favorite actors and the only reason to watch Law & Order. I am so sad that he’s gone. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Moirai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Moirai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moirai)\ **Post date:** [December 29, 2004, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095/40 "2004-12-29T18:38:52Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > He got the part on L&O because Dick Wolf saw him in a movie, where he played a hard-bitten detective. > > Which movie was that? _Prince of the City_ with Treat Williams, if I’m not mistaken. But he’s played a lot of cops and assorted tough guys. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jerry-orbach-dead-at-69/282095.md?page=3)