Who Played Ben Stone on Law & Order and Where Is He Now?
Here's everything to know about the actor who played the iconic Executive Assistant DA Ben Stone.
For four years, Law & Order fans were transfixed by Executive Assistant DA Ben Stone. The character was pivotal in many of the landmark series' initial storylines, appearing in a total of 88 episodes, beginning with the Season 1 episode "Prescription for Death" and continuing through the Season 4 finale, "Old Friends."
Stone was a no-nonsense attorney who always demanded perfection from his colleagues to bring criminals to justice — but who was the actor who brought the character to life?
Read on to find out.
Which actor played Ben Stone on Law & Order?
Ben Stone was portrayed by Emmy-winning actor Michael Moriarty.
Moriarty earned his Emmy thanks to his performance in NBC's 1978 miniseries Holocaust, and his stellar acting chops were on full display in every Law & Order scene he appeared in. His delivery and cadence made him an early fan favorite, as evidenced by performances like this one from Season 4's "Discord":
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In a 2015 interview with Money Into Light, Moriarty spoke about the joy of playing such an iconic character.
"I've never been more certain of a character," he explained. "With that certainty, some days were the best in my professional life. I'd never had a role so tightly tailored to myself and it only became closer, more credible, and more realistic as we went."
When asked what his favorite episodes are that he was involved in, Moriarty couldn't choose just one.
"There were too many of them, particularly as the years went on," he revealed. "Once, Dick Wolf told me that I had become 'the conscience of the show.' I was more than just an actor. I was a silent force on the entire show's direction."
However, there was one downside to working on Law & Order for four seasons: It got a little cold on set from time to time! When asked about his least favorite memory, Moriarty got right to the point.
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"Shooting outdoors on the Manhattan piers in the winter," he said. "If felt like Chicago on Lake Shore Drive in January.
Michael Moriarty: what he's doing now
After leaving Law & Order in 1994, Moriarty moved to Canada, where he continued to act. His last project was an independent 2023 film called Of Things Past, starring opposite Tara Reid.
The star recently celebrated his 84th birthday on April 5, 2025.
