Was there ever an actor who made the supporting role more prevalent, memorable or endearing than Jerry Orbach? J.T. Walsh, who passed away several years ago, routinely played hard, despised characters, whether in "Sling Blade," "Breakdown" or even "Executive Decision." He made a career out of being memorably unmemorable.
But Jerry Orbach was different. He spent so many years dispensing "Law & Order" that my long-term memory of him will be him walking the streets of New York in a tan trenchcoat and with that Dick Wolf theme music in the background.
My personal favorite of his many roles was as mobster Nicholas DiFranco in the movie F/X, with Bryan Brown, Brian Dennehy and Mason Adams (aka the voice of Smuckers). Essentially, Orbach's character is a sitting duck, protected in a chateau while the good guy, Bryan Brown, is coming to kill him. Once Brown manages to get into the house and dispose of a few bodyguards, Orbach offers up the killer line: "He's inside your fucking house!" It might not have been Shakespeare, but it was good enough for me ;-)
Speaking of the theater, it amazed me to know he originated roles in The Fantasticks, 42nd Street and Chicago (the original version, from the 70's) on Broadway. So not only did he master the movies and television but he was an innovative, respected actor on the stage as well.
It's obviously a shame that he's gone, and even when it was announced, less than a month ago, that he was undergoing treatment for prostate cancer, I never imagined he'd lose the battle. It's unfortunate and really a shame for those of us who feel we knew him; it's bittersweet in that he excelled at his craft to the point where anyone who watched him perform felt as if they knew him.
As Dick Wolf, executive producer of Law & Order opined this morning, Jerry Orbach is irreplaceable.
Agreed.
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