Dun, dun!
Tonight, Oct. 21 marks the 500th episode of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, and so, we can't help but think about the thousands of actors that have made an appearance on the storied procedural show. Though Mariska Hargitay is the face you think of when SVU pops into your mind, we want to remind you that countless celebrities have acted opposite her over the years.
Stars who have gone on to lead their own shows once had guest starring roles on the series. For instance, before Milo Ventimiglia captured our hearts as Jack Pearson on This Is Us, he appeared as an abuse victim in a 2003 episode, called "Escape." There's also Sarah Hyland, who appeared on the drama (twice!) before booking Modern Family.
We've also seen future movie stars show up on the Emmy-winner, like when Adam Driver had a small role in the show before going on to play Kylo Ren in the Star Wars franchise.
With the milestone episode just around the corner, we invite you to relive the notable names that once guest starred on SVU. Check them all out below!
Law & Order: SVU airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on NBC.
Binge past episodes of Law & Order: SVU on Peacock.
(E!, Peacock and NBC are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)
A version of this story was originally published on July 9, 2020 at 8 a.m. PT.