Top 20 Best Law and Order SVU Cameos
#20: Jerry Lewis
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“Uncle” Hardcore fans of SVU remember Detective John Munch, the wisecracking conspiracy theorist played by comedian Richard Belzer. What they may not recall, however, was the season eight episode where Munch’s uncle shows up. The producers tapped famed comedian Jerry Lewis to play the familial role. The episode, however, was far from funny. Lewis portrays a beaten-down man whose mental health issues cause him to become unhoused. He gets tangled up in an SVU investigation and ultimately kills the episode’s bad guy by shoving him in front of a train. Despite being known as the resident funny man of the Rat Pack, Lewis put some impressive dramatic chops on display.
#19: Serena Williams
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“Brotherhood” Frat boys breaking bad is a common theme on SVU, and that was at the center of season 5 episode “Brotherhood.” Benson and Stabler head to the campus of Wallace University to investigate the murder of a frat pledge master. They soon discover that the victim ran websites where he posted videos of drunk women he’d exploited. One of those women was a star player on the college basketball team. When the detectives go to interview her and rule her out as a suspect, we discover that she's being played by Serena Williams. The actress did a great job making the realistic and harrowing material hit home.
#18: Angela Lansbury
“Night” Season six episode “Night” may hold the record for the impressive list of guest stars in a single episode. During this episode, the SVU team discovers a link between multiple female refugees who appear to have all been assaulted by the same man. Their investigation first takes them to the law office of Jason Whitaker, a brash attorney played by a very young Bradley Cooper. He then points them in the direction of an eccentric man named Gabriel. The perpetrator turns out to be played by Alfred Molina. Additionally, Gabriel’s mother is portrayed by the indomitable Angela Lansbury, who steals the whole episode. She’s a no nonsense rich socialite who goes to war with Detective Stabler in an attempt to protect her son.
#17: Pablo Schreiber
Multiple Episodes Almost a decade before starring as Master Chief in the Paramount Plus adaptation of “Halo,” Pablo Schreiber was one of the most bone-chilling villains in SVU history. Between seasons 14 and 15, Schreiber guest starred in eight episodes as William Lewis. Traumatized by his childhood in Kentucky, Lewis grew up and became a prolific serial killer and kidnapper. He and Benson play a year-long game of cat and mouse. Over the course of his run, Lewis kidnaps Benson, is arrested, represents himself at trial, and escapes from prison. There are few actors who brought such menace to their performance. So, it’s no surprise the show brought Schreiber back again and again until his character’s death.
#16: Leslie Caron
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"Recall" For two decades, Leslie Caron was a leading lady in big, Classical Hollywood musicals. Decades later, she won a primetime Emmy for her guest role on “Law and Order: SVU.” She appeared in an episode where a prominent lawyer gets away with assaulting a woman due to lack of evidence. The SVU squad is motivated to check in with his other potential victims. Eventually, they discover Caron’s Lorraine, a woman who was assaulted by him years earlier. She explains to the detectives the ways in which the trauma ruined her life. Caron delivers an absolutely gut-wrenching performance that completely commands your attention.
#15: John Ritter
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“Monogamy” “Law and Order: SVU” often acts as a showcase for actors to play against type. John Ritter is a prime example. He made a career in comedy, starring in sitcoms like “Three’s Company” and voicing Clifford the Big Red Dog. Despite being famous in Hollywood for his generosity and kindness, Ritter brought the darkness to his guest appearance. He played Richard Manning, a psychiatrist who discovers that his wife is having an affair. The character retaliates by ensuring she’ll never see her child grow up. Ritter leans on his earnestness and feigns innocence right up until the last scene where he breaks on the stand.
