Adam Schiff (Law & Order): Difference between revisions

{{short description|Character in the TV series Law & Order}}

{{about|the fictional TV district attorney|the American legislator representing California|Adam Schiff{{!}}Adam Schiff}}

{{Multiple issues|

{{unreliable sources|date=July 2008}}

{{notability|date=December 2021}}

{{DISPLAYTITLE: Adam Schiff (''Law & Order'')}}

{{Infobox character

| name = Adam Schiff

| series = [[Law & Order (franchise)|Law & Order]]

| image = Adam Schiff - L&O.png

| first = "[[Prescription for Death]]"

| last = "[[Law & Order (season 10)#ep229|Vaya Con Dios]]"

| portrayer = [[Steven Hill]]

| lbl21 = Partner

| lbl22 = Seasons

| data22 = '''[[Law & Order (season 1)|1]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 2)|2]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 3)|3]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 4)|4]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 5)|5]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 6)|6]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 7)|7]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 8)|8]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 9)|9]]''', '''[[Law & Order (season 10)|10]]'''

}}

'''Adam Schiff''' is a fictional character on the TV drama series ''[[Law & Order]]''. He was played by [[Steven Hill]] from 1990 to 2000. Schiff was one of the original [[main character]]s of the series and appeared in every episode of the first 10 seasons except for "[[Everybody's Favorite Bagman]]", which was produced before Hill joined the cast, and the season-seven episode "D-Girl". He appeared in 229 episodes (228 episodes of ''Law & Order'' and the ''[[Law & Order: Special Victims Unit]]'' episode "Entitled"), and was the last of the [[Law & Order (season 1)#Main Cast|original six characters]] to leave the show's main cast.

== Character overview ==

Schiff is [[District Attorney]] of [[New York County]], and a graduate of [[Columbia University]], where he served on the ''Law Review''. He began his career as an ADA in 1973.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Vaya Con Dios|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=May 24, 2000|season=10|number=24}}</ref> He is a pragmatic [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrat]] of faintly [[Liberalism|liberal]] stripe, but regardless of political inclinations, he is never perturbed by his critics nor by uncooperative [[judge]]s. Political persuasions sometimes cloud his decisions with regard to certain cases such as the [[death penalty]]; however, he has moral objections to capital punishment, having written a brief protesting it in 1971,<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Aftershock|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=May 22, 1996|season=6|number=23}}</ref> but is not averse to seeking it against a defendant if voters want such a sentence carried out. He is also [[pro-choice]].<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Life Choice|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=January 8, 1991|season=1|number=12}}</ref>

While he is always pragmatic, resolute and austere in his professional conduct, he has amicable relationships with his assistants. He is closest to [[Benjamin Stone (character)|Benjamin Stone]] ([[Michael Moriarty]]), and is saddened to see him resign when a witness he is trying to protect is [[murder]]ed.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Old Friends|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=May 25, 1994|season=4|number=22}}</ref> His relationship with Stone's successor, [[Jack McCoy]] ([[Sam Waterston]]), is more problematic, as McCoy is more ruthless and unconventional, and his habitual bending of trial rules occasionally garners Schiff bad publicity. However, the two eventually grow closer and respect each other.

Schiff has many friends among New York's elite, including powerful politicians, judges, and businessmen. Over the show's run, however, many of these friends prove themselves to be either corrupt or hiding secrets. The politician who first asked that he run for district attorney, Edward Vogel ([[George Martin (American actor)|George Martin]]), later tries to use their relationship to quash the prosecution of his son's murderer to avoid having his son's [[homosexuality]] revealed.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Silence|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=April 28, 1992|season=2|number=21}}</ref> In another case, one of his closest friends, Judge Edgar Hynes ([[Louis Zorich]]), commits suicide after being caught taking bribes.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Jeopardy|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=November 1, 1995|season=6|number=4}}</ref> Another, Carl Anderton ([[Robert Vaughn]]), a high-powered [[CEO]], is discovered to be suffering from [[bipolar disorder]] and attempts to arrange an unjust punishment for his similarly affected grandson Terence ([[Sam Huntington]]), who had killed his half-sister during a [[mania|manic]] phase, to hide his own condition.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Burned|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=December 10, 1997|season=8|number=9}}</ref> The once solid friendship destroyed, Anderton seeks vengeance and backs Schiff's opponent Gary Feldman ([[Cliff Gorman]]) in a primary election;<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Monster|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=May 20, 1998|season=8|number=24}}</ref> Schiff nevertheless is reelected.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Cherished|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=September 23, 1998|season=9|number=1}}</ref>

