Why You Recognize Law & Order Guest Star Natalie Gold, Who Played a Defense Attorney

Besides her role on Succession and recent guest star spot on Law & Order, Gold has also appeared in popular series including The Leftovers, where she was seen in five episodes from 2014 through 2017 and is credited as "Sam's mother." And more recently, she had a 12-episode arc as Lyla, a doctor, on The Walking Dead: World Beyond from 2020 to 2021.

In addition, Gold has appeared in shows like Sneaky Pete, New Amsterdam, Wu-Tang: An American Saga, BrainDead, and American Horror Stories. 

Early on in her career, Gold played an unnamed divorced woman in the 2004 thriller film Noise, according to her profile on IMDB. From there, she went on to appear in a 2005 episode of Without a Trace, four episodes of Guiding Light, The Good Wife, and The Americans ​​​before landing the role of Clara in the Oscar-winning movie Birdman.

Gold also played Katherine Sims in the short-lived political satire series Alpha House, which ran for two seasons, from 2013 to 2014.

And the actress isn't new to the Law & Order universe. She previously played Megan Wallace — the same attorney she's portraying in Season 24's "A Perfect Family" episode — in a 2023 episode of Law & Order. And she also appeared on the show in a 2006 episode as a character named Alex. Gold has also had several different roles on sister show Law & Order Criminal Intent, between 2003 and 2011.

But Gold's probably best known for her turn as Rava Roy on Succession, a woman trying to distance herself from the ruthless Roy family but still feeling a pull toward her one-time love, Kendall. The critically-acclaimed series wrapped in 2023.

On her latest stint on Law & Order, Gold reprised her role as Megan Wallace. This time around, the defense attorney was representing Derek Chapman (Brett Zimmerman), a man who went on trial for second-degree manslaughter in the death of his 12-year-old daughter Emily.

Emily was thrown over an overpass by her mother, Melinda Chapman (Allison Miller), but the mom of three was suffering from postpartum psychosis at the time and was hearing voices telling her that Emily was planning to kill her youngest daughter. Derek knew his wife was having these issues, but refused to let her get help or take medication. 

Prosecutors Nolan Price (Hugh Dancy) and Samantha Maroun (Odelya Halevi) argued in court that Derek was responsible for his daughter’s death as a result of his actions, but Wallace ended up with the courtroom win after Price couldn't bring himself to interrogate the couple’s 10-year-old daughter Amanda (Delaney Quinn) on the stand, fearing the psychological damage it could do to the young girl.