"PROTECT & SERVE" a list of our favorite cops & crime fighters

1. Jerry Orbach

Jerry Orbach was born in the Bronx, New York, the only child of Leon Orbach, a former vaudevillian actor, was a German Jewish immigrant, who was born in Hamburg, Germany, and Emily (nee Olexy), a radio singer, was born in Pennsylvania to immigrant Polish-Lithuanian Roman Catholic parents, Alexander...

Det. Lenny Brisco

2. Robert Urich

Actor | Lonesome Dove

Robert Urich grew up in Toronto, Ohio, one of four siblings of Slovak and Rusyn descent, raised Catholic by their parents, John P. Urich (died 1977) and Cecelia (née Halpate) Urich (died 2002). His athletic ability led to a four-year football scholarship at Florida State University (FSU). He earned...

Spencer for hire

3. Dennis Franz

Actor | NYPD Blue

Dennis Franz was born Dennis Franz Schlacta in Maywood, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago, and is the son of Eleanor (Mueller) and Franz Ferdinand Schlachta, who were postal workers. He has two sisters, Marlene (born 1938) and Heidi (born 1935). He graduated from Southern Illinois University and was ...

Det.sipowicz

4. David Caruso

Actor | First Blood

His low-keyed intensity, deep-voiced somberness, pale skin, puffy-eyed baby face and crop of carrot-red hair are all obvious and intriguing trademarks of TV star David Caruso. A hugely popular item in the 1990s as a result of a smash crime series, he got way too caught up in all the hoopla ...

Lt. Caine

5. Robert Blake

Actor | Lost Highway

American actor who began as a child in Our Gang comedies and reappeared as a powerful adult performer of leading and character roles. Born in New Jersey, the young Mickey Gubitosi won a role in MGM's Our Gang series at the age of 5. As one of the more prominent children in the Gang, he gained ...

Barretta

6. William Conrad

Actor | Cannon

William Conrad became a television star relatively late in his career. In fact, the former Army Air Corps World War II fighter pilot began his screen career playing heavies. He was Max, one of The Killers (1946) hired to finish off Burt Lancaster in his dingy lodgings. He was the corrupt state ...

Cannon

7. Chris Noth

Actor | Sex and the City

Two-time Golden Globe nominee and SAG Award nominated actor Chris Noth stars on Season 3 FX's critically acclaimed drama Tyrant (2014) and has two independent films coming out this year.

On Tyrant (2014), Noth enters the show in its third season premiering in July, starring as Gen. William Cogswell,...

Det. Mike loggan

8. Mariska Hargitay

Actress | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Mariska (Ma-rish-ka) Magdolna Hargitay was born on January 23, 1964, in Santa Monica, California. Her parents are Mickey Hargitay and Jayne Mansfield. She is the youngest of their three children. In June 1967, Mariska and her brothers Zoltan and Mickey Jr. were in the back seat of a car when it was...

Det. Oliva benson

9. Richard Belzer

Actor | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

A social misfit, was kicked out of every school he ever attended, due to his uncontrollable wit. His mother (Frances) died of breast cancer when Richard was 18. His father (Charles) committed suicide when he was 22. A dedication is written to him in Richard Belzer's "UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: ...

Sgt. Munch

10. Jimmy Smits

Actor | Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith

Jimmy L. Smits is an American actor. He is best known for playing attorney Victor Sifuentes on the 1980s-1990s legal drama L.A. Law, NYPD Detective Bobby Simone on the 1990s-2000s police drama NYPD Blue, Matt Santos on the political drama The West Wing, and for appearing in Switch (1991), My Family...

Sgt. Bobby simone

11. Vincent D'Onofrio

Actor | Men in Black

Vincent Phillip D'Onofrio was born on June 30, 1959 in Brooklyn, New York, to Phyllis, a restaurant manager and server, and Gene D'Onofrio, a theatre production assistant and interior designer. He is of Italian descent and has two older sisters. He studied at the Actors Studio and the American ...

Det. Robert goren

12. Telly Savalas

Actor | Kojak

Of Greek descent on both sides, the son of immigrants, Savalas was a soldier during World War II, although most of his enlistment records were destroyed in a fire at the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1973. He later studied psychology at Columbia University under the ...

