Claire Kincaid
Encyclopedia
Assistant District Attorney Claire Kincaid is a fictional character
on the television series Law & Order
, played by Jill Hennessy
from 1993 to 1996.
office. She is portrayed as an idealistic, outspoken feminist
and agnostic
who becomes increasingly disillusioned with her job. She is vocally pro-choice
, opposes the death penalty, and has ambivalent feelings towards drug prohibition; these political views often come into conflict with the realities of the legal system. She graduated from Harvard Law School
. In "Aftershock", it is revealed that her stepfather Mac Geller, played by Len Cariou
, had been one of her professors.
(Michael Moriarty
). During the prosecution of a rape
case, he threatens to fire her after she fails to share key information she learned in interviewing a witness, which subsequently comes out in trial, jeopardizing the case. Stone eventually relents and refuses to accept her resignation, relating to her because of a key mistake he made early in his career. In another case, Kincaid temporarily resigns after it is revealed she and a judge that the DA's office is prosecuting were once lovers, possible jeopardizing the case against him.
After Stone resigns from the DA's office, she is paired with Jack McCoy
(Sam Waterston
), the new Executive ADA. In the two seasons they appear in together, she and the brash, competitive McCoy often butt heads over the social and political implications of their trial
strategies, as well as McCoy's penchant for going to legal extremes to get a conviction. The two eventually form a close bond and McCoy is deeply upset by her death.
In the episode "Aftershock", Kincaid is killed just as she is considering leaving the DA's office; her car is struck by a drunk driver as she takes an inebriated Lennie Briscoe
(Jerry Orbach
) home from a bar. McCoy is haunted by her death, as evidenced by his intense, legally questionable efforts to prosecute a drunk driver and his indignation at being questioned about the circumstances of her death. Following her death, Briscoe re-enters Alcoholics Anonymous
and remains sober
for the rest of his life; it is implied that he feels his drinking was responsible for her death.
In one episode of Season 6, Corpus Delicti, Kincaid was played by Jill Hennessy's identical twin sister, Jacqueline Hennessy
. This was because Jill was filming in Baltimore for the crossover episode of Homicide: Life on the Street
which was broadcast a few weeks later. Jacqueline Hennessy's performance was uncredited.
Jamie Ross (Carey Lowell
) replaced Kincaid as McCoy's assistant.
and leaving the DA's office for private practice after the events of "Aftershock". This was eventually changed to Kincaid's death, much to the surprise of Hennessy, who rejects claims she refused to come back for a follow-up episode: "I made it clear I wanted to come back. I found out they killed me off from a friend who watched the show and told me, 'Jill, they said you were dead!' I was surprised, because I always thought I would return. Even now, I'd love to come back for some bizarre flashbacks."
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 television 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,...
, played by 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:...
from 1993 to 1996.
Character overview
Kincaid is introduced in the episode "Sweeps" as an Assistant District Attorney in the Manhattan DA'sNew 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....
office. She is portrayed as an idealistic, outspoken feminist
Feminism
Feminism is a collection of movements aimed at defining, establishing, and defending equal political, economic, and social rights and equal opportunities for women. Its concepts overlap with those of women's rights...
and agnostic
Agnosticism
Agnosticism is the view that the truth value of certain claims—especially claims about the existence or non-existence of any deity, but also other religious and metaphysical claims—is unknown or unknowable....
who becomes increasingly disillusioned with her job. She is vocally 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....
, opposes the death penalty, and has ambivalent feelings towards drug prohibition; these political views often come into conflict with the realities of the legal system. She graduated from Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School
Harvard Law School is one of the professional graduate schools of Harvard University. Located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, it is the oldest continually-operating law school in the United States and is home to the largest academic law library in the world. The school is routinely ranked by the U.S...
. In "Aftershock", it is revealed that her stepfather Mac Geller, played by Len Cariou
Len Cariou
Leonard Joseph “Len” Cariou is a Canadian actor, best known for his portrayal of Sweeney Todd in the original cast of Sweeney Todd, the Demon Barber of Fleet Street...
