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Adam Schiff (Law & Order)
Encyclopedia
Adam Schiff is a fictional character
on the TV drama series Law & Order
. He was played by Steven Hill
from 1990 to 2000. Schiff was one of the main characters of the series and appeared in every episode of the first ten seasons except for Everybody's Favorite Bagman
, which was produced before Hill joined the cast.
of New York County. Schiff is a graduate of Columbia University
. He is a pragmatic Democrat
of faintly liberal
stripe, but regardless of political inclinations, he is never perturbed by his critics nor by uncooperative judge
s. Political persuasions sometimes cloud his decisions with regard to certain cases such as the death penalty, however. According to the episode "Aftershock", he wrote a brief protesting the death penalty in 1971. He is also pro-choice
.
While he is often stern and unforgiving in his professional conduct, he has amicable relationships with his assistants. He is closest to Benjamin Stone
(Michael Moriarty
), seeing him as a kind of surrogate son, and so is disturbed to see him resign when a witness he is trying to protect is murder
ed. His relationship with Stone's successor, Jack McCoy
(Sam Waterston
), is more problematic, as McCoy is more ruthless and unconventional, and his habitual bending of trial rules occasionally garners Schiff some bad publicity
. The two eventually grow to like and respect each other, however. Schiff is more critical of the junior assistant DAs, especially Claire Kincaid
(Jill Hennessy
), whom he sees as too idealistic to do her job effectively.
He has many friends among New York's elite, including powerful politician
s, judges, and businessmen. Over the show's run, however, many of these friends prove themselves to be either corrupt or hiding dark secrets. For example, one of his closest friends, Judge Edgar Hynes, commits suicide
after being caught taking bribes
; another, Carl Anderton (Robert Vaughn
), a high-powered CEO, is discovered to be suffering from bipolar disorder
and attempts to arrange an unjust punishment for his similarly affected grandson to hide his own condition.
Schiff's wife dies of complications from a stroke, after he elects to remove her from a ventilator while she is in a vegetative state
. Their son, Josh, is mentioned in several episodes, as are Josh's own wife and son, but he never appears onscreen.
Schiff leaves the DA's office to accept a role in coordinating commemorations of the Holocaust Project
. He goes on to work with Simon Wiesenthal
and is replaced by Nora Lewin
(Dianne Wiest
).
During the 19th season, Schiff is mentioned to be in Zimbabwe
with former President Jimmy Carter
.
The character of Adam Schiff may be based upon long-serving New York County District Attorney
Robert Morgenthau.
He enjoys surprises at parties.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
on the TV drama series Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. He was played by Steven Hill
Steven Hill
Steven Hill is an American film and television actor. His two better-known roles are District Attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC TV drama series Law & Order, whom he portrayed for ten seasons , and Dan Briggs, the original team leader of the Impossible Missions Force on CBS's television series...
from 1990 to 2000. Schiff was one of the main characters of the series and appeared in every episode of the first ten seasons except for Everybody's Favorite Bagman
Everybody's Favorite Bagman
"Everybody's Favorite Bagman" originally aired on October 30, 1990 as the sixth episode of NBC's legal drama Law & Order. It was produced in 1988 and was the intended pilot episode of the series.-Plot:...
, which was produced before Hill joined the cast.
Character overview
Schiff is District AttorneyDistrict attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
of New York County. Schiff is a graduate of Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. He is a pragmatic Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
of faintly liberal
Liberalism
Liberalism is the belief in the importance of liberty and equal rights. Liberals espouse a wide array of views depending on their understanding of these principles, but generally, liberals support ideas such as constitutionalism, liberal democracy, free and fair elections, human rights,...
stripe, but regardless of political inclinations, he is never perturbed by his critics nor by uncooperative judge
Judge
A judge is a person who presides over court proceedings, either alone or as part of a panel of judges. The powers, functions, method of appointment, discipline, and training of judges vary widely across different jurisdictions. The judge is supposed to conduct the trial impartially and in an open...
s. Political persuasions sometimes cloud his decisions with regard to certain cases such as the death penalty, however. According to the episode "Aftershock", he wrote a brief protesting the death penalty in 1971. He is also pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
.
While he is often stern and unforgiving in his professional conduct, he has amicable relationships with his assistants. He is closest to Benjamin Stone
Benjamin Stone
Benjamin "Ben" Stone is a fictional character portrayed by Michael Moriarty in the TV drama Law & Order.-Character overview:Stone works in the Manhattan District Attorney's office under Alfred Wentworth and Adam Schiff. It was Schiff with whom he is closest, treating him as a kind of surrogate...
(Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty
Michael Moriarty is an American-Canadian actor of stage and screen, and a jazz musician. He played Benjamin Stone for four seasons on the TV series Law & Order.-Early life:...