Kojak

13. Jack Webb

Writer | Dragnet

John Randolph Webb was born in Santa Monica, California, to Margaret (Smith) and Samuel Chester Webb. His father left home before he was born; Webb would never know him. He was raised by his mother and maternal grandmother in dire poverty that preceded the Depression. Making things worse, Webb ...

Sgt. Joe friday

14. Kent McCord

Actor | Predator 2

The son of Bert and Laura McWhirter, Kent Franklin McWhirter was born in Los Angeles on September 26, 1942. Planning to become a physical education instructor and football coach, he transferred from Citrus Junior College to the University of Southern California in 1961. There he met Ricky Nelson ...

Officer jim reed

15. Kim Delaney

Actress | NYPD Blue

Kim Delaney was born on November 29, 1958, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and was raised in Roxborough. She is the daughter of Joan and Jack Delaney, who retired from Delphi Automotive, where he served as a committeeman for the United Auto Workers. She has four brothers: Ed Delaney and John Delaney...

Det. Diane Russell

16. Angie Dickinson

Actress | Rio Bravo

Angie Dickinson was born in Kulm, North Dakota, in 1931, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. L. H. Brown. Mr. Brown was the publisher of The Kulm Messenger. The family left North Dakota in 1942 when Angie was 11 years old, moving to Burbank, California. In December of 1946, when she was a senior at ...

Sgt. Susane "pepper" Anderson

17. Robert Stack

Actor | Written on the Wind

"Straight Shooting" -- whether skeet shooting, or portraying Eliot Ness -- Robert Stack always told it like it was, and shot straight. Born in Los Angeles, California, the younger son of James Langford Stack (1860-1928), the owner of an advertising agency, and Mary Elizabeth Modini Wood (1891-1975)...

18. John Walsh

Actor | Wrongfully Accused

John Walsh was born on December 26, 1945 in Auburn, New York, USA. He is a producer and actor, known for Wrongfully Accused (1998), America's Most Wanted: America Fights Back (1988) and The Fugitive (2000). He has been married to Revé Walsh since July 10, 1971. They have four children.

Americas most wanted

19. Richard Roundtree

Actor | Shaft

Richard Roundtree shot to fame as the ultra-hip, flamboyantly-dressed -- not to mention charismatic-- private eye John Shaft. The film Shaft (1971) spawned a genre, two sequels and a series. It made Roundtree a household name, and, for a while, one of the hottest box-office stars in Hollywood. As ...

Orignal "Shaft"

20. Samuel L. Jackson

Actor | Pulp Fiction

Samuel L. Jackson is an American producer and highly prolific actor, having appeared in over 100 films, including Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995), Unbreakable (2000), Shaft (2000), Formula 51 (2001), Black Snake Moan (2006), Snakes on a Plane (2006), and the Star Wars prequel trilogy (1999-2005), ...

Shaft 2000

21. S. Epatha Merkerson

Actress | Law & Order

A native of Michigan, S. Epatha Merkerson earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Wayne State University. In 1978, she moved to New York City to apply her craft on stage. Although best known since 1993 as the smart and shrewd Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the long-running TV crime drama Law &...

Lt. Anita van buren

22. Kelli Giddish

Actress | Chase

Kelli Giddish is an American actress from Cumming, Georgia. She is primarily known for starring roles in crime-drama television series. She portrayed the protagonist Dr. Kate McGinn in the short-lived series "Past Life" (2010). and had the leading role of Deputy Marshal Annie Nolan Frost in "Chase"...

Anne frost

23. Karl Malden

Actor | A Streetcar Named Desire

Born to a Czech mother and a Serbian father in Chicago as Mladen Sekulovich, on March 22, 1912, Karl Malden did not speak English until he was in kindergarten. After graduating from high school in the nearby steel town of Gary, Indiana, Malden worked in the industry for three years until 1934, when...

Lt. Mike stone

24. Peter Falk

Actor | Columbo

Peter Michael Falk was born on September 16, 1927, in New York City, New York. At the age of 3, his right eye was surgically removed due to cancer. He graduated from Ossining High School, where he was president of his class. His early career choices involved becoming a certified public accountant, ...

