Actor Ned Eisenberg, who made a name for himself with projects like Law & Order: SVU and Million Dollar Baby over the more than four decades of his career, has sadly passed away. He was 65 years old at the time of his death. Eisenberg is survived by his wife and son.
Ned Eisenberg passed away in his home in New York on February 27, with the news becoming public on the afternoon of February 28. His death was confirmed via a statement released by his agents at Nicolosi & Co. on behalf of Eisenberg's wife, actress Patricia Dunnock. The statement reads (via Deadline):
As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma. Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.
Although he worked extensively on stage for theatrical productions, the Bronx-native began his career on screen in the entertainment business back in the early '80s, with a film role in The Exterminator in 1980 and a credit in TV movie We're Fighting Back in 1981, and would become prolific on the big and small screen alike.
Ned Eisenberg is undoubtedly most recognizable for his work within the Law & Order franchise, and was one of the actors who could boast of playing multiple characters between the multiple shows. He started in the franchise with the original Law & Order (which has just returned to NBC), playing James Granick in seven episodes between 1997 and 2009.
Over on Law & Order: SVU, he played two different characters in 1999 and 2000, before debuting as attorney Roger Kressler in 2001, which became a role he would reprise many more times until his final episode in 2019. He also appeared in two episodes of Law & Order: Criminal Intent, but it was his long run on SVU that made him a familiar face to many viewers in one of television's longest-running and most successful series.
Eisenberg's most recent credit in a hit TV show was for his return to The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, where he reprised his role as Lou Rabinowitz for Season 4, which just debuted in mid-February of 2022. He also appeared in the most recent season of NBC's The Blacklist and recurred as part of the cast of HBO's Mare of Easttown limited series.
Although best known for his work in television, he also appeared in a number of films, including two from Clint Eastwood, with Million Dollar Baby (which won the Academy Award for Best Picture) in 2004 and Flags of Our Fathers in 2006. He was prolific in television and film until the final years of his life, and his wife's statement makes it clear that he continued his work so that he could take care of his family and his growing medical needs.
Our thoughts here at CinemaBlend are with the family, friends, and loved ones of Ned Eisenberg in this difficult and tragic time.
