While Fred Thompson — now finally announced as a candidate for President — is best known to most voters as the folksy head DA Arthur Branch on Law & Order in 2002-2007, he was actually beaten to the punch on the show. Rudy Giuliani, while still mayor of NYC, guest-starred on L&O in 2000 showing around Branch’s predecessor, Nora Lewin (Diane Weist), who’d just succeeded DA Adam Schiff (Stephen Hill).
(And, for what it’s worth, I thought Schiff was the best DA on the show. Though Thompson was a much better actor than Giuliani.)
(And for those who want more L&O trivia, per IMDB, the longest lived actors on the show beyond Stephen Hill as Schiff are Jerry Orbach (Det. Lenny Briscoe), Sam Watterston (ADA Jack McCoy), S. Epatha Merkerson (Lt Anita Van Buren), and, topping the list, Steven Zirnkilton as the Narrator.)
But do you like Stephen Hill better than Peter Graves as leader of the IMF?
Actually — yes. Mr Briggs seemed less melodramatic than (the always enjoyable, don’t get me wrong) Mr Phelps.