Anita Van Buren

Last updated
Anita Van Buren
Law & Order character
First appearance"Sweeps"
Last appearance"Rubber Room"
Portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson
In-universe information
FamilyDonald Van Buren (ex-husband)
Ric Van Buren (son)
Stefan Van Buren (son)
Frank Gibson (fiancée)
Unnamed sister
Seasons 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19 , 20

Anita Van Buren is a fictional character on NBC's long-running police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order , portrayed by S. Epatha Merkerson. The character of Van Buren was an "authoritative lieutenant" [1] in the New York Police Department, who supervised teams of detectives who worked out in the field, and originally served as "commander of the 27th Precinct Detective Squad." [2] The fictional Van Buren achieved the rank of NYPD lieutenant before any actual policewoman in New York did so, creating a "dissonance" with reality. [3] Van Buren appeared in 390 episodes of Law & Order. When she crossed the 300-episode mark in 2008, Lt. Van Buren became the longest-running African-American character in television history. [4]

Contents

In 1997, it was noted that "Van Buren was one of the first and is still one of the few female African-American characters in network television to hold a position of power standing over the desks of white professional men telling them how to do their jobs." [5] The Associated Press once described Van Buren as a character with typically "limited screen time...whose practical function is to point her detectives in the story's next direction." [6] After many years on the procedural drama, Merkerson was "rewarded with a personal crisis for her character—a life-threatening bout with cervical cancer—that gave her some fine, if fleeting, opportunities to show Van Buren's rarely glimpsed vulnerability." [7] Van Buren's role in the franchise is considered a precursor to Olivia Benson's centrality in the SVU series. [8]

By episode count, she was the longest-running character on the original show during its original run; Jack McCoy (Sam Waterston) surpassed her during its revival. Van Buren appeared in 392 episodes within the franchise (390 of Law & Order, the Law & Order: Criminal Intent episode "Badge" and the Law & Order: Trial by Jury episode "Skeleton") and Exiled: A Law & Order Movie , and is the fifth longest-running regular character in the Law & Order franchise, behind Olivia Benson (Mariska Hargitay), Fin Tutuola (Ice-T), McCoy, and Donald Cragen (Dann Florek), and the sixth longest-running character in the Law & Order universe, behind Benson (478 episodes in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit), Tutuola (456 episodes in SVU), McCoy (408 episodes in the universe, including two in Homicide: Life on the Street ), Cragen (400 episodes in the franchise), and John Munch (Richard Belzer) (452 episodes in the universe, including 122 in Homicide: Life on the Street).

TV critics Alan Sepinwall and Matt Zoller Seitz called the season-five Law & Order character lineup (featuring Van Buren, McCoy, Mike Logan, Lennie Briscoe, Claire Kincaid and Adam Schiff) the single-best character combination in the Law & Order universe, dubbing them "the '27 Yankees of L&O casts, featuring not only Hall of Famers at every position but the very best example of each respective role in the franchise's history." [9] A textbook on management of state and municipal police departments described Anita Van Buren as a "good example of an operational supervisor as a strong leader...Nothing seems to get by her. When [detectives] cross the line of legality, she steps in to put them in their place. The operational supervisor must know their subordinates well; they must be present not only in spirit but in body and mind." [10]

Character history

Van Buren joins the cast in the 1993 episode "Sweeps", succeeding Capt. Don Cragen (Dann Florek) as commander of the 27th Precinct Detective Squad after Cragen transfers to the Anti-Corruption Task Force. Throughout her run on the show, she oversees the work of detectives such as Lennie Briscoe (Jerry Orbach), Mike Logan (Chris Noth), Tony Profaci (John Fiero), Rey Curtis (Benjamin Bratt), Sammy Kurtz (Paul Guilfoyle), Morris LaMotte (Larry Clarke), Joe Cormack (Joe Forbrich), Ed Green (Jesse L. Martin), Joe Fontana (Dennis Farina), Nick Falco (Michael Imperioli), Nina Cassady (Milena Govich), Cyrus Lupo (Jeremy Sisto), and Kevin Bernard (Anthony Anderson).

For almost the entire duration of the series, Van Buren carries a Smith & Wesson Model 36 revolver as her duty weapon. [11] In the 20th season episode "Fed" she is seen carrying a Glock 19.

