Sam Waterston is basically the patron saint of the American legal system, at least if you ask anyone who’s spent a rainy Saturday binging NBC. Most people see those bushy eyebrows and immediately hear the dun-dun of Law & Order. It makes sense. He played Jack McCoy for roughly a million years. But if you think he’s just a guy in a suit with a law degree, you've missed out on some of the wildest and most nuanced acting of the last fifty years.
Honestly, Waterston’s career is a bit of a labyrinth. It’s not just the courtroom. It’s the Cambodian killing fields, Woody Allen’s moody Manhattan apartments, and even a Netflix beach house where he’s finally allowed to be gay and hilarious. Even now in 2026, as he steps back from the massive procedural grind, his influence on how we perceive "authority" on screen is everywhere.
The Jack McCoy Elephant in the Room
We have to talk about it. Sam Waterston movies and tv shows are dominated by Law & Order. He joined in 1994, which feels like a different geological era. For 16 seasons (and then a surprising return in 2022), he was the moral compass of New York City.
What made McCoy work wasn’t just the "good guy" trope. It was the temper. Waterston played him with this shaky, righteous indignation. When he got mad at a witness, his voice would crack. He wasn't a robot; he was a guy who cared so much it actually seemed to hurt him. He left the show for good in early 2024, handing the reigns over to Tony Goldwyn, but for most fans, he’s still the DA. He’s the one who stayed.
The Roles That Actually Define Him (Beyond the Badge)
If you only know him as McCoy, go watch The Killing Fields (1984) tonight.
It’s heavy. Waterston plays Sydney Schanberg, a real-life journalist covering the Khmer Rouge in Cambodia. He got an Oscar nomination for it, and it’s easy to see why. There’s a scene where he’s trying to save his colleague, Dith Pran, and you see the absolute desperation behind his eyes. It’s a far cry from the polished offices of a District Attorney.
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Then you’ve got his 1970s era. He was Nick Carraway in the 1974 version of The Great Gatsby.
- The Vibe: Preppy, observant, and slightly out of his depth.
- The Costars: Robert Redford and Mia Farrow.
- The Result: Two Golden Globe nominations.
He was also a regular in Woody Allen’s world back when that was the peak of "serious" acting. Interiors (1978) and Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989) show off his ability to play the intellectual, slightly neurotic New Yorker. He fits that archetype perfectly because, well, he kind of is that guy.
The Sorkin and Netflix Pivot
When Law & Order first went off the air in 2010, people thought Waterston might just retire to his farm in Connecticut. Nope. He jumped straight into Aaron Sorkin’s The Newsroom.
He played Charlie Skinner, the bow-tie-wearing, whiskey-drinking president of a news division. It’s arguably his most "fun" role. He got to scream Sorkin’s rhythmic dialogue while being the only person in the building who remembered what real journalism looked like. The scene where he loses his mind on a younger producer is a masterclass in controlled chaos.
And then came Grace and Frankie.
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This was the curveball. After decades of being the "serious" man, he played Sol Bergstein, a man who leaves his wife (Lily Tomlin) to be with his law partner (Martin Sheen). It ran for seven seasons. It was sweet. It was silly. It showed a side of Waterston—vulnerable, romantic, and clumsy—that Law & Order fans had never seen.
Why We Are Still Talking About Him
It’s 2026, and the "Dad TV" genre is bigger than ever. Waterston is the architect of that. He’s the guy who proved you can stay in one role for twenty years and still have a "prestige" career.
He doesn't do "celebrity" in the modern sense. You won't find him in a TikTok dance or a Marvel movie (at least not yet). He’s a theater kid at heart. He’s played Abraham Lincoln so many times—on Broadway in Abe Lincoln in Illinois and in Ken Burns documentaries—that he’s basically the official face of the 16th President.
Fact-Checking the Waterston Legacy
There are a few things people get wrong about him:
- The Oscar: No, he didn't win for The Killing Fields. He lost to F. Murray Abraham (Amadeus).
- The Voice: That shaky, "old-fashioned" delivery? That's not a character choice. It's just his voice. It's gotten more pronounced with age, adding a layer of gravitas to his newer work like The Dropout.
- The "Lawyer" Typecast: While he's played a dozen lawyers, he actually studied French and History at Yale. He’s a historian who happens to act.
What to Watch Next
If you’re looking to get into the deep cuts of his filmography, don’t just stick to the hits.
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Check out Man in the Moon (1991). He plays a stern but loving father in a rural coming-of-age story that also features a very young Reese Witherspoon. It’s quiet and heartbreaking. Also, look for the 1980 miniseries Oppenheimer—not the Christopher Nolan one, the BBC one. Waterston played J. Robert Oppenheimer decades before Cillian Murphy, and he was nominated for a BAFTA for it.
Actionable Insight: Your Waterston Binge Guide
- For the Drama Junkie: The Killing Fields and I'll Fly Away.
- For the "Comfort" Watcher: Law & Order (specifically seasons 5 through 10).
- For the Laughs: Grace and Frankie.
- For the History Buff: The Civil War (Ken Burns) – listen for his voice as Lincoln.
The best way to appreciate Sam Waterston is to look past the suit. He’s an actor of immense range who just happened to find a very comfortable home in the American legal system. Whether he’s prosecuting a fictional murderer or navigating a late-life identity crisis on Netflix, he brings a level of dignity that’s increasingly rare in Hollywood.
If you want to understand the history of American television from the 90s to today, you basically have to understand Sam Waterston. He’s the bridge between the old-school theater world and the streaming era.
Next Steps: Pick one "non-lawyer" role from the list above—ideally The Newsroom or The Killing Fields—and watch it this weekend. You'll see a completely different side of an actor you thought you already knew.