Although Orbach passed away close to 20 years ago, his impact is still much felt. As comedian John Mulaney famously joked, "I miss Jerry Orbach more than certain dead relatives of mine."
Orbach exited "Law & Order" in 2004, after 12 seasons as a series regular on the show because, given his illness, the filming schedule was too much for the actor to keep up with (via Outsider.com).
Instead, per the New York Times, his character Lennie Briscoe found a home on "Law & Order: Trial By Jury," as the lighter shooting schedule was more forgiving for Orbach and his illness. Orbach's appearance added a familiar face to the spinoff to help get viewers on board. However, his addition to the show was short-lived. Orbach sadly died after only filming two episodes of "Trial By Jury".
In the days following Orbach's passing, his co-stars remembered their time with Orbach.
"It was the most elegant and beautiful and charming little vaudeville move I ever saw," Bebe Neuwirth said of a dance she saw Orbach do with a cane he found on set. "I threw my arms out and said, 'Teach me that.' And so he did."
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEpaCsrF6YvK57lm5wbW1kZLWww4yjnKuqqWK8s67AnJ9mm5iWu6ixw2ajmq9dpL%2BlsdFmnaiqlauys3s%3D