After 30 years, Sam Waterston is leaving the role as Jack McCoy on NBC’s “Law & Order.
Waterston announced on Monday that he would be leaving the show after more than 400 episodes. His final episode will air on Feb. 22, according to The Associated Press.
“The time has come for me to move on and take Jack McCoy with me,” the 83-year-old said in a statement to E! News. “There’s sadness in leaving, but I’m just too curious about what’s next. An actor doesn’t want to let himself get too comfortable.”
Waterston went on to thank the show’s creator Dick Wolf and his fans for the “continuing and amazing long run,” adding “I feel very blessed. I hope to see you all on the flip side. Thank you.”
In 1994, Waterston joined the cast of the show that follows a crime from when the police show up until a verdict in the case. He stayed with the show until its original run ended in 2010. He returned when the show was revived in 2022.
The current cast — which includes Hugh Dancy, Camryn Manheim, Odelya Halevi, Mehcad Brooks and Reid Scott — will be joined by Tony Goldwyn, who is best known as President Fitzgerald Grant on “Scandal” and Carl Bruner in the movie “Ghost.”
Waterston was nominated for three Emmy Awards, one Golden Globe and 11 SAG Awards for his work in the series. He won the SAG Award for outstanding performance by a male actor in a drama series in 1999, E! News reported.
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