#14: Whoopi Goldberg
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“Institutional Fail” Even two decades after the show's inception, "SVU" has continued to attract some of Hollywood's biggest names. In its seventeenth season, this included Whoopi Goldberg, who portrayed overwhelmed Department of Child Services supervisor Janette Grayson. Dragged into the middle of an investigation when a malnourished girl is found locked in a dog cage, Goldberg’s morally corrupt character is both believable and provocative, shedding light on the overwhelming number of cases handled by a single social worker. Her emotional performance injected weight and credibility into the overall story.
#13: Hilary Duff
“Selfish” Six years after "Lizzie McGuire," former Disney star Hilary Duff landed on the wrong side of the law. In a departure for the actress, she guest-starred as a missing baby's negligent, self-absorbed single mother. She played as an immature person with an alcohol use disorder who finds themselves ill-prepared to take care of another human being. Ashlee Walker was the perfect character to showcase the actress’ range and versatility. Providing a compelling performance in an unusually dark role, Duff definitely made the most of the opportunity, standing out as one of the more memorable and unexpected celebrity cameos in the series.
#12: Eric McCormack
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“Sugar” Eric McCormack was a staple of American prime time thanks to his role as the eponymous Will in “Will & Grace.” A few years after the show ended, McCormack kept it in the NBC family by returning for a guest spot in season 11 of SVU. In a shocking episode, McCormack plays Vance Shephard, a man in a relationship with a woman too young for him. He ends up being arrested after she’s found dead. As it turns out, Vance never killed her. He’s actually just trying to take the fall for his daughter. When the ruse fails, she murders Vance right in the middle of the SVU squadroom. McCormack’sperformance was absolutely stellar as he played the tragic character.
#11: Ellen Burstyn
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“Swing” In season ten, we were all introduced to Stabler’s mother Bernadette. At the time, Elliot was struggling with his daughter Kathleen’s penchant for acting out and committing crimes. Ellen Burstyn’s Bernadette is then brought in to help. After Kathleen talks about her mental condition, the matriarch confesses that she has been dealing with bipolar disorder for decades. Burstyn’s performance is absolutely astonishing. Not only does she have great chemistry with Kathleen, but her scenes with Stabler are absolutely electric. In the end, Burstyn’s role also netted her a primetime Emmy award. She subsequently reprised the role of Mrs. Stabler in the SVU spin-off “Organized Crime.”
#10: Marcia Gay Harden
Multiple Seasons Marcia Gay Harden had a recurring role as undercover FBI agent Dana Lewis in four separate seasons of “SVU.” Lewis met the SVU crew while infiltrating a cell of white supremacists. She and the team mix it up during a number of chaotic episodes. At one point, Lewis accidentally shoots Elliot. It’s clear Harden and the cast had chemistry. After all, they brought her back three more times after her first episode. That chemistry took a dark turn, however, in season 14 episode “Secrets Exhumed.” Much to detective Benson’s shock and dismay, it’s revealed that Lewis is a murderer. This twist brought her great series of appearances to a surprising head.
#9: Hayden Panettiere
“Abuse, & “Hooked” Hollywood only has so many talented celebrities, so occasionally “SVU” doubles up. Separated by a couple of years and predating her starring role in superhero drama “Heroes”, Hayden Panettiere scored two completely unrelated guest appearances on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” Only eleven at the time of her first appearance, Hayden is barely recognizable as the neglected, endearing daughter of famous musicians. In season six, the teenager dropped a provocative, polar opposite performance, as a manipulative, adventurous student with a dark and shocking secret.
#8: Jeremy Irons
“Mask” &“Totem Whether cast as a power-hungry lion, a “Die Hard” villain, or a sex addict turned psychiatrist, this iconic actor always steals the show. Landing a recurring part as Dr. Cap Jackson, Jeremy Irons is introduced as a potential suspect in an assault. However, he ends up assisting Detective Stabler and Benson as an FBI consultant. Not too shabby for a two episode arc. Nailing his role as a morally-ambiguous, guilt-ridden doctor grappling with a muddy past and conflict of interest, Irons shows why he’s a decorated stage and screen actor with an impressive collection of Academy, Emmy, Tony, and Golden Globe awards.
