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Sam Waterston

An award-winning theater actor since the early 1970s, Sam Waterston became the soul of honesty, compassion and dedication through his portrayals of Abraham Lincoln in "Gore Vidal's Lincoln" (NBC, 1988) and his 16-year tenure as District Attorney Jack McCoy on "Law and Order" (NBC, 1990-2010). Blessed with a speaking voice that seemed imbued with these same qualities, he found his best showcases in earnest roles that required him to grapple with major issues, like Nick Carraway in "The Great Gatsby" (1974), physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer in "Oppenheimer" (PBS, 1980), and journalist Sydney Schanberg in "The Killing Fields" (1984), which earned him an Oscar nomination. Television gave him his most memorable roles - in addition to Lincoln in the Vidal play and in "The Civil War" (PBS, 1990), he was the beloved father and lawyer in "I'll Fly Away" (NBC, 1991-93) and the prickly yet passionate McCoy on "Law and Order" and its many spin-offs. Admired for over four decades by critics, audiences and peers alike, Waterston was a star that eschewed the trappings of fame for the beauty of a great role.