Mariska Hargitay to Ice-T, Get to Know the ‘Law & Order: SVU Cast’ and Their Thoughts About the Show

Find out what the cast of ‘Law & Order: SVU’ has said about the show—and where else you’ve seen them

Every Thursday night, they’re members of an elite squad called the Special Victims Unit (SVU), tasked with keeping the residents of New York City safe from severe crimes. But behind the scenes, these actors have starred as detectives on episodes of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit since it debuted in 1999.

In real life, stars like Mariska Hargitay have taken the work beyond the screen, becoming an activist and advocate, while portraying her pivotal role as Detective Olivia Benson. Learn more about where you’ve seen the cast of SVU before and what they’ve had to say about their roles.

Mariska Hargitay

Character Played: Detective Olivia Benson

Born: January 23, 1964, Santa Monica, California

Best Known For: Can’t Hurry Love (1995-1996), Lake Placid (1999) and Tales from Earthsea (2006)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “When I started the show, I wasn’t aware of how deeply it would go into me,” Hargitay reflected. “My husband Peter [Hermann] is always, like, anytime I go anywhere, my first question is, ‘What’s the crime rate here?’ So it’s on the brain.”

Christopher Meloni

Character Played: Detective Elliot Stabler

Born: April 2, 1961, Washington, D.C.

Best Known For: Oz (1998-2003), Wet Hot American Summer (2001) and Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021-2024)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “My first audition was with Dick Wolf himself,” Meloni said. “I felt really good with that, I felt I’d earned that place, that I’d gone up in the hierarchy where I don’t have to audition with a casting director and five auditions down the road, I get to meet the wizard behind the curtain.”

Ice-T

Character Played: Detective Odafin ‘Fin’ Tutuola

Born: February 16, 1958, Newark, New Jersey

Best Known For: New Jack City (1991), Surviving the Game (1994), Tank Girl (1995) and Johnny Mnemonic (1995)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “I think SVU is a special show because it’s the first time I’ve ever done something where people walk up in the street and say thank you,” Ice-T says. “And I found out that SVU is as much entertainment as it is therapy for a lot of women, because a lot of women that watch the show are survivors — guys, too.”

Dann Florek

Character Played: Captain Donald ‘Don’ Cragen

Born: May 1, 1950, Flat Rock, Michigan

Best Known For: Angel Heart (1987), The Flintstones (1994) and Hard Rain (1998)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “It’s smart,” Florek says of the series. “It’s great stories. It’s entertainment first, but it’s educational, it’s enlightening, it’s empowering… it treats the audience with respect.”

Richard Belzer

Character Played: Detective John Munch

Born: August 4, 1944, Bridgeport, Connecticut

Best Known For: Scarface (1983), Homicide: Life on the Street (1993-1999), Species II (1998)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “I love the character. The writers got to know me,” Belzer enthused. “The character of Munch was really close to how I do things. It was a dream come true for me and an utter delight to play this character for so many years. I’m very lucky.”

Kelli Giddish

Character Played: Detective Amanda Rollins

Born: April 13, 1980, Cumming, Georgia

Best Known For: All My Children (2005-2007), Chase (2010-2011) and Chicago P.D. (2014)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “I started playing her in my late 20s, so I’ve played her in three decades of my life, which is nuts,” Giddish said. “It’s insane…With playing someone as multifaceted as Rollins, I got to play all kinds of different things — down and out, on top, joyful, doubtful, scared, triumphant. I got to do the gambit.”

BD Wong

Character Played: Special Agent Dr. George Huang, M.D.

Born: October 24, 1960, San Francisco, California

Best Known For: Jurassic Park (1993), Mulan (1998), Jurassic World (2015) and Mr. Robot (2015-2019)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “The most gratifying kind of fan interaction that you can have is ‘I decided to be a forensic psychiatrist because I saw you in the show when I was very young, and I didn’t know there was such a career opportunity…’” Wong said. “That’s why it’s very important for television writers and television producers to be responsible about their content, because it’s reaching young people at a very impressionable time.”

Peter Scanavino

Character Played: Detective Dominick ‘Sonny’ Carisi, Jr.

Born: February 29, 1980, Denver, Colorado

Best Known For: Deception (2008), Happythankyoumoreplease (2010) and Frances Ha (2012)

Thoughts on Law & Order: SVU: “I’ve got a lot of responsibilities in my regular life, as well as on the show,” Scanavino said. “So, everything is just kind of chaotic, and I think that mirrors a lot of what’s happening with the show, where you don’t have a lot of time to just kind of sit and slow things down and reflect on what’s going on.”

Tamara Tunie

Character Played: ME Dr. Melinda Warner