Jerry Orbach, star of stage, film and TV, has died of prostate cancer at the age of 69, WINS-AM, New York, reported Wednesday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Best known for his lead role in television's "Law & Order," Orbach was born Oct. 20, 1935, in the Bronx and grew up in Waukegan, Ill., north of Chicago. He honed his acting skills at Northwestern University in Evanston and worked in summer stock around Chicago.

He quit school before his senior year and went to New York, where he eventually got into the theater and in 1959, created the role of El Gallo in "The Fantastiks," which still holds the record for the longest off-Broadway show in history. He made his Broadway debut in 1961 in "Carnival!"

Orbach won his first Tony Award in 1969, for Best Actor in a Musical for his role of Chuck Baxter in "Promises, Promises."

He went on the small screen and landed his first film role in Sidney Lumet's "Prince of the City" in 1981. Playing the father in the smash hit "Dirty Dancing," introduced Orbach to a whole new generation.

He made his first appearance on "Law & Order" in 1990 and landed the starring role of Detective Lennie Briscoe in 1992.

Orbach had two sons with his first wife, Marta Curro, and the couple divorced in 1975. He is survived by his sons and his second wife, Elaine Concilla, who he married in 1979.