‘Law & Order: SVU’: 10 Celebs You Forgot Guest-Starred

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit has been running strong since 1999, and a ton of famous faces have popped up along the way.

While larger stars have popped up for larger arcs, like Brooke Shields in season 19, many stars make one-off appearances in before their careers take off.

From Oscar winners to sitcom favorites, SVU has served as a small stepping stone on many actors journey’s to success.

Scroll through to see 10 celebrities who stopped have stopped by Law & Order: SVU over the years.

Bradley Cooper

Bradley Cooper has quickly worked his way up to being one of Hollywood top actors with roles in The Hangover, Guardians of the Galaxy, and American Sniper.

Before all those box-office hits, he guest-starred as defense attorney Jason Whitaker on the season 6 episode “Night” in 2005. He also reprised the role in the companion episode of Law & Order: Trial By Jury, entitled “Day.”

Elizabeth Banks

Despite already landing a role in the cult classic Wet Hot American Summer, Elizabeth Banks’ career was at its peak when she guest starred in the season 3 episode “Sacrifice.”

In the episode, which aired in 2001, Banks appears as Jaina Jansen, a pornographic actress accused of murder.

Since that appearance, Banks has appeared in countless high profile projects, including The Hunger Games, Pitch Perfect, 30 Rock, Modern Family, Scrubs and The LEGO Movie.

Milo Ventimiglia

Milo Ventimiglia is one of the biggest names in TV today, thanks to his role as Jack Pearson on This Is Us and past roles on Gilmore Girls and Heroes.

However, it was still in the early stages of his career when he appeared in the Season 5 episode “Escape” back in 2003. He played Lee Healy, the stepson of a convicted sex offender.

Norman Reedus

Norman Reedus is a giant in the genre world thanks to his role as Daryl Dixon on AMC’s The Walking Dead.

But back in 2006, he had a one-off role on a 2006 episode of SVU.

He played Derek Lord, a rockstar and vocal critic of psychotherapy treatment, on the season 7 episode, “Influence.”

 

Lauren Cohan

Another Walking Dead star who appeared on SVU is Lauren Cohan.

Besides portraying Maggie Green on TWD, she also scored an SVU guest role as Avery Jordan, a sports reporter who was raped and impregnated. Her appearance can be seen on the season 14 episode “Legitimate Rape,” which aired in 2013.

Kathy Griffin

Controversial comedian Kathy Griffin also popped up on SVU back in 2010.

She portrayed a lesbian rights activist named Babs Duffy who is a vocal critic of how the SVU handles a murder a case. Her appearance can be seen on the season 11 episode “P.C.”

John Stamos

Beloved Full House star John Stamos been a steady face on TVs over the last decade with roles in E.R., Glee, Scream Queens, Grandfathered and Fuller House. Despite all those projects, he still found time to appear on SVU for a one-off role in 2011.

Stamos’ appearance, which was on the season 12 episode “Bang,” was one of the show’s most unexpected castings.

He played attorney Ken Turner, a serial reproductive abuser who impregnated dozens of women.

 

Sarah Hyland

Modern Family actress Sarah Hyland loved her time on SVU so much that she came back for a second time.

Back in 2001, Hyland appeared as Lily Ramsey, the daughter of a rape suspect, in the season 3 episode, “Repression.”

She then came back in 2009 for the season 10 episode “Hothouse.” She portrays a boarding school student named Jennifer Banks who is suspected of murdering her roommate.

Miranda Lambert

Country stars have also appeared on SVU, with the most notable one being Miranda Lambert.

The “Tin Man” singer appeared as Lacey Ford in the season 13 episode “Father’s Shadow,” which aired in 2012.

Her character was the rape victim of a reality TV producer, and she hesitates to report the crime and hurt her chances of getting a spot on his show.

Mahershala Ali

Mahershala Ali has quickly become of this generation’s most acclaimed talents, with roles in House of Cards, Luke Cage and Moonlight, which won him the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Before those career highs, he appeared on a 2009 episode of SVU. He portrayed a serial rapist named Mark Foster whose crimes had been falsely attributed to the wrong man.

His appearance can be seen in the season 11 episode “Unstable.”

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on NBC. All past episodes of the show are available to stream on Hulu. Season 15-18 are available to stream on Netflix.

Photo Credit: NBC / Peter Kramer