Jerry Orbach has earned a reputation as the quintessential New Yorker through his work in such films as "Prince of the City" and "Crimes and Misdemeanors," as well as in Broadway's "42nd Street" and on NBC's "Law & Order." Orbach has been honored with the Crystal Apple Award from the New York City Mayor's Office of Film, Television and Broadcasting for his contribution to the arts, and this past season he was presented with a lifetime achievement award from the Friar's Club of New York. In addition to these honors, the 10th season of "Law & Order" has brought additional recognition to Orbach in the form of a third Emmy nomination, his first as Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series for his portrayal of Detective Briscoe.
The versatile actor's many motion-picture credits include "Dirty Dancing," "Someone to Watch Over Me" and "F/X." He is also well remembered as the voice of Lumiere, the candelabra, in the animated feature "Beauty and the Beast." He most recently co-starred with Al Pacino in "Chinese Coffee," which Pacino also produced and directed.
Orbach's television credits include starring in the series "The Law and Harry McGraw," as well as guest appearances on NBC's "The Golden Girls," "Hunter," "Murder, She Wrote," and "Who's The Boss?" He earned previous Emmy nominations for his work on NBC's "Empty Nest" and Neil Simon's "Broadway Bound."
On stage, Orbach made his first New York appearance in Kurt Weill's "The Threepenny Opera" as Mack the Knife. Earlier this year, he served as host of the Brooklyn Academy of Music's month-long celebration of the 100 th anniversary of Weill's birth. In 1960, Orbach created the role of El Gallo in the off-Broadway milestone "The Fantasticks." He went on to make his Broadway debut in David Merrick's production of "Carnival," and received his first Tony Award nomination for the City Center revival of "Guys and Dolls." Additionally, Orbach won rave reviews for his virtuoso performance in Bruce Jay Friedman's "Scuba Duba," received a Tony Award for "Promises, Promises," and starred in "6 Rms Riv Vu" and "Chicago." He also toured for nine months in the national company of Neil Simon's "Chapter Two."
This fall, Orbach can also be seen on the PAX network hosting "Encounters with the Unexplained," a reality series featuring new insight and information about the world's great mysteries. Orbach lives with his wife Elaine in New York City. His birthday is October 20.