Lt. Columbo

25. Christopher Meloni

Actor | Man of Steel

Blessed with a piercing, blue-eyed glint, brawny looks, cocky "tough guy" stance and effortless charisma, TV's Christopher Meloni has grabbed audiences' attention, male and female alike, finding breakthrough small screen stardom playing both sides of the law. Audiences first were taken in by his ...

Det. Eloit stabler

26. Ice-T

Actor | New Jack City

The legendary gangsta hip-hop emcee Ice-T was born Tracy Marrow on February 16, 1958, in Newark, New Jersey. He moved to Los Angeles, California, to live with his paternal aunt after the death of his father while he was in the sixth grade; his mother had died earlier when he was in the third grade....

Det. Odafin "fin" tutuola

27. Raymond Burr

Actor | Rear Window

Born Raymond William Stacy Burr on 21 May 1917 in New Westminster, British Columbia, Burr spent most of his early life traveling. As a youngster, his father moved his family to China, where the elder Burr worked as a trade agent. When the family returned to Canada, Raymond's parents separated. He ...

Robert t ironside

28. Harry Morgan

Actor | M*A*S*H

Harry Morgan was a prolific character actor who starred in over 100 films and was a stage performer. Known to a younger generation of fans as "Col. Sherman T. Potter" on M*A*S*H (1972). Also known for his commanding personality throughout his career, he tackled movies and television in a way no ...

Officer bill gannon

29. David Soul

Actor | Starsky & Hutch

David Soul achieved pop icon status as handsome, blond-haired, blue-eyed Detective Kenneth Hutchinson on the cult "buddy cop" TV series Starsky and Hutch (1975), Soul also had a very successful singing career recording several albums, with worldwide number one hit singles including "Silver Lady" & ...

Det. Ken "hutch" hutchingson

30. Steve Forrest

Actor | Mommie Dearest

A ruggedly handsome action man of the 1960s and '70s, Steve Forrest was born William Forrest Andrews in Huntsville, Texas, the youngest of thirteen children of Annis (Speed) and Charles Forrest Andrews, a Baptist minister. His brother was actor Dana Andrews. Forrest began his screen career as a ...

Lt.dan "hondo" harrelson

31. Dann Florek

Actor | Hard Rain

Born (May 1, 1950) and raised in Flat Rock, Michigan, the son of a chiropractor, bald-domed, serious-looking Dann Harvey Florek majored in math and physics at Eastern Michigan University. A drama scholarship, however, changed his destiny and he left the college before graduating. He moved to New ...

Capt. Don kreggen

32. Paul Michael Glaser

Actor | Starsky and Hutch

Paul Michael Glaser (born Paul Manfred Glaser March 25, 1943) is an American actor and director best known for his role as Detective Dave Starsky on the 1970s television series, Starsky & Hutch. In between his work writing and directing, Glaser also played Captain Jack Steeper on the NBC series ...

Starskey

33. Martin Milner

Actor | Sweet Smell of Success

Martin Sam Milner was born December 28, 1931 in Detroit, Michigan. His mother, Jerre Martin, originally from Oregon, was a dancer with the Paramount Theater circuit. His father, Sam Gordon Milner, a Polish Jewish immigrant, was a film distributor. The Milners moved to Seattle when Martin was a baby...

Pete melloy

34. Larry Wilcox

Actor | CHiPs

Larry Wilcox grew up in Rawlins, Wyoming, with three siblings and raised by a single parent - his mother. He graduated and then went to the University of Wyoming and studied pre-med and then transferred to Cal State University Northridge in Southern California. His sister was tragically murdered by...

John baker

35. Robert Pine

Actor | Lakeview Terrace

Robert Pine is an American actor who is best known as Sgt. Joseph Getraer on the television series CHiPs (1977-1983). Including CHiPs, Pine has appeared in over 400 episodes of television. Pine was born in New York City on July 10, 1941, the son of Virginia (née Whitelaw) and Granville Martin Pine,...

Sgt.joe getraer

36. Stacy Keach

Actor | Escape from L.A.

Stacy Keach has played to grand success a constellation of the classic and contemporary stage's greatest roles, and he is considered a pre-eminent American interpreter of Shakespeare. His SRO run as "King Lear" at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. received the best reviews any ...

