Det. Lennie Briscoe -- Jewish father, Catholic mother, and raised Catholic; from Upper East Side; divorced twice, and rather cynical about marriage; two teenaged daughters, one named Julia; recovering alcoholic; Knicks fan; found his second wife in the shower "with a natural redhead"; possible girlfriend named Gloria

Jerry Orbach portrays the veteran Detective Lennie Briscoe in Universal Television's award-winning one-hour crime/drama series LAW & ORDER. Briscoe takes his work seriously but uses his wry sense of humor as a buttress against the pressures of being a cop. This season marks Orbach's fifth with the series.

Born in the Bronx, NY, Orbach moved frequently as a child. From the Bronx, he moved to Mt. Vernon, NY, then to Pennsylvania where he lived in Wilkes-Barre and Scranton before moving to Springfield, MA and Waukegan, IL. He graduated from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois and went on to study with Lee Strasberg. Orbach is a member of the Actor's Studio.

No stranger to television audiences, Orbach's television credits include guest appearances in Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound," "The Golden Girls," (which both earned him Emmy nominations), "Empty Nest" and "Murder She Wrote." Additionally, he was Harry McGraw in the 1988 series "The Law and Harry McGraw."

Orbach resides in New York City with his wife Elaine and two sons.