Late character actor Ed Wheeler did his job so well that Law & Order featured him in small parts six different times. Wheeler has been well known in New York since 1973 as a character actor and has appeared in many television shows as well as starring in several movies. One of his most recent roles was on Blue Bloods, but he also participated in several of Law & Order‘s best episodes.

The roles that Wheeler played in Law & Order demonstrated his versatility and talent. Although he was never part of the main Law & Order cast, every role he played was memorable, and he played a wide range of characters. He most often appeared as a member of the community the detectives were interviewing in regards to an investigation, but in later appearances, he played a prosecutor and a detective, thus demonstrating that he could do any type of role well.

All 6 Characters Ed Wheeler Played On Law & Order Explained

Each Character Was Different And Contributed To THe Story In A Small Way

Ed Wheeler shared scenes with many of Law & Order’s best characters, playing a different one-off character each time. One of the many things the world lost upon his death was his vast knowledge of the ways Law & Order evolved over the years. His first appearance was in season 2, but the majority of his roles took place after Jerry Orbach and Sam Waterston had become closely associated with the series. Thus, it would have been interesting to learn his perspective on the changes in the series each time he appeared, especially his thoughts about characters who did not return to Law & Order.

The characters Wheeler played included:

David, a bakery owner who some cops told the detectives might have some information about some Black kids who were suspected of killing a Jewish man. David was willing to talk to the cops, though he didn’t know much, and he mostly stayed behind the counter in his bakery as he was speaking.
Duane Johnson, a relative of a cabbie who was shot and killed. Johnson spoke to the ADA about the cabbie’s wife, who explained she no longer needed her husband’s signature on lease paperwork since she was widowed rather than divorced. Duane was street-smart and took what had happened in stride.

John Cromwell was someone the cops talked to in connection with a woman who jumped off the Brooklyn Bridge, and was one of many people who might have been involved in a complicated blackmail and murder scheme, making this a very different of witness role than his other roles had been.
Reverend Jared Young was a community leader who tried to protect a troubled kid accused of stabbing a community center leader in an episode involving a complicated scheme to cheat to get into an Ivy League School
Carl Dunston was a detective the cops spoke with while investigating a case involving a therapist who had done something controversial with a young patient who died as a result.
Matt Sturges was a county prosecutor that McCoy had to work with in a case involving the murders of a producer and star in a restaurant. He and McCoy were on the same side, but had different ideas about how to proceed with the case.

Ed Wheeler Was Always Great On Law & Order

Even Though He Only Played Small Parts, He Was Always Memorable

Although Wheeler only played small roles, he was so memorable that many obituaries memorialized him as a Law & Order star. His frequent appearances make him as much a part of Law & Order‘s legacy as the show is part of his, and his roles are still enjoyable to watch 30 years after the first time he appeared. This is not always the case, especially for characters who are meant to be interchangeable or forgettable, such as the witness Wheeler played in his first appearance.

Wheeler’s roles were so memorable because he took every job seriously, putting his heart and soul into it and making the character seem real. His characters all had unique characteristics and quirks, and he made an ordinary guy who worked in a bakery as important and memorable as the cops who were the stars of the show. Wheeler’s talent as a character actor and his refusal to see any role as too small to shine in helped leave a lasting impression after every episode he appeared in.

Ed Wheeler Is The Kind Of Actor Who Helped Make Law & Order Great

Law & Order owes its success partially to its guest cast. While Law & Order season 24 has fresh stories and interesting main characters, these stories would not be possible to produce without guest actors playing small roles. Those guest actors have some heavy lifting to do even though they may only appear in one or two scenes; they have to make the characters believable and interesting to contribute meaningfully to the plot of their episodes. Wheeler understood this instinctively and worked hard to make each small role important.

The soft reboot has lost something valuable because Wheeler died before he had an opportunity to again appear in the series.

Wheeler was one of the most memorable character actors to grace TV screens in the past several decades. Every one of his characters was memorable, and his work lives on in reruns of Law & Order. The soft reboot has lost something valuable because Wheeler died before he had an opportunity to again appear in the series. Law & Order was lucky to work with him six times, and he undoubtedly would have contributed even more to it if it had been possible to do so.