20 Stars You Forgot Had Guest Arcs on Law & Order: SVU

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One of the longest-running procedural dramas on television, Law & Order: SVU follows the NYPD’s Special Victims Unit detectives as they undertake the most brutal and complicated cases. The show, currently in its 25th season, has hosted several notable guest stars over the years, most during the early days of their careers. Let’s look at some stars who have graced the screen since the series’s inception!

1. Bradley Cooper

Season 6, Episode 20

Before becoming an Oscar-nominated actor and director, Cooper appeared in season 6, episode 20 of Law & Order: SVU. The episode “Night” features Cooper as a defense attorney hired to get a wealthy suspect off. In a surprising twist, Cooper’s character turns out to be a villain who takes payoffs to assist in cover-ups for his clients.

2. Robin Williams

Season 9, Episode 17

Robin Williams appeared in a 2008 episode of the series “Authority.” He played a crazed man with problems with authority, eventually leading him to kidnap Detective Benson and torture her. Williams received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series for his appearance in the show.

3. Mahershala Ali

Season 11, Episode 1 

Before he was a two-time Oscar winner, Ali appeared in an episode of SVU entitled “Unstable.” He played a serial rapist named Mark Foster, who Benson and Stabler begin investigating after they discover they had wrongfully imprisoned the wrong man for Foster’s crimes. Ali has since starred in critically acclaimed films such as Moonlight and Green Book.

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4. Sarah Paulson

Season 11, Episode 12

Before she rose to popularity for her roles in American Horror Story, Paulson was a guest on the fifth season of Law & Order: SVU. In the episode “Shadow,” Paulson plays an heiress suspected of killing her parents. She was praised for her performance as the manipulative sociopath Anne Gillette. Paulson has since gone on to star in series such as Ratched and American Crime Story and is a frequent collaborator of Ryan Murphy.

5. Angela Lansbury

Season 6, Episode 20

Lansbury starred in the SVU episode “Night” alongside Bradley Cooper and Alfred Molina. In the episode, Lansbury plays Eleanor Duvall, the wife of Molina’s character. Her husband is a suspect in a rape case and is represented by Defense Attorney Jason Whitaker, played by Cooper. Amidst her vast career, some of Lansbury’s notable roles include Murder, She Wrote, Beauty and the Beast, and Anastasia. 

6. Patricia Arquette

Season 14, Episode 9

Patricia Arquette guest starred in a 1999 episode of this procedural drama titled “Dreams Deferred.” In the episode, she plays a prostitute who helps the detective squad apprehend one of her Johns after he embarks on a killing spree. Arquette was praised for her performance, with many noting the humanity she brought to her character.

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7. Carol Burnett

Season 10, Episode 16

Burnett appeared in an episode of SVU as a woman named Birdie Sulloway, who is suspected of killing her husband. The “Ballerina” episode originally aired on March 17, 2009. Burnett is considered a trailblazer in the field of television and is best known for her sketch comedy show, The Carol Burnett Show. The show ran for 11 seasons and is still considered one of the best television programs ever.

8. Marcia Gay Harden

Season 7, Episode 6; Season 8, Episode 1; Season 12, Episode 8; Season 14, Episode 14  

Academy Award-winning actress Marcia Gay Harden appeared in four episodes of Law & Order: SVU throughout its 25-year run. In the show, Harden plays FBI Agent Dana Lewis. For her appearance in the season 8 episode “Informed,” Harden was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.

9. Kyle MacLachlan

Season 6, Episode 6; Season 13, Episode 3

Before he became known for his role on Twin Peaks, MacLachlan made two appearances on Law & Order: SVU, playing two separate characters. His first appearance came in 2004 when he starred in the episode “Conscience,” in which he plays a doctor whose 5-year-old son is murdered by another boy. His second appearance was in 2011, in the episode “Blood Brothers”. In this episode, MacLachlan plays a political ambassador whose son is a suspect in a rape case.

