Law & Order: SVU is best known (and loved) for the iconic duo of Benson and Stabler. Mariska Hargitay and Christopher Meloni have crafted their characters with such grace, compassion and sincerity that the show has outlasted even the original Law & Order series. However, the show is so much more than just two of the best detectives on TV. On the air since 1999, the episodic format of the show has meant all the good SVU detectives have caught a lot of bad guys, and found justice for a lot of victims as well.
These characters may not all be as memorable as our main cast, so here is a reminder of some of the actors who cut their teeth on SVU before becoming famous and iconic in their own right. *Dun Dun*
Adam Driver
Before feeling the force and becoming Kylo Ren, Adam Driver had a small role in the SVU episode, "Theatre Tricks." He plays Jason Roberts — I.T. Specialist, stalker, and potential rapist. We can see some of Driver's trademark darkness and intensity in his small role, as well as his penchant for naturalistic dialogue. He would hone these skills the same year in his breakout role in Girls, before eventually going on to receive two Oscar nominations and working with an array of famous directors. This episode in Season 13 of SVU was actually his second foray into the Law & Order world, having had a small role in the original series two years earlier.
Rooney Mara
In just her second screen credit, Rooney Mara stars in the Season 7 episode, "Fat." This episode was so early in her career she was credited as Tricia Mara. Eventually she would refine her stage name to Rooney — her middle name. While she would eventually become The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, receive two Oscar nominations, and have a child with Joaquin Phoenix, her start as victim and bully Jessica DeLay was not a great signifier of the actress she was to become. The episode is better known for the plotline where Benson is moved to a different unit for the crime committed against Jessica. However, we can already see that Mara was drawn to complicated characters with complex motivations, something she has now become known for. Her older sister Kate Mara also guest-starred on SVU early in her career during the show's second season.
Bradley Cooper
As a bona fide movie star with nine Oscar nominations under his belt, it is hard to imagine Bradley Cooper taking a bit part on the small screen. Given his long run of hit films, it is no surprise that his impeccable taste began early, choosing to start his career in one of most loved episodes of SVU: "Night." Also guest starring Angela Lansbury and Alfred Molina, the episode focused on a serial rapist who targets illegal immigrants. Cooper plays a charming lawyer, showing early signs of the movie star he was to become.
Zoe Saldana
Now best known for her roles in fantasy franchises like Star Trek, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Avatar, Zoe Saldana had early roles in both Law & Order and SVU. She plays a loving daughter of a heroin addict and murder suspect in her Season 5 episode, "Criminal." While she initially is an antagonist to our beloved Captain Cragen, suing him for $12 million dollars over the mishandling of her father's case, her character eventually turns to the SVU team for help when her father threatens suicide.
Logan Paul
Before he was a YouTube sensation, Logan Paul was trying more traditional routes to fame. His first professional gig as an actor was in the SVU episode "Intimidation Game" in Season 16. The episode focused on misogyny in the gaming world, with Paul's character being a perpetrator of video-game like violence in the real world. As his content gained popularity Paul has steered away from acting in many other roles and concentrated instead on his social media fame.
Elle Fanning
Playing a young child abuse victim who is discovered in a van that has been driven into the river, Fanning captured our hearts as a seemingly innocent victim of a terrible crime. Elle's character Eden plays a significant role in the larger plot of the show, as her manipulation and subsequent attempt to murder Detective Beck (played by Connie Nielsen) led to the character's permanent departure from the show. Only 8 when the episode premiered, it was clear the young star had turned in a noteworthy performance amongst veterans of the industry.
Jon Bernthal
Now one of the hardest working and most interesting actors in Hollywood, it's hard to escape the ubiquitous star these days. Pursuing roles on both the big and small screens, Jon Bernthal is a character actor of the finest caliber, so perhaps it is no surprise that one of his earliest roles was on SVU. Bernthal's episode revolves around two Marines who attack their wives due to medication given to them by the military. Despite being best known for playing a violent ex-soldier in The Punisher, Bernthal shows his range early here playing a quick-witted reporter.
Sarah Hyland
Prior to becoming a TV mainstay in Modern Family, Sarah Hyland guest-starred in SVU not once, but twice! A rare feat only possible because she started acting so young, starring in her first episode — Season 3's "Repression" — when she was just 10. Hyland had grown up by the time she took another role in the show, also starring in the Season 10 episode, "Hothouse," where she plays a student who has a psychotic breakdown and murders her roommate. It's hard to imagine the doe-eyed Dunphy sibling we know and love taking such a dark turn. Other Modern Family alum have also guest starred early in their careers, including Ty Burrell, Ariel Winters, and Julie Bowen.
Abigail Breslin
After winning our hearts with her breakout debut performance in M. Night Shyamalan's Signs, Abigail Breslin continued to work in small roles until her standout role in Little Miss Sunshine. One of these smaller roles was playing 6-year-old Patty Branson in the Season 5 episode, "Birthright." Showing maturity beyond her years playing a victim of an attempted abduction, Breslin shines as the centerpiece of a complicated storyline surrounding the custodial rights of the biological versus the birth parents in cases of fertility issues.
Ian Somerhalder
While now a staple of the small screen thanks to his smouldering performance in The Vampire Diaries, as well as roles in Lost and Smallville, Ian Somerhalder was relatively unknown when he starred in the Season 4 episode "Dominance." He used his icy blue eyes to chilling effect playing a psychopath guilty of raping his younger brother and beating his father. He was not the only Salvatore brother to guest-star in SVU before hitting the big time. Paul Wesley also guest-starred in two episodes of SVU: Season 2's "Wrong is Right" and Season 7's "Ripped."
Laverne Cox
Cox owes a lot to the Law & Order franchise. Her first two professional roles were in SVU and Law & Order. The Season 9 episode "Closet" delves into the stigma, harassment and violence inflicted upon a homosexual couple upon being outed. It's great to see an advocate like Cox bringing to life stories of the need for tolerance, visibility and equal rights even from the very beginning of her now illustrious career.
Pedro Pascal
Pascal is a Law & Order veteran, having starred in the original series, Criminal Intent (twice!), and SVU all before his star-making turn in Game of Thrones. He plays FBI Special Agent Greer in the Season 12 episode "Smoked." Pascal earned his way to super stardom through a lot of supporting roles. Before The Mandalorian, Wonder Woman 1984 and Narcos, he had small roles in a long line of TV shows, including Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The Good Wife, Homeland and CSI.
Serena Williams
While much more famous as the GOAT of female Tennis, Serena Williams has a varied resume. After a knee injury forced her off the courts in 2003-2004, Serena used the opportunity to expand her horizons, dabbling in acting. One of her first character roles was in the Season 5 SVU episode, "Brotherhood." She plays Chloe Spiers, an unwitting internet porn victim who is a piece of a larger puzzle of the unsavory actions of a college fraternity. While we would never recommend she give up her day job, Serena was cast perfectly as a college sports star. Maybe after the success of the biopic of her father (King Richard), she can use her acting skills to put her own story up on the big screen.