Has any actor appeared on any version of Law & Order as a witness and then reappeared years later when they were more well known as a suspect, defense attorney, or judge? I know there are several actors who have appeared multiple times, but I wonder if for at least one of them their first time was as an unknown.
Well off the top of my head, I can think of two leads who started a completely different character.
Jerry Orbach, the detective, first appeared on the show as a defense attorney.
S. Epatha Merkerson, the lieutenant, first showed up as a cleaning woman whose son had been killed.
One of the ADAs in Law and Order SUV played a particularly creepy female rapist first. I believe it was Diane Neal.
Also, Annie Parisse played a stripper/witness in one episode before she became ADA Borgia.
Gotta find that episode.
Anthony Anderson guest starred as a detective on SVU before coming onto L&O as a completely different detective.
Check this list and search for “cast member”. A number of actors in addition the ones already mentioned have played bit characters and later returned for recurring or major roles somewhere in the L&O shows.
J.K. Simmonds and Josh Pais, for example.
In Law & Order - Criminal Intent (2001 -2011), Jay O. Sanders played “Harry Rowan” in Dead (Ep. 2.1, 2002), then came back in the last season to play “Captain Joseph Hannah”.
I see Felicity Huffman was in season 3 as “former patient of defendant recovering from suicide attempt” and then again in season 7 as the defendant. Assuming her first appearance was a minor one (one scene), this is exactly what I was looking for.
Oh, if you want famous actors who early in their careers had minor parts on L&O, then came back later for meatier roles when they were better known… Cynthia Nixon played a subway shooter in the second episode, broadcast in 1990, then later returned (after achieving Sex and the City fame) to appearances in at least two other L&O franchises.
Forgot Google is my friend.
20 Actors Who Appeared on “Law & Order” Before They Were Stars