In a 1997 episode, Schiff's wife is left in a coma after suffering a severe stroke. She dies, after he elects to have her taken off life support.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Terminal|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=May 21, 1997|season=7|number=23}}</ref> Their son Josh is mentioned in several episodes, as are Josh's own wife and son, but he never appears on screen.

Schiff is a fan of the [[Boston Red Sox]]<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Baby, It's You Part II|series=Homicide: Life on the Street|series-link=Homicide: Life on the street|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=November 14, 1997|season=6|number=5}}</ref> and [[Columbia Lions football]].<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Empire|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=May 5, 1999|season=9|number=20}}</ref>

==After ''Law & Order''==

In 2000, the character of Schiff was written out of the show to accommodate the 78-year-old Hill's retirement from acting. Within the [[story arc]] of the show, Schiff leaves the DA's office to accept a role in coordinating commemorations of [[The Holocaust History Project|the Holocaust Project]]. He goes on to work with [[Simon Wiesenthal]]. He is succeeded by interim district attorney [[Nora Lewin]] ([[Dianne Wiest]]).<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Endurance|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=October 18, 2000|season=11|number=1}}</ref>

After McCoy becomes the district attorney in 2007, he commented that he now understands why Schiff always seemed to be in a bad mood.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Illegal|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=February 13, 2008|season=18|number=8}}</ref>

In 2009, Schiff is said to be in Africa with former [[President of the United States of America|President]] [[Jimmy Carter]], attempting to get into [[Zimbabwe]]. While in Africa, he sees an article about McCoy's election campaign on the Internet and lends him his support.<ref>{{Cite episode|title=Crimebusters|series=Law & Order|series-link=Law & Order|network=[[NBC]]|airdate=February 11, 2009|season=19|number=13}}</ref>

==Real-life counterparts==

Adam Schiff shares his name and political party with the subsequently elected [[Adam Schiff|U.S. Representative from California]], who also had a prior career as a federal prosecutor. Despite the fact that Congressman Schiff once interned in the same Manhattan office where ''Law & Order'' is set, Dick Wolf has denied any correlation between the two Schiffs and instead states that the character is loosely based upon long-serving [[New York County District Attorney|Manhattan District Attorney]] [[Robert Morgenthau]]. Of the resemblance, Congressman Schiff remarked that when he introduced himself to voters while running for office, "they would light up and say, 'Oh yes, I'm familiar with your work'... Of course, they had never heard of me. They were thinking of Adam Schiff from ''Law & Order''. I started to watch to make sure he was a good character... I was happy to see he is a pretty good guy."<ref>{{Cite web|first=Marvin |last=Kitman |author-link=Marvin Kitman |url=http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/TV/08/02/marvin.kitman.lat |title=Another crime perpetrated on 'Law & Order' |website=[[CNN.com]] |date=August 2, 2000 |access-date=July 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205062422/http://archives.cnn.com/2000/SHOWBIZ/TV/08/02/marvin.kitman.lat/ |archive-date=December 5, 2006 }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|first=Miguel |last=Bustillo |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-dec-24-me-57281-story.html |title=Schiff Is Not an Actor, but One Plays Him on TV |website=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=December 24, 1998 |access-date=November 19, 2020 }}</ref>

==References==

{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Law & Order}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Schiff, Adam}}

[[Category:Fictional Democrats (United States)]]

[[Category:Fictional American lawyers]]

[[Category:Law & Order characters]]

[[Category:Fictional American Jews]]

[[Category:Television characters introduced in 1990]]

[[Category:Fictional district attorneys]]

[[Category:Crossover characters in television]]

[[Category:Fictional characters based on real people]]

[[Category:American male characters in television]]

[[pt:Adam Schiff]]