10. Sarah Hyland

Season 3, Episode 1; Season 10, Episode 12

Before she was Haley Dunphy on Modern Family, Sarah Hyland starred in the SVU episode “Hothouse.” In the episode, Hyland plays a disturbed teenage girl who murders one of her classmates over a competitive rivalry. Before this performance, Hyland also appeared in an earlier episode of the series, released in 2001. The characters in each episode were unrelated, with the episode’s air dates over eight years apart.

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11. Hilary Duff

Season 10, Episode 19

Best known for her role in Disney Channel’s Lizzie McGuire, Hilary Duff has also starred in several darker projects, such as SVU. Her episode, “Selfish,” aired on April 28, 2009, and depicts Duff as an immature young mother whose daughter dies of measles.

12. Pedro Pascal

Season 12, Episode 24

Before his star-making turn in Game of Thrones and The Last of Us, Pascal starred in a 2011 episode of Law & Order: SVU. His guest appearance came in the season 12 finale, entitled “Smoked,” in which he played a corrupt ATF agent who was illegally selling guns on the street. By the end of the episode, Pascal’s character is arrested by Benson and Stabler and relieved of his position as a federal agent.

13. Martha Stewart

Season 13, Episode 21

In 2012, Martha Stewart guest starred on an episode of Law & Order: SVU. She played Eleanor Hastings, the headmistress of an elite private school. The episode “Learning Curve” follows the detective squad as they investigate cases of abuse at said private school.

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14. Snoop Dogg

Season 20, Episode 22

Best known for his rap career, Snoop Dogg also has several acting performances under his belt. One occurred on a 2019 episode of Law & Order: SVU. The episode, titled “Diss,” featured Snoop Dogg as one of the suspects in a rape case. Furthermore, this was the fourth on-screen collaboration between Snoop Dogg and Ice-T, who stars as one of the series’ leads.

15. Adam Driver

Season 13, Episode 11

Before being cast as Kilo Ren in the Star Wars franchise, Driver appeared in a 2012 episode of Law & Order: SVU, entitled “Theatre Tricks.” In the episode, he plays a socially awkward man obsessed with a woman who comes forward after being raped. Driver’s character quickly becomes a suspect in the case, although he is ultimately cleared, despite being incredibly creepy. Driver’s appearance in the episode was one of his first on-screen credits.

16. Cynthia Nixon

Season 9, Episode 1

Cynthia Nixon is a Tony and Emmy Award-winning actress best known for her role in Sex and the City. She also appeared in a 2007 episode of SVU called “Alternate.” In the episode, Nixon plays a woman with Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) suspected of harming her daughter. Nixon was awarded an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series at the 60th Primetime Emmy Awards in 2008 for her performance in the episode.

17. Zoe Saldana

Season 5, Episode 21

Zoe Saldana appeared in a 2004 episode titled “Criminal”. She played a woman named Gabrielle Vega, who filed a lawsuit against the NYPD after believing her father to be wrongly imprisoned. Since her appearance on Law & Order: SVU, Saldana has gone on to star in franchises such as Avatar, Star Trek, and Guardians of the Galaxy.

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18. Serena Williams

Season 5, Episode 12

In addition to being one of the world’s best tennis players, Williams is quite the actress. She has appeared in several movies and shows, including a 2004 SVU episode entitled “Brotherhood.” In the episode, Williams plays Chloe Spiers, a college student who is questioned by Benson and Stabler after one of her classmates is caught blackmailing women as part of his fraternity initiation. Williams has also appeared in ER, Drop Dead Diva, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and The Simpsons.

19. Milo Ventimiglia

Season 5, Episode 11

Before he played Jack Pearson on This is Us, Milo Ventimiglia appeared on a 2003 episode of Law & Order: SVU, where he played an abuse victim. Ventimiglia has since starred in several films and television shows, including Gilmore Girls, Heroes, and The Art of Racing in the Rain.

20. Amanda Seyfried

Season 6, Episode 5

Amanda Seyfried is a beloved actress with several notable works under her belt. However, before she skyrocketed to fame, Seyfried appeared in an episode of Law & Order: SVU titled “Outcry,” in which she played a teenager who was found beaten and raped. Seyfried is best known for her roles in Mean Girls, Mamma Mia, and most recently, The Dropout.

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