Steven Hill, a veteran actor best known for his work on Law & Order, died on Tuesday in Manhattan.
He was 94 years old.
The actor’s daughter, Sarah Gobioff, confirmed this sad news to The New York Times.
Hill originated the character of District Attorney Adam Schiff on Law & Order, playing the lawyer from 1990 to 2000.
Schiff appeared in all but two episodes of the show’s opening 10 seasons, earning him a pair of Primetime Emmy nominations along the way.
In 2000, after season 10 concluded, Hill resigned from the show and retired from acting.
Prior to nabbing this landmark role, Hill starred as Daniel Briggs in the freshman season of Mission: Impossible in 1966.
However, was replaced by Peter Graves for the duration of the drama.
In a 1996 interview with The Washington Post, Dick Wolf, the creator of Law & Order, referring to Hill as “the Talmudic influence on the entire zeitgeist of the series,” adding of the star:
“Steven has more moral authority than anyone else on episodic TV.”
Born Solomon Krakowsky, Hill was a native of Seattle who graduated from the University of Washington. He broke into show business on the radio in Chicago.
He debuted on Broadway all the way back in 1946. His first television role took place three years later.
Hill also enjoyed an impressive film career, spanning from 1950’s A Lady Without Passport to 1993’s The Firm.
His supporting role as criminal accountant Otto Berman in 1991’s Billy Bathgate adaptation earned him recognition at the National Society of Film Critics Awards and the New York Film Critics Circle Awards.
Hill is survived by his second wife and nine children.
We send them our condolences.