#7: John Stamos
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“Bang” Best known for his role as hair-obsessed Jesse Katsopolis in ABC’s wholesome sitcom “Full House”, John Stamos might seem like a counterintuitive choice for a cameo in a crime drama. But as charming con artist Ken Turner, Stamos is perfectly cast and an absolute blast. Depicting a ‘reproductive abuser’, a term that sadly was not invented by “SVU,” Turner pokes holes in condoms to improve the odds of scoring a pregnancy and has successfully fathered over 20 children. Where are Danny Tanner’s life lessons when you need them?
#6: Martin Short
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“Pure” If the Special Victims Unit is put on the case, the time for jokes has truly passed. So what could “Saturday Night Live” alumni and successful comedian Martin Short possibly offer the show? In “SVU” episode “Pure”, he was given the chance to explore new territory, and boy did he. As a fake psychic with a history of assault who pretends to lend the detectives a helping hand, Short is shockingly convincing and definitely creepy. Despite the character's repulsive background, the actor’s typical goofy charm remained surprisingly intact, which only made his performance all the more unsettling.
#5: Jennifer Love Hewitt
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“Behave” Airing mere months after “Ghost Whisperer” went off the air, “SVU” granted a quick return to the small screen for the accomplished actress. Guest starring in season twelve episode “Behave”, Jennifer Love Hewitt was put through the ringer as a victim who’s suffered multiple assaults by the same man over 15 years. Understandably terrified and reluctant to speak to the police, Hewitt provides a raw and heart-wrenching performance that brings her traumatized character Vicki Sayers to life - raising the bar for guest stars on the show.
#4: Cynthia Nixon
“Alternate” Despite a starring role for six seasons on HBO, Cynthia Nixon pulled off her most multifaceted performance on NBC’s crime drama. The “Sex and the City” actress starred on “SVU” as a parent dealing with Dissociative Identity Disorder. Jumping back and forth between five different personalities, Nixon was clearly having a lot of fun portraying such an unpredictable suspect, and the season nine episode benefited greatly from the celebrity's presence. Closing with a memorable twist and just an all-around awesome hour of television, Nixon even earned a Primetime Emmy for ‘Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series.’
#3: Chris "Ludacris" Bridges
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“Venom” &“Screwed” Every once in a while, SVU has an episode where a detective’s personal life gets wrapped up in a case. In season seven episode, “Venom,” we learn a bit about Detective Tutuola’s relationship with his estranged son, Ken. We also meet Ken’s half brother Darius Parker. Played by rapper Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, this character is full of rage for his family. Unlike Ken, Darius was not raised by his mother. His resentment and rough childhood lead him to a life of crime. Bridges brings an incredible amount of pathos to the screen. He is the rare SVU villain with whom the audience can easily empathize.
#2: Carol Burnett
“Ballerina” Hailed as television royalty, the star of “The Carol Burnett Show” broke new ground as the first woman to host a variety show. In the grand scheme of things, a “Law & Order” guest appearance is merely a footnote in Carol Burnett's storied legacy, but the actress doesn’t seem to know the meaning of forgettable. In “Ballerina”, she plays a woman on a mission - a mission to murder her husbands. Dominating the episode with a nuanced and ultimately chilling performance, she steals the show as a serial killer with a disturbingly close relationship with her nephew.
#1: Robin Williams
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“Authority” Even after making the leap to the big time, the late, great Robin Williams was not above returning to his roots on the small screen. As the comedian's only performance during 2008, Williams stuck it to the man as an anti-authoritarian engineer who becomes a nationwide sensation after successfully defending himself in court. Sensibly opting against casting the impossible-to-hate actor as a simple, one-dimensional villain, Williams' character manages to be sympathetic and fascinating even as he weaves his web, and the accomplished actor’s magnetic charm helps sell some of the episode's wilder moments.
