Max Greevey (Law & Order)

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Law & Order character
Sgt. Max Greevey
Time on show 1990—1991
Preceded by None
Succeeded by Phil Cerreta
First appearance "Everybody's Favorite Bagman"
Last appearance "The Blue Wall"
Portrayed by George Dzundza

Sgt. Max Greevey was a fictional character played by George Dzundza on NBC's long running drama series, Law & Order. He was featured on the show throughout its first season, 1990 to 1991.

[edit] In Law & Order

Greevey is a homicide detective working in Manhattan's 27th Precinct. It is mentioned in the pilot episode, "Everyone's Favorite Bagman", that he began his career in the 1960s as Don Cragen's partner. By the time of the series, he is promoted to sergeant and partnered with Mike Logan, with Cragen as their captain. Greevey is very close to Logan (even while having authority over him), providing his young partner with advice and someone to confide in.

Greevey is happily married to his wife Marie, with three children. His life as a devoted family man, as well as his conservative Catholic faith, often leads him to look down upon people, even murder victims, whose lifestyles he disapproves of. He was against abortion and had to deal with the fact that an abortion clinic was one of his cases.

Greevey also harbors an open distrust of doctors, stemming from an incident in which he was attacked by a suspect who hit him in the head. He began slurring his words and sought advice from a doctor, who pronounced that he had an inoperable brain tumor. Seeking a second opinion, Greevey learned that he only had a subdural hematoma, and a month later was completely healthy again.

It was revealed that a former partner of his was shot during a traffic stop. (L&O: "A Death in the Family").

In the 1991 episode "Confession", Greevey is fatally shot outside his home, right in front of his family, by a criminal he is investigating. Logan, desperate with grief, corners and nearly kills Greevey's murderer, relenting only at the last minute. He is nearly fired for this transgression, but gradually comes to accept his partner's death with the help of Dr. Elizabeth Olivet.

(In this episode, Greevey was played by a stunt double, seen only in shadow, as George Dzundza had already left the show at that point.)

Greevey is replaced by Sgt. Phil Cerreta.

[edit] SVU connection

Greevey is mentioned in a 2001 episode of the spinoff series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Prior to his death, Greevey had worked on a case involving the murder of a college student named Jennifer Talmadge, and the disappearance of her infant son, Stephen. He took the case very seriously, working on it on his off time. After his death, Cragen took the case over and kept in touch with Jennifer Talmadge's parents.

In the episode, Cragen, by now the head of a sex crimes unit, finds Stephen Talmadge while investigating a corrupt adoption agency. Cragen and his detectives later determine that the wife of Stephen's biological father killed Jennifer Talmadge and gave Stephen to the adoption agency, where he was given a home. In the end, Stephen's biological father wins custody of him.