‘Law & Order: SVU’ Actor Ned Eisenberg Dies At 65 After ‘Private’ Cancer Battle

“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” star Ned Eisenberg quietly passed away in his New York home Sunday. The actor was 65.

Eisenberg’s death was first announced by his agent Jeremy Leiner of Nicolosi & Co. His wife, Patricia Dunnock, then confirmed the news in a statement to The Hollywood Reporter.

“As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma [bile duct cancer] and ocular melanoma [eye cancer]. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family,” Dunnock said.

Aside from his wife, the actor is also survived by his son, Lino Eisenberg, according to TMZ.

Eisenberg had a long-running stint on NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU,” portraying the recurring defense attorney Roger Kressler.

His most recent work was playing Detective Hauser in the HBO series “Mare of Easttown” alongside Kate Winslet.

Born in the Bronx, Eisenberg studied acting at Fiorella H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, according to the New York Post.

Before venturing into movies and TV shows, Eisenberg focused his attention on theater. He took part in Neil Simon’s “Brighton Beach Memoirs” after attending school.

He went on to play lead roles at different theaters, including the New York City Center, The Vineyard and Ensemble Studio Theater. His love for theater prompted him to co-found New York’s Naked Angels Theater Company in 1987, according to Variety.

Eisenberg started his film and TV career in the early 1980s, making his big-screen debut in the 1980 film “The Exterminator.” He went on to star in several films, including “The Burning,” “Moving Violations,” “Air America,” “Primary Colors” and “A Civil Action,” which came out in 1998.

In the 2000s, Eisenberg continued to thrive in the movie industry with his participation in several projects, including “World Trade Center,” “Limitless,” “Won’t Back Down,” “Experimenter” and “Asher.”

When he was not busy filming movies, Eisenberg worked on several TV shows. He starred in the 1990-91 NBC comedy “The Fanelli Boys,” alongside Christopher Meloni and Joe Pantoliano.

He played defense lawyer James Granick on “Law & Order” from 1997 to 2009. Somewhere along the line, he got cast to portray a different character for the show’s spinoff, “Law & Order: SVU,” from 1999 to 2019.

Eisenberg made notable Broadway appearances in the 2014 musical “Rocky” and the 2017 revival of “Six Degrees of Separation,” according to Deadline.