Mike hammer

37. Sharon Gless

Actress | Burn Notice

Few actresses have the distinction of being recognized and revered worldwide for multiple iconic roles in groundbreaking television shows. Sharon Gless is one of them.

Generations of TV viewers know and love the remarkable characters brought to life by this standout multi Emmy and Golden Globe ...

Sgt.christine cagney

38. Tyne Daly

Actress | Judging Amy

Tyne Daly was born on February 21, 1946 in Madison, Wisconsin, USA. She is an actress and writer, known for Judging Amy (1999), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017) and Cagney & Lacey (1981). She was previously married to Georg Stanford Brown.

Det.lacey

39. Kathryn Erbe

Actress | Stir of Echoes

Kathryn Erbe was born on July 5, 1965 in Newton, Massachusetts, USA. She is an actress, known for Stir of Echoes (1999), Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001) and What About Bob? (1991). She was previously married to Terry Kinney.

Det. Alex eames

40. Paul Sorvino

Actor | Repo! The Genetic Opera

Tall, dark and imposing American actor Paul Sorvino made a solid career of portraying authority figures.

He was born in Brooklyn, New York City. His mother, Angela (Renzi), was a piano teacher, of Italian descent. His father, Ford Sorvino, was an Italian immigrant who worked in a robe factory as a ...

Sgt. Phil cerreta

41. Erik Estrada

Actor | CHiPs

Erik Estrada was born on March 16, 1949 in New York City, New York, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for CHiPs (1977), Loaded Weapon 1 (1993) and National Lampoon's Van Wilder (2002). He has been married to Nanette Mirkovich since September 20, 1997. They have one child. He was previously ...

Det. Ponch

42. Taurean Blacque

Actor | DeepStar Six

Although best known for his role as "Detective Sgt. Neal Washington" on the long-running and critically acclaimed police drama Hill Street Blues (1981), Taurean Blacque was one of the best stage actors of his time. A long-time resident of Atlanta, Georgia, he performed in several productions at the...

Det. Neal washington

43. Michael Douglas

Actor | Wall Street

A legendary actor with 50 celebrated years of film, television and producing experience, Michael Douglas is known for his era-defining roles and enduring cultural impact.

In addition to his career accomplishments, Douglas has remained a steadfast public servant, activist and philanthropist dedicated...

Inspector steve keller

44. Benjamin Bratt

Actor | Miss Congeniality

The middle of five children, Bratt hails from a close-knit family. His mother, an indigenous Quechua Peruvian from Lima, moved to the U.S. at age 14. He grew up in San Francisco. He is known for his roles in the films Traffic (2000), Miss Congeniality (2000), and Despicable Me 2 (2013). He is ...

Det. Curtus

45. David Birney

Actor | Someone's Watching Me!

David began his career with the repertory companies at the Barter Theatre in Virginia America and the Hartford Stage Company followed by his New York debut as one of the twins in A Comedy of Errors in Joseph Papps Shakespeare Festival. In 1968 he played the lead in Summertree at New York's: Lincoln...

Serpico

46. Joe Spano

Actor | Apollo 13

Boyish-looking actor Joe Spano, best known for his sympathetic detective role on the grim 1980's police series Hill Street Blues (1981), was born Joseph Peter Spano on July 7, 1946, in San Francisco, the son of a doctor. A Bishop Riordan High School and University of California-Berkeley graduate, ...

Det. Henrey goldblume

47. Jeff Goldblum

Actor | Jurassic Park

Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum was born October 22, 1952 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, one of four children of Shirley (Temeles), a radio broadcaster who also ran an appliances firm, and Harold L. Goldblum, a doctor. His father was of Russian Jewish descent and his mother was of Austrian Jewish ancestry.

...

Det. Zack nickels

48. Mark Harmon

Actor | NCIS: Naval Criminal Investigative Service

Thomas Mark Harmon was born on September 2, 1951, in Burbank, California, to football player and broadcaster Tom Harmon and actress and artist Elyse Knox (née Kornbrath). Harmon played college football and found success as one of TV's hunkiest actors. While many of his roles have relied on good ...

Special agient gibbs