Van Buren is known for her toughness, but she often pays a price for it. In one episode she shoots and wounds a would-be mugger (Omar Scroggins) who attacks her at an ATM, and kills the mugger's partner, who turned out to be a mentally handicapped teenager. She is investigated, and absolved, by the Internal Affairs Bureau. The District Attorney brings her case to the grand jury, but they choose to not indict her. Later, the mugger is charged with the murder and Van Buren testifies at the trial. Due to this, Lennie Briscoe later tells Rey Curtis that “she hates the hell out of going to court.” [11] In another, she nearly loses her job when she sues the NYPD for promoting a white woman with less seniority ahead of her. [12] Her lawsuit becomes such an issue of contention within the department that the Chief of Detectives tells her she will have to resign to get her squad the resources it needs to apprehend a child rapist. [13] A judge eventually dismisses her discrimination suit.

During a murder case, Van Buren learns that the case that led to her promotion to lieutenant was tainted by a dishonest fingerprint examiner's report. The expert, a friend of Van Buren's, had been falsifying various other reports and is tried for her actions, saying that she was just doing what Van Buren wanted. No action is taken against Van Buren, but the scandal continues to haunt her. [14]

In season 17, she is forced to accept Nina Cassady as the replacement for Det. Joe Fontana upon his retirement. Van Buren believes that Cassady is too inexperienced to be a homicide detective, creating a risk to her partner, Ed Green. Van Buren had a "hand-picked" replacement for Fontana who was much more experienced than Cassady. She eventually learns to tolerate (and perhaps accept) Cassady as a member of her squad. However, this acceptance does not seem to last long; in the seventeenth season finale "The Family Hour", Van Buren berates the detective for her inability to keep her temper in check and suggests that Cassady has no future in the 27th Squad.

She was succeeded as lieutenant of the 27th Precinct by Kate Dixon, when Season 21 premiered in 2022. [15]

Personal life

Van Buren was born at some point after 1952. [16] A graduate of John Jay College, Van Buren was married to Donald (Charles Dumas), who owns a hardware store. [17] They divorce after he cheated on her. [18] They have two sons, Stefan, who is the elder, [19] and Ric, who was diagnosed with scoliosis at the age of six. [20] It is revealed that she spent five years as a patrol officer and three years in undercover narcotics. [21] [11] Further revelations are that she enjoys the poet Langston Hughes, and that she is left-handed. [22] She had a sister who was greatly upset by the fact that she could not have children. [23] She is opposed to the Iraq War [24] and disapproves of hunting. [25]

Her father was wounded in Wasu, Korea, during the Korean War in 1952. He spent time at Tulsa VA Hospital in Oklahoma and his wife later claimed that he would have died if it had not been for the excellent care that he received from the medical staff. He had died by 2007. [16] Her detectives have affectionately addressed her by two shortened versions of her rank: "L.T." (used by Rey Curtis, Cyrus Lupo, and Kevin Bernard) and "Lieu" (used by Lennie Briscoe and Ed Green).

Cancer storyline

In season 20, Van Buren sees an OB/GYN and is diagnosed with Stage II cervical cancer, caused by the sexually-transmitted human papillomavirus (HPV)—which she contracted from Donald, who had been cheating on her. She had not been married to him for at least 5 years. [26] Just before her diagnosis, she began dating a man named Frank (Ernie Hudson). [27] Due to the chemotherapy, she loses her hair and begins wearing a wig. She is so dedicated to her job that she refuses to use medical marijuana because, at the time, it is illegal; however, she starts using it after the Chief of Detectives, a testicular cancer survivor, says he will look the other way if she keeps it discreet. [28] As the season goes on, her treatment is apparently not progressing well and she is becoming increasingly worried about her chances of survival. However, in the final episode of the season (and ultimately the series, at the time), "Rubber Room", her health appears to have improved: she receives a call from her doctor, looks back at her colleagues and whispers "Thank you...Thank you" to herself. The series ends with a fundraising party that her colleagues organized in order to help her pay for the expensive treatment. On the same occasion, it is revealed that she and Frank are engaged. [29]

Work history

Time periodSenior DetectiveJunior Detective
1993–1995 Lennie Briscoe Mike Logan
1995–1999 Rey Curtis
1999–2004 Ed Green
2004–2006 Joe Fontana
2005
Nick Falco
Ed Green
2006–2007Ed GreenNina Cassady
2008 Cyrus Lupo
2008–2010Cyrus Lupo Kevin Bernard

Awards and decorations

The following are the medals and service awards worn by Lieutenant Van Buren, as seen in "Gunplay" (season 15, episode 5).

