Donald Cragen
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| Law & Order character | |
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| Capt. Don Cragen | |
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| Time on show | 1990-1993 (L&O) 1999-Present (SVU) |
| Preceded by | None (L&O) None (SVU) |
| Succeeded by | Anita Van Buren (L&O) N/A (SVU) |
| First appearance | Everybody's Favorite Bagman (L&O) Payback(SVU) |
| Last appearance | Benevolence (L&O) N/A (SVU) |
| Portrayed by | Dann Florek |
Capt. Don Cragen is a fictional character in the TV drama Law & Order and its spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Dann Florek.
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[edit] Character appearances
Florek originally portrayed the character from 1990 to 1993 in the original Law & Order. He went on to reprise his role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from its premiere in 1999 to the present. Besides Mike Logan (played by Chris Noth) Cragen is the only original character of Law & Order to still star in the franchise.
[edit] In Law & Order
After fighting in Vietnam, Cragen began his career as a homicide detective in the 1960s with partner Max Greevey (George Dzundza), gradually rising up through the ranks to police captain. As revealed in the (L&O: "Prescription for Death"), Cragen was an alcoholic for much of his early career, but goes sober after pulling a gun on a taxi driver in a drunken rage when he was still a detective. He does not touch another drop, even in 2000 when he brought a bottle of an unidentified liquid to share with Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), following the death of his wife, Marge, a flight attendant. While he tries for the most part to downplay his ongoing recovery, he occasionally opens up about its role in his life; in the (SVU: "Slaves"), for example, he admits to a police psychiatrist that he is daily tempted to relapse in order to escape the horrors he sees every day in his job. It is revealed during the series that Cragen and his wife never had children, but no reason for this is ever given.
In the 1991 (L&O: "The Blue Wall"), Cragen is investigated by internal affairs for corruption; during the investigation to prove his innocence, he discovers that he is being framed by his former captain and mentor, whom he turns in. He has maintained bitter relations with the police bureaucracy ever since. The same year, in the episode (L&O: "Confession"), his former partner and longtime friend Max Greevey is murdered. Cragen was removed from the series following the episode (L&O: "Benevolence") for an unknown reason; it was later explained that he had transferred out of the department. He was replaced by Anita Van Buren (S. Epatha Merkerson).
[edit] Outside Law & Order
He goes on to head the Anti-Corruption Task Force. As portrayed in the 1998 TV movie Exiled: A Law & Order Movie, Cragen next comes into contact with the 27th Precinct while attempting to bust Mafia boss Don Giancarlo Uzielli for the murders of 15 people. During that investigation, he discovers that there is not only a cop in the 27th precinct on Uzielli's payroll, but that his former detective from homicide, Mike Logan (Chris Noth), is interfering with the investigation of the Don by investigating a murder of his own. With Logan's help, Cragen discovers the identity of the corrupt officer: his former detective, and trusted friend, Tony Profaci (John Fiore).
[edit] In SVU
In 1999, Cragen transferred out of the Anti-Corruption Task Force to a new bureau, called the "Special Victims Unit", which investigates sex crimes. The new job is a way to cope with Marge's death.
Cragen is portrayed as a somewhat stern but understanding father figure to the detectives who work under him and he gives them a great deal of leniency because he trusts their ability to get results, although he had an early habit of haranguing them about the weaknesses of their investigations. He also maintained friendships with Logan (now a member of the Major Case Squad on Law & Order: Criminal Intent) and Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach), his former detectives from Homicide. Cragen had differences in philosophy with psychologist, Dr. Emil Skoda, and they argued passionately on cases. This displeasure and lack of trust led to the change for Dr. George Huang being the psychologist the SVU team consulted.
In the season 5 episode (SVU: "Criminal"), a convict whom Cragen arrested in the early 1970s for murder is now out on parole and is, of all things, a criminology professor who is being framed for a crime. Cragen takes on the case personally only to discover that a man can change after 30 years of being locked up.
In 2001, Cragen finds a kidnapped boy he and Greevey had been assigned to find in 1991 while investigating a corrupt adoption agency. Cragen and his detectives later determined that the wife of the boy's biological father killed his mother and gave the baby to the adoption agency, where he was given a home. In the end, the boy's biological father won custody of him.
In the Season 9 opener he is forced to transfer to another department (the office of the Chief of Detectives) ceding control to the new Sgt. John Munch. He returns by the end of the episode.
[edit] Work History
| Division | # | Senior Detective | Junior Detective | Sergeant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 27 | Mike Logan | Maxwell Greevey | |
| 27 | Mike Logan | Phil Cerreta | ||
| 27 | Lennie Briscoe | Mike Logan | ||
| Special Victims Unit | 16 | Elliot Stabler, Olivia Benson, | Brian Cassidy, Monique Jeffries, Dani Beck, Chester Lake, Odafin Tutuola | John Munch |
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