Jerry Orbach Net Worth

Jerry Orbach's Quotes

• I used to say when I was working in the theater that if I ever had five seasons of a hit TV show I'd never have to worry about money and wouldn't have to do anything I didn't want to do . . . The 12 seasons on Law & Order (1990) really made that possible.
• [on working on Law & Order (1990)] It's a lot more fun for actors to cry and rant and rave, or have a drug problem or a drinking problem. Once in a while I get jealous of people who get to do real histrionics. But that's all right. That stuff's only about awards. It's not about people watching. People are very loyal to our show and they want to see the case resolved in an hour.
• It may sound a little off the wall to say this, but having the opportunity to do this in this long an arc has given me - and is continuing to give me - a feeling that I'm doing something for the city and for the people of it and for the cops. I see it every day on the street. The profile of Law & Order (1990) has gotten bigger and bigger. And the way the city feels about us . . . it's like we're part of the good things that happen in the city.
• When I first began in this business I was doing a lot of musical theater but the problem was that people wouldn't hire me outside of that. I wasn't being taken seriously as an actor so I started taking more dramatic roles and serious acting jobs and eventually it got to the point where people were saying, "I really like his stuff. Does he sing?"
• [on why he decided to join the cast of "Law & Order" (1990)] Back in the early '60s my pal David Janssen was doing The Fugitive (1963). He used to come home eight, nine o'clock at night, having gotten up at five in the morning, have one drink and boom! He'd fall asleep on the couch and we'd carry him to bed. I told myself, "I will never do an hour drama. It's just too hard". But then, as you get older . . .

Interesting Facts about Jerry Orbach

1. On March 20, 2000, he sued online auctioneer eBay Inc. in Manhattan Federal Court for displaying his Social Security number on the Internet. The suit alleges that eBay began broadcasting the confidential information on its website on March 15, 2000, when it advertised the sale of two of his contracts from 1958.
2. Created the roles of El Gallo in "The Fantasticks," Billy Flynn in "Chicago" and Julian Marsh in "42nd Street" on the New York stage.
3. Father of Chris Orbach and Anthony Orbach.
4. Was partying at the Copacabana with infamous New York mobster Joe Gallo (III) hours before Gallo was shot dead at Umberto's Clam House in New York City.
5. Worked as a chauffeur for Mae West.
6. Had read for the roles of Max Greevey and Phil Cerreta on Law & Order (1990) before finally being cast as Det. Lennie Briscoe.
7. In 1976, he was nominated for the Tony Award® for "Best Actor in a Musical" for his performance in "Chicago."
8. Announced on March 26, 2004, that he would be leaving Law & Order (1990) after 12 years on the series.
9. In 1969, he won the Tony Award for Best Actor (Musical) for his 1968 role of Chuck Baxter in the Burt Bacharach/Hal David musical "Promises, Promises", a stage adaptation of Billy Wilder's The Apartment (1960). This was preceded by a 1965 Tony nomination as Best Supporting or Featured Actor (Musical) for a revival of "Guys and Dolls," and followed by a 1976 Best Actor (Musical) nomination for the original production of "Chicago."
10. The New York Landmark Conservancy declared him a Living Landmark.
11. His manager, Robert Malcolm, announced in December 2004 that he has prostate cancer. However, Malcolm said, "We expect he'll be fine. He's been playing golf, shooting his episodes (of Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005)) and doing real well".
12. He played the same character (Detective Lennie Briscoe) in five different television series: Law & Order (1990), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) and Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005).
13. Had been battling prostate cancer for 10 years.
14. His father, Leon Orbach, was a German Jewish immigrant, who was born in Hamburg, Germany. His mother, Emily (Olexy), was born in Pennsylvania, to immigrant Polish-Lithuanian Catholic parents, Alexander Olexy and Susanna (Klauba).
15. Received the Edith Oliver Award for Sustained Excellence at the 1999 Lucille Lortel Awards.
16. He appeared in episodes of three different series with Jesse L. Martin: Law & Order (1990), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001).
17. He appeared in episodes of three different series with Richard Belzer: Law & Order (1990), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999).
18. On Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005), when he was so ill that he couldn't speak above a whisper, they rewrote the scene so that he and the other characters around him all had reason to whisper (outside of a courtroom door).
19. Along with Jesse L. Martin, Fred Thompson, Carolyn McCormick and Leslie Hendrix, he is one of only five actors to play the same character (Detective Lennie Briscoe) on all four New York City-based "Law & Order" series: Law & Order (1990), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001), and Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005).
20. He appeared in episodes of four different series with Sam Waterston: Law & Order (1990), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993), Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999) and Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005).