Steven Hill

Steven Hill, born as Solomon Krakovsky on February 24, 1922, was an American actor best known for his television roles as district attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series Law & Order (1990–2000) and Dan Briggs on the CBS action television series Mission: Impossible (1966–1967). In these roles, he received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. His notable film roles include The Goddess (1958), A Child Is Waiting (1963), The Slender Thread (1965), Yentl (1983), Legal Eagles (1986), Raw Deal (1986), Running on Empty (1988), Billy Bathgate (1991), and The Firm (1993).

Hill was born to Yiddish-speaking immigrants from the Russian Empire in Seattle, Washington. Known as Sol, he decided to become an actor at the early age of six. After serving in the United States Navy during World War II and graduating from the University of Washington, Hill moved to Chicago and then to New York City to pursue an acting career. He made his film debut in 1950 and rejoined the Navy in 1952 for two years. He started out as an actor seeking for roles that had a social purpose. However, he later realized that show business was about entertaining and had to reconcile his idealistic feelings with reality. Hill was recognized as one of the finest actors America has ever produced. He also enjoyed a fruitful career during the "Golden Age" of live TV drama. In 1951, Hill married Selma Stern and they had four children. After their divorce in 1964, Hill married his second wife, Rachel Schenker, in 1967 with whom he had five children. He passed away of cancer in a New York hospital on August 23, 2016.