Steven Hill Dead: 'Law & Order' Star Was 94

Steven Hill, an Emmy-nominated actor known for lead roles on the popular TV series Mission: Impossible and Law & Order, died Tuesday, August 23. He was 94.

His daughter Sarah Gobioff confirmed his passing to The New York Times. He lived in Monsey, New York, located in Rockland County.

Hill was a veteran of stage and TV at age 44 when he was cast as Daniel Briggs in Mission: Impossible in 1966, but he exited the CBS action series after the first season. He actually left acting from 1967 to 1977 to pursue other career paths, including real estate.

Hill eventually returned to showbiz and is perhaps best known as Law & Order district attorney Adam Schiff, a role he played from 1990 to 2000. He earned two Emmy nominations for the character, who he also portrayed in a 2000 episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

“Steven was not only one of the truly great actors of his generation, he was one of the most intelligent people I have ever met,” Law & Order creator Dick Wolf said in a statement. “He is also the only actor I’ve known who consistently tried to cut his own lines. He will be missed, but fortunately he can be seen ubiquitously on Law & Order reruns.”

Hill appeared in such 1960s TV series as Dr. Kildare, Rawhide and The Fugitive, and in films including Yentl (1983), Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986), Running on Empty (1988) and The Firm (1993).

He is survived by second wife Rachel and their five children, as well as four children from his first marriage to Selma Stern, an actress who had roles in Nutty Professor II: The Klumps (2000), Bruce Almighty (2003) and Made of Honor (2008).

Thank You!

You have successfully subscribed.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tr%2FMmp6aspmjsm%2BvzqZmnqakmr%2B1rcinpJ6mpGS7psPSaKqtnaaau260yKWjZpyVlrFuuMCwZKiqlJq%2Fbr%2FTmqlmr5GoenqAjLBrbG1oaoVw