American Flag Breast Bar.jpg American Flag Breast Bar
WTC Breast Bar.jpg World Trade Center Breast Bar
Mpd.jpg NYPD Meritorious Police Duty
NYPD EPD.jpg NYPD Excellent Police Duty

Credits

SeasonsYearsEpisodes
123456789101112131415161718192021222324
4 1993–94
5 1994–95
6 1995–96
7 1996–97
8 1997–98
9 1998–99
10 1999-2000
11 2000–01
12 2001–02
13 2002–03
14 2003–04
15 2004–05
16 2005–06
17 2006–07
18 2008
19 2008–09
20 2009-10
SeasonsYears123456789101112131415161718192021222324
Episodes

Related Research Articles

<i>Law & Order</i> American police procedural and legal drama television series (1990–present)

Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment and Universal Television, launching the Law & Order franchise.

<i>Law & Order: Trial by Jury</i> American legal drama television series (2005–2006)

Law & Order: Trial by Jury is an American legal drama television series about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the fourth series in Dick Wolf's Law & Order franchise. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation for trial, as well as the trial itself. The series was first announced on September 28, 2004. The series premiered on Thursday, March 3, 2005, and ended on January 21, 2006. Its regular time slot was Fridays 10/9 p.m. ET on NBC. The last episode aired on Court TV months after the series' cancellation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">S. Epatha Merkerson</span> American actress (born 1952)

S. Epatha Merkerson is an American actress. She has received accolades for her work, including an Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award, four NAACP Image Awards, two Obie Awards, and two Tony Award nominations. She is known for her portrayal of NYPD Lieutenant Anita Van Buren on the NBC police procedural drama series Law & Order, a role she played from 1993 to 2010, appearing in 388 episodes of the series. She is also known for playing Reba the Mail Lady on Pee-wee's Playhouse and Sharon Goodwin in the NBC medical drama Chicago Med since the series premiered in November 2015

<i>Exiled: A Law & Order Movie</i> American TV movie

Exiled: A Law & Order Movie is a 1998 (two-hour-format) television film based on the Law & Order police procedural and legal drama television series; it originally aired on NBC. Written by Charles Kipps, the film revolves around Noth's character, Detective Mike Logan. Kipps received a 1999 Edgar Award for his screenplay.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lennie Briscoe</span> Law & Order character

Leonard W. Briscoe is a fictional character on NBC's long-running police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order. He was created by Walon Green and René Balcer and portrayed by Jerry Orbach. He was featured on the show for 12 seasons, from 1992 to 2004, making him one of the longest-serving main characters in the series' history, as well as the longest-serving police detective on the show. He also appeared in three Law & Order spin-offs and was part of the original cast of Law & Order: Trial by Jury, appearing in the first two episodes prior to his death. He appears in 282 episodes, the TV movie Exiled and the Law & Order video games Law & Order: Dead on the Money, Law & Order: Double or Nothing, Law & Order: Justice Is Served and Law & Order: Legacies.

Mike Logan (<i>Law & Order</i>) Character in the Law & Order TV series franchise

Michael Logan is a fictional character in the police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order franchise, played by Chris Noth. He appears in 148 episodes of the franchise as well as in one episode of Homicide: Life on the Street. He also appeared in Exiled: A Law & Order Movie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Cragen</span> Fictional character on Law & Order franchise

Donald 'Don' Cragen is a fictional character played by Dann Florek in the American police procedural television series Law & Order and its spinoff, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, on NBC. Cragen is a homicide captain with the New York Police Department who later becomes captain of the department's Special Victims Unit. A recovering alcoholic, Cragen is a tough police veteran who is loyal to his officers. He appeared in the first three seasons of Law & Order and in the first 15 seasons of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Having credited appearances in 400 episodes in the Law & Order franchise, Cragen has appeared in the third-most episodes of any character in the franchise; this mark is surpassed only by Olivia Benson and Fin Tutuola, main characters on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