, had been one of her professors.
Notable episodes
During her first season on the show, she is paired with Executive ADA Ben StoneBenjamin 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:...
). During the prosecution of a rape
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
case, he threatens to fire her after she fails to share key information she learned in interviewing a witness, which subsequently comes out in trial, jeopardizing the case. Stone eventually relents and refuses to accept her resignation, relating to her because of a key mistake he made early in his career. In another case, Kincaid temporarily resigns after it is revealed she and a judge that the DA's office is prosecuting were once lovers, possible jeopardizing the case against him.
After Stone resigns from the DA's office, she is paired with 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...
), the new Executive ADA. In the two seasons they appear in together, she and the brash, competitive McCoy often butt heads over the social and political implications of their trial
Trial (law)
In law, a trial is when parties to a dispute come together to present information in a tribunal, a formal setting with the authority to adjudicate claims or disputes. One form of tribunal is a court...
strategies, as well as McCoy's penchant for going to legal extremes to get a conviction. The two eventually form a close bond and McCoy is deeply upset by her death.
In the episode "Aftershock", Kincaid is killed just as she is considering leaving the DA's office; her car is struck by a drunk driver as she takes an inebriated Lennie Briscoe
Lennie Briscoe
Leonard W. "Lennie" Briscoe is a fictional character on NBC's long running police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order. He was featured on the show for 12 seasons, from 1992 to 2004. He was created by Walon Green and René Balcer, and was portrayed by Jerry Orbach...
(Jerry Orbach
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
) home from a bar. McCoy is haunted by her death, as evidenced by his intense, legally questionable efforts to prosecute a drunk driver and his indignation at being questioned about the circumstances of her death. Following her death, Briscoe re-enters Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous
Alcoholics Anonymous is an international mutual aid movement which says its "primary purpose is to stay sober and help other alcoholics achieve sobriety." Now claiming more than 2 million members, AA was founded in 1935 by Bill Wilson and Dr. Bob Smith in Akron, Ohio...
and remains sober
Sobriety
Sobriety is the condition of not having any measurable levels, or effects from, alcohol or other drugs that alter ones mood or behaviors. According to WHO "Lexicon of alcohol and drug terms..." sobriety is continued abstinence from alcohol and psychoactive drug use...
for the rest of his life; it is implied that he feels his drinking was responsible for her death.
In one episode of Season 6, Corpus Delicti, Kincaid was played by Jill Hennessy's identical twin sister, Jacqueline Hennessy
Jacqueline Hennessy
Jacqueline Hennessy is a Canadian journalist, television host, and occasional actress. She is the identical twin sister of actress Jill Hennessy. Hennessy is of Irish, Italian, Swedish, French, and Ukrainian descent...
. This was because Jill was filming in Baltimore for the crossover episode of Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
which was broadcast a few weeks later. Jacqueline Hennessy's performance was uncredited.
Jamie Ross (Carey Lowell
Carey Lowell
Carey Lowell is an American actress and former model.-Early life:Lowell was born in Huntington, New York and spent much of her childhood traveling with her father, James Lowell, who was a geologist. Immediately after graduating from Bear Creek High School in Lakewood, CO., she was signed by the...
) replaced Kincaid as McCoy's assistant.
Behind the scenes
The Kincaid character was written out after Hennessy expressed concern about being typecast as an "uptight lawyer". Kincaid was originally intended to be portrayed as paralyzedParalysis
Paralysis is loss of muscle function for one or more muscles. Paralysis can be accompanied by a loss of feeling in the affected area if there is sensory damage as well as motor. A study conducted by the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, suggests that about 1 in 50 people have been diagnosed...
and leaving the DA's office for private practice after the events of "Aftershock". This was eventually changed to Kincaid's death, much to the surprise of Hennessy, who rejects claims she refused to come back for a follow-up episode: "I made it clear I wanted to come back. I found out they killed me off from a friend who watched the show and told me, 'Jill, they said you were dead!' I was surprised, because I always thought I would return. Even now, I'd love to come back for some bizarre flashbacks."