Sam Waterston

Sam Waterston made his Broadway debut in 1962 as Jonathan in Arthur Kopit’s Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mamma’s Hung You in the Closet and I’m Feelin’ So Sad at the Morosco Theatre. In 1963, he appeared as Silvius in As You Like It at the Delacorte Theatre. He made his film debut in The Plastic Dome of Norma Jean in 1965, then returned to Broadway as David in First One Asleep, Whistle in 1966 and Robert in Peter Ustinov’s Halfway Up the Tree in 1967. In 1969, he starred as Buffalo Bill in Arthur Kopit’s Indians at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre, which ran for 96 performances and 16 previews.

Waterston’s early film credits included Fitzwilly (1967), Generation (1969), Three (1969) and Savages (1972). His theater work during this period included Benedick in Much Ado About Nothing at the Public Theater in 1972 and the title role in Hamlet in 1975. His performance in Much Ado About Nothing earned him a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Performance. He also worked at Long Wharf Theatre and Yale Repertory Theatre.

In 1973, Waterston appeared opposite Katharine Hepburn in the television film The Glass Menagerie, earning a Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. He played Nick Carraway in The Great Gatsby in 1974, earning Golden Globe nominations for Best Supporting Actor and New Star of the Year. His subsequent film credits included Rancho Deluxe (1975), Journey into Fear (1975), Sweet Revenge (1976), Capricorn One (1977) and Interiors (1978). In 1977, he played Duke Vincentio in an Off-Broadway production of Measure for Measure at the Delacorte Theatre.

In 1980, Waterston appeared on Broadway in Benefactors at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre. He also portrayed Frank Canton in Heaven’s Gate and J. Robert Oppenheimer in the miniseries Oppenheimer, earning BAFTA and Golden Globe nominations for his performance. In 1984, he played journalist Sydney Schanberg in The Killing Fields and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Actor. His other film credits during the 1980s and early 1990s included Hannah and Her Sisters (1986), September (1987), Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989), The Man in the Moon (1991) and Serial Mom (1994). He also played Abraham Lincoln in the 1988 miniseries Lincoln and voiced Lincoln in Ken Burns’ 1990 documentary miniseries The Civil War.

Waterston starred as a district attorney in the television series I’ll Fly Away from 1991 to 1993, winning the Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Television Series – Drama. In 1993, he portrayed Abraham Lincoln in Abe Lincoln in Illinois, receiving Tony Award, Drama Desk Award and Outer Critics Circle Award nominations.

In 1994, Waterston joined the cast of Law & Order as Executive Assistant District Attorney John James “Jack” McCoy. He continued playing McCoy through the series’ original run, ultimately portraying the character through 16 seasons and 368 episodes. He also reprised the role in Homicide: Life on the Street in 1997 and 1999, Exiled: A Law & Order Movie in 1998, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2000, 2007, 2010 and 2018, and Law & Order: Trial by Jury in 2005.

Waterston’s film work during this period included Richard Helms in Nixon (1995), with his scenes appearing in the director’s cut, The Proprietor (1996), Shadow Conspiracy (1997) and Le Divorce (2003). He appeared as Polonius in the 2008 Shakespeare in the Park production of Hamlet. In 2009, he portrayed Abraham Lincoln in Earl Robinson’s The Lonesome Train: A Music Legend for Actors, Folk Singers, Choirs, and Orchestra at Riverside Church in New York City.

From 2012 to 2014, Waterston played Charlie Skinner in the HBO series The Newsroom. In 2015, he portrayed Prospero in Shakespeare in the Park’s production of The Tempest and joined the cast of the Netflix series Grace and Frankie as Sol, appearing throughout all seven seasons until the series concluded in 2022. In 2017, he played Marshal John Cook in the Netflix limited series Godless. His film credits during this period included George DuPont in Miss Sloane (2017) and Erwin Griswold in On the Basis of Sex (2018).

Waterston returned to Law & Order in the series’ revival, reprising his role as Jack McCoy beginning in 2022. He also appeared as George Shultz in the Hulu limited series The Dropout in 2022. Waterston left Law & Order on February 2, 2024, after 20 seasons and 405 episodes as Jack McCoy.