20 Actors Who Were On ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Before They Were Famous

By Rachel West. 23 Sep 2021 10:15 AM

“Law & Order: SVU” is making TV history as the longest-running primetime live-action series in U.S. as it kicks off its 23rd season. With over 450 episodes, the series has had hundreds of actors in hundreds of roles. Sometimes, those actors who landed bit parts or their first big roles on “SVU” have gone on to become megastars and household names… and even Oscar winners! Check out 20 actors who appeared on “Law & Order: SVU” before they were famous.

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Michael Shannon
NBC
Episode: Season 6, Episode 13

His first Oscar nomination was only four years away when Michael Shannon played a suspected child killer on death row in 2005. Shannon’s Avery Shaw taunted Benson and Stabler, using mind games to delay his execution.
Adam Driver
NBC
Season 13, Episode 11

Character: Before he made his debut on “Girls”, future Oscar nominee Adam Driver played – you guessed it – a pervy guy caught installing webcams in an unsuspecting girl’s apartment.
Viola Davis
NBC
Episode: Seasons 4, 6, 8-10, Various episodes

Character: Future Oscar winner Viola Davis had a whole run on “SVU” as tough-talking attorney Donna Emmett, appearing in several episodes between 2003 and 2008.
Mahershala Ali
NBC
Episode: Season 11, Episode 1

Viola Davis isn’t the only Oscar winner to put in time on “SVU”. In 2009, Mahershala Ali played the prime suspect in a series of rapes -- only to take his punishment into his own hands by leaping out a window in the SVU precinct and falling to his death.
Milo Ventimiglia
NBC
Episode: Season 5, Episode 11

Character: Before “Heroes” and “This Is Us”, Milo Ventimiglia played a young victim of abuse who became the target of his stepdad after testifying against him in court in a 2003 episode.

20 Actors Who Were On ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Before They Were Famous

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