Actor who played DA on 'Law & Order' dies at 94
Steven Hill in his role as Dan Briggs in Mission: Impossible.
Steven Hill, the actor who played District Attorney Adam Schiff for 10 years on Law & Order, died on Tuesday at the age of 94.
Hill, who also starred on Mission: Impossible for one season, died at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York, the Associated Press reports. He had several ailments, his wife told AP.
Hill’s Law & Order character was said to be modeled on Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who told the New York Times that he often met with Hill during the series. Morgenthau said he and Hill discussed what Schiff would do in certain situations, often leading Hill to conclude he had to be a lot tougher.
Hill “perhaps was at his best on the stage,” where he starred in several productions, according to the Hollywood Reporter. His stage career came to an end when he became an Orthodox Jew and became unavailable for Friday night and Saturday matinee performances. His Sabbath observances are also said to have played a role in a decision to cut him from Mission: Impossible.
He took 10 years off from acting, and tried selling real estate and writing, according to the Hollywood Reporter. He returned to acting in 1977 and got roles on TV and in films.
The New York Daily News lists what it believes to be some of Schiff’s best quips on Law & Order. They include:
• “I LOVE cases where a homicidal gun dealer is our best witness.”
• “This defense! Like my grandmother’s nightgown, it covers everything.”
• “Never ask a jury to think.”