), seeing him as a kind of surrogate son, and so is disturbed to see him resign when a witness he is trying to protect is murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
ed. His relationship with Stone's successor, Jack McCoy
Jack McCoy
John James "Jack" McCoy is a fictional character in the television drama Law & Order, created by Michael S. Chernuchin and played by Sam Waterston since 1994. He is the second-longest tenured character on the show, after Lt. Anita Van Buren . On January 28, 2009, McCoy's character ended the longest...
(Sam Waterston
Sam Waterston
Samuel Atkinson "Sam" Waterston is an American actor and occasional producer and director. Among other roles, he is noted for his Academy Award-nominated portrayal of Sydney Schanberg in 1984's The Killing Fields, and his Golden Globe- and Screen Actors Guild Award-winning portrayal of Jack McCoy...
), is more problematic, as McCoy is more ruthless and unconventional, and his habitual bending of trial rules occasionally garners Schiff some bad publicity
Publicity
Publicity is the deliberate attempt to manage the public's perception of a subject. The subjects of publicity include people , goods and services, organizations of all kinds, and works of art or entertainment.From a marketing perspective, publicity is one component of promotion which is one...
. The two eventually grow to like and respect each other, however. Schiff is more critical of the junior assistant DAs, especially Claire Kincaid
Claire Kincaid
Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid is a fictional character on the television series Law & Order, played by Jill Hennessy from 1993 to 1996.-Character overview:...
(Jill Hennessy
Jill Hennessy
Jillian Noel "Jill" Hennessy is a Canadian actress and musician known for her television roles on Law & Order and Crossing Jordan.-Early life:...
), whom he sees as too idealistic to do her job effectively.
He has many friends among New York's elite, including powerful politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
s, judges, and businessmen. Over the show's run, however, many of these friends prove themselves to be either corrupt or hiding dark secrets. For example, one of his closest friends, Judge Edgar Hynes, commits suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
after being caught taking bribes
Bribery
Bribery, a form of corruption, is an act implying money or gift giving that alters the behavior of the recipient. Bribery constitutes a crime and is defined by Black's Law Dictionary as the offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting of any item of value to influence the actions of an official or...
; another, Carl Anderton (Robert Vaughn
Robert Vaughn
Robert Francis Vaughn, , is an American actor noted for stage, film and television work. His best known roles include the suave spy Napoleon Solo in the 1960s television series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., wealthy detective Harry Rule in the 1970s television series The Protectors, Albert Stroller in...
), a high-powered CEO, is discovered to be suffering from bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder
Bipolar disorder or bipolar affective disorder, historically known as manic–depressive disorder, is a psychiatric diagnosis that describes a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated energy levels, cognition, and mood with or without one or...
and attempts to arrange an unjust punishment for his similarly affected grandson to hide his own condition.
Schiff's wife dies of complications from a stroke, after he elects to remove her from a ventilator while she is in a vegetative state
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. Their son, Josh, is mentioned in several episodes, as are Josh's own wife and son, but he never appears onscreen.
Schiff leaves the DA's office to accept a role in coordinating commemorations of the Holocaust Project
The Holocaust History Project
The Holocaust History Project is a non-profit corporation based in San Antonio, Texas. Its website offers a comprehensive archive of documents, recordings, photographs, and essays regarding the Holocaust, Holocaust denial and antisemitism...
. He goes on to work with Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal
Simon Wiesenthal KBE was an Austrian Holocaust survivor who became famous after World War II for his work as a Nazi hunter....
and is replaced by Nora Lewin
Nora Lewin
Nora Lewin was a fictional character on the TV show Law & Order, played by two-time Academy Award winning actress Dianne Wiest from 2000 to 2002. Her character was particularly notable for the fact that she was the first woman in the program's history to hold the position of New York County...
(Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest
Dianne Wiest is an American actress. She has had a successful career on stage, television, and film, and has won two Academy Awards, two Emmy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. Wiest has also been nominated for a BAFTA Award.-Early life:...
).
During the 19th season, Schiff is mentioned to be in Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe is a landlocked country located in the southern part of the African continent, between the Zambezi and Limpopo rivers. It is bordered by South Africa to the south, Botswana to the southwest, Zambia and a tip of Namibia to the northwest and Mozambique to the east. Zimbabwe has three...
with former President Jimmy Carter
Jimmy Carter
James Earl "Jimmy" Carter, Jr. is an American politician who served as the 39th President of the United States and was the recipient of the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, the only U.S. President to have received the Prize after leaving office...
.
The character of Adam Schiff may be based upon long-serving New York County District Attorney
New York County District Attorney
The New York County District Attorney is the elected district attorney for New York County , New York. The office is responsible for the prosecution of violations of New York state laws....
Robert Morgenthau.
He enjoys surprises at parties.