Dann Florek
| Dann Florek | |
|---|---|
 Florek at Eastern Michigan University | |
| Born |
Ezekial Dann Florek May 1, 1950 Flat Rock, Michigan, United States |
| Other names | Dann Florek |
| Years active | 1983 – present |
| Spouse(s) | Karen Florek (1983–present) |
Ezekial Dann Florek (born May 1, 1950), better known as Dann Florek, is an American actor and director. He is best known for his role as Donald Cragen on NBC's Law & Order and its spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Early life
Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan, the son of Darlene and Leonard Florek, Sr., a chiropractor.[1] He attended Eastern Michigan University, but never graduated. He moved to New York City to pursue an acting career in the theatre.
Career
Florek worked his way into supporting roles in such diverse '80's films as Sweet Liberty, Moon Over Parador and Angel Heart. He also played Mr. Slate in the live-action film version of The Flintstones.
Florek played the husband of Susan Ruttan on 22 episodes of NBC's hit drama L.A. Law beginning in 1988. Florek also had a recurring role in the WB sitcom Smart Guy as the high school gym coach. He also appeared in several episodes of Roseanne.
Law & Order
Starting in 1990, Florek co-starred in the NBC police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order as Capt. Don Cragen. [2] The first few years of Law & Order had mediocre ratings and finally after the close of the 1992-1993 season, NBC told creator/executive producer Dick Wolf that they would cancel the show unless he added a few women to the all-male cast. Wolf reluctantly complied and fired Florek as well as Richard Brooks (who played Paul Robinette), replacing them with S. Epatha Merkerson and Jill Hennessy, respectively. However, Florek was allowed to direct a few Law & Order episodes in 1994 and 1995.
Florek reprised the role of Cragen in the 1995 episode "Bad Faith" (which he also directed), and in the 1998 TV-movie Exiled, centered on former L&O star Chris Noth's character, Mike Logan. In 1999 he returned to the Cragen role, only this time on the Law & Order spin-off series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as the unit captain. Florek was written out of the series during its 15th season, and his final episode aired on January 15, 2014.[2]
Personal life
Florek and his wife, Karen, live in Venice, Los Angeles. Karen works as an artist. His brother, Dave, is also an actor. All three trained in the Daniel L. Quirk Jr. drama school at Eastern Michigan University.
Florek received an honorary Bachelor of Arts and an honorary Doctorate of Arts (on December 13, 2008, and December 14, 2008, respectively) from Eastern Michigan University, presented to him by President Susan Martin and the EMU Board of Regents. During the latter event, Florek was the head speaker at the school's Winter 2008 Eastern Michigan Graduation Commencement.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Eddie Macon's Run | Man in bar | |
| 1986 | Sweet Liberty | Jesse | |
| 1987 | Angel Heart | Herman Winesap | |
| Five Corners | Policeman | ||
| 1988 | Sunset | Marty Goldberg | |
| Moon Over Parador | Toby | ||
| 1989 | An Innocent Man | Prosecuting Attorney | Uncredited |
| 1991 | Flight of the Intruder | Lt. Cmdr. Mad | Jack/Doc |
| 1994 | The Flintstones | Mr. Slate | |
| Getting Even with Dad | Wayne | ||
| 1998 | Hard Rain | Mr. Mehlor | |
| 2000 | Beautiful Joe | Happy | |
| 2002 | Law & Order: The Beginning | Himself | Direct-to-video aka The Creation of 'Law & Order' with Dick Wolf |
| 2003 | Focus Room | William | |
| SVU Beginning | Himself | Direct-to-video | |
| 2004 | Law & Order: The First 3 Years | Himself | Direct-to-video |
| Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Police Sketch: Dann Florek | Himself | Direct-to-video | |
| 2005 | Jerry Orbach Tribute | Himself | Direct-to-video |
| 2006 | Copy That | Dann | |
| 2007 | TV Land Confidential | Himself - interviewee | Episode: "Locations" aka TV Land Confidential: The Untold Stories |
| 2010 | Santorini Blue | Trent Parker | Post-production |
Television
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | The Country Girl | Larry | TV film |
| 1985 | Hill Street Blues | Episode: "Intestinal Fortitude" | |
| Braker | Hayes | TV film | |
| 1986 | The Equalizer | Lieutenant | Episode: "Breakpoint" |
| Alex: The Life of a Child | Dr. Tom Dolan | TV film | |
| 1988-93 | L.A. Law | David Meyer / Dave Meyer | 22 episodes |
| 1987 | CBS Summer Playhouse | Winthrop | Episode: "Doctors Wilde" |
| Hunter | John Edleton | Episode: "Night on Bald Mountain" | |
| 1988 | Matlock | Ken Pritchard | Episode: "The Hucksters" |
| 21 Jump Street | Jim Crawford | Episode: "Brother Hanson & the Miracle of Renner's Pond" | |
| The Trial of Bernhard Goetz | Judge Crane | TV film | |
| CBS Schoolbreak Special | Stan Pallon | Episode: "Gambler" | |
| 1989 | The Edge | Strip-Joint Operator | TV film |
| Free Spirit | Bill / Mr. Flynn | Episode: "The Bosses Are Coming" | |
| Major Dad | Buzz | Episode: "Rescue Mission" | |
| 1990 | Grand | Robert | Episode: "The Healing" |
| Roseanne | Principal Hiller | Episode: "Bird Is the Word" | |
| 1990–93 1995, 2000, 2004 |
Law & Order | Captain Donald Cragen | 66 episodes (main cast member) 3 episodes (guest star) |
| 1994 | Hardball | Ernest 'Happy' Talbot | Unknown episodes |
| Wings | Bob | Episode: "Insanity Claus" | |
| 1995 | Ellen | Mr. Woodruff | Episode: "$5,000" |
| The John Larroquette Show | Lennox | Episode: "Love on the Line" | |
| 1996 | Champs | Ernie | Episode: "It's Must Have Been Gridlock" |
| 1997 | A Nightmare Come True | Det. Ron Shaye | TV film aka A Dream of Murder |
| Roseanne | Doctor/Dr. Rudmen | Episode: "A Second Chance" (as Doctor) Episode: "The Miracle" (as Dr. Rudmen) | |
| Sabrina, the Teenage Witch | Bob Gordon | Episode: "Cat Showdown" | |
| Total Security | Morris Silver | Episode: "Dental Men Prefer Blondes" | |
| NYPD Blue | Gary Hogan | Episode: "Sheedy Dealings" | |
| 1998 | The Pentagon Wars | Maj. Gen. Bob Braden | TV film |
| The Pretender | Don Larson | Episode: "Crash" | |
| From the Earth to the Moon | Robert Seamans | HBO Miniseries Episode: "Apollo One" Episode: "Spider" | |
| The Practice | Father Michael Ryan | Episode: "Duty Bound" | |
| Little Girl Fly Away | Chief Gelbart | TV film aka The Poet | |
| The Secret Diary of Desmond Pfeiffer | Abraham Lincoln | Episode: "School DaZe" Episode: "Kidnapped" Episode: "A.O.L.: Abe on Line" Episode: "Saving Mr. Lincoln" | |
| Exiled: A Law & Order Movie | Captain Donald Cragen | TV film | |
| 1997-99 | Smart Guy | Coach Gerber | Episode: "Below the Rim" Episode: "Most Hated Man on Campus" Episode: "T.A. or Not T.A." Episode: "Break Up Not to Make Up" Episode: "Can't Buy Me Love" Episode: "The Graduate?" |
| 1999–2014 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Captain Donald Cragen | Regular character, 330 Episodes |
Producer
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Santorini Blue | Associate Producer | Post-production |
Director
| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1993-95 | Law & Order | Television Director | Episode: "The Pursuit of Happiness" Episode: "Big Bang" Episode: "Bad Faith" |
References
Eastern Michigan University 2008 Winter Commencement. Lead Speaker Dann Florek. December 14, 2008.
Eastern Michigan University 2008 Winter Commencement. Speaker: EMU President Susan Martin. December 14, 2008.