Camryn Manheim leaving “Law & Order ”after season 23 finale
Manheim's announcement follows Sam Waterston's recent departure from the Dick Wolf series.
Camryn Manheim's Lt. Kate Dixon won't be on Law & Order much longer.
The actress is departing the Dick Wolf show, on which her character is the commanding officer of the 27th Precinct, where the action is set. Manheim's last episode as a cast member will be the season 23 finale, which airs Thursday, May 16.
"I had the most incredible experience being a part of the Law & Order Universe, and more importantly the Wolfpack," the actress posted on social media. "I'm so thankful for the three wonderful seasons that I spent with this wildly talented cast of merry pranksters. Mehcad Brooks, Reid Scott, Connie Shi, Anthony Anderson, Jeffrey Donovan, Hugh Dancy, Odelya Halevi, Tony Goldwyn and Sam Waterston. Not to mention the stellar guest stars that came in and out of the studio doors."
She continued, "I loved showing up for work each and every day, loved keeping the boys in line at Precinct 27 and most importantly, loved spending time with the most hard working, professional and kindhearted crew. They are truly New York's finest."
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Manheim came onboard when the flagship Law & Order returned to TV in 2022, following its abrupt cancellation in 2020. Her Lt. Dixon also appeared on Law & Order: Organized Crime and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2022 and 2023.
But the Emmy-winning star of The Practice actually had a much longer history with the iconic procedural. Manheim's very first TV role was on a season 1 episode of Law & Order back in 1991, playing a character named Leila. The actress returned in seasons 3 and 4, playing a different character each time.
"I thank Camryn for her three wonderful seasons helping us relaunch Law & Order," Wolf said in a statement to Variety. "She is a class act, and I wish her nothing but the best for her next chapter."
Related: Tony Goldwyn previews his Law & Order debut following Sam Waterston's exit
Representatives for Manheim did not immediately respond to Entertainment Weekly's request for comment on the reason she left.
Although Manheim didn't reveal what she had planned next, she sounded hopeful in the last lines of her message on Friday, writing: "Something wonderful awaits me around the corner, and I can't wait to see what it is," she wrote. "Until then… Go Knicks!"
The actress' announcement comes three months after Waterston, who played District Attorney Jack McCoy, left the show on which he had been a staple since 1994. Goldwyn stepped in as another district attorney, Nicholas Baxter.
Related: Law & Order is back with season 23! Here’s a look at the cast, then and now
In addition to Law & Order, Manheim starred on David E. Kelley's The Practice from 1997 to 2004. She won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in 1998 and was nominated again in 1999, for her take on Ellenor Frutt. Between 2006 and 2010, she was on CBS' Jennifer Love Hewitt drama Ghost Whisperer. She also played Elvis' mother, Gladys Presley, in the 2005 CBS mini-series Elvis, for which she was again nominated in the Supporting Actress category.
Law & Order airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on NBC.
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