On "Law & Order," Jerry Orbach played Lennie Briscoe, one of the show's most iconic, enduring characters. Orbach appeared in just about every episode between 1991 and 2004, and he even crossed over to several "Law & Order" spinoffs, including "SVU," "Criminal Intent," and "Trial By Jury." When he appeared on "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" a few months before his death, Orbach reacted to news that he'd been named one of New York's Living Landmarks, first joking that it made him feel "old." "It was great. It was terrific," he said. "They made this thing of Living Landmarks, and I guess it means they can't tear me down."

Orbach was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2004, and writer Walon Green recalled that by the time the actor shot his final episode of the spinoff series "Law & Order: Trial by Jury," he could only whisper. "He was losing his voice, and the day we were shooting his last scene in the show, he couldn't speak above a whisper. ... I said, 'Just shoot it,' Green recalled in a Television Academy Foundation interview. He remembered reassuring Orbach that they'd be able to work it out, adding, "So he did, he shot the scene and he finished the show. And then he died."

At Orbach's funeral (via Today), longtime costar Sam Waterston recalled, "​​He always knew his lines — and yours too." The actor added, "He chose a certain life, lived it as himself — and it worked out."

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