Law & Order is a media franchise composed of a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and produced by Wolf Entertainment. They were originally broadcast on NBC, and all of them deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system. Together, the original series, its various spin-offs, the TV film, and crossover episodes from other shows constitute over 1,000 hours of programming.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 1) Season of television series

The first season of Law & Order premiered on NBC on September 13, 1990, and concluded on June 9, 1991. The season consists of 22 episodes. It was the only season to feature George Dzundza as Max Greevey. It was the first season to include a longer opening sequence and theme. And it was also the first season to include Chris Noth as Junior Detective Mike Logan, Dann Florek as Captain Donald Cragen, Michael Moriarty as Executive Assistant District Attorney Ben Stone, Richard Brooks as Assistant District Attorney Paul Robinette and Steven Hill as District Attorney Adam Schiff.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 4) Season of television series

The fourth season of Law & Order aired on NBC between September 15, 1993, and May 25, 1994. This is the final season to feature Michael Moriarty as Ben Stone. It is also the first season to include a shorter opening sequence and theme, which would be used for the remainder of the series' run. Season four was released on DVD December 6, 2005.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 5) Season of television series

The fifth season of Law & Order aired on NBC between September 21, 1994, and May 24, 1995.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 6) Season of television series

The sixth season of Law & Order aired on NBC between September 20, 1995, and May 22, 1996.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 7) Season of television series

The following is a list of Law & Order episodes from the series' seventh season (1996–1997): During the 7th season, Law & Order was becoming more popular than ever on television and was NBC's 2nd most-popular drama; however, the ratings were usually half the size of the network's hit drama ER. NBC decided to give Law & Order some additional promotion by airing episodes 149 "D-Girl", 150 "Turnaround" & 151 "Showtime" on Thursday nights at 10pm ET instead of ER reruns. Ratings for all three episodes were strong and helped establish the show on NBC's schedule for years to come. Episode 152 "Mad Dog" was supposed to air on a Thursday night as well, but NBC moved Law & Order back to Wednesdays at 10pm ET when their midseason show, the police drama Prince Street, bombed in the ratings in that same time slot. Law & Order won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series for their work in the 7th season.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 10) Season of television series

The 10th season of Law & Order premiered on NBC, September 22, 1999 alongside Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and ended May 24, 2000. Executive Producers René Balcer and Ed Sherin both left the show at the end of the season. This is the final season to feature Steven Hill as Adam Schiff, who was the last original cast member.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 14) Season of television series

The 14th season of Law & Order premiered on September 24, 2003 and concluded on May 19, 2004 on NBC which remained unchanged. The season consists of 24 episodes. This is the final season to feature Jerry Orbach as Det. Lennie Briscoe. The character was transferred to the spin-off Law & Order: Trial by Jury. Orbach appeared in only two episodes of the show, dying of prostate cancer on December 28, 2004. In May 2004, it was announced that Dennis Farina would be replacing Jerry Orbach as Detective Joe Fontana. Having moved over to the third Law & Order spin-off, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Orbach only filmed two episodes of the series before his death in December 2004 Season 14 was released on DVD, September 14, 2004 & the slimline reissue set was released on February 25, 2014.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 15) Season of television series

The 15th season of Law & Order premiered on NBC with a two-hour premiere on September 22, 2004, and concluded on May 18, 2005. This is the last season to feature Elisabeth Rohm before she was replaced by Annie Parisse.

Payback (<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i>) 1st episode of the 1st season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

"Payback" is the pilot episode of the police procedural television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, the first spinoff of the original Law & Order series. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on September 20, 1999. In the episode, the detectives of the Special Victims Unit investigate a taxi-cab driver's brutal murder and castration. Detective Olivia Benson becomes personally involved in the case after discovering that the taxi driver was a rapist and murderer himself.

Acceptable Loss (<i>Law & Order: Special Victims Unit</i>) 4th episode of the 14th season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

"Acceptable Loss" is the fourth episode of the fourteenth season of the police procedural television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, it is the series' 299th episode overall. It originally aired on NBC on October 17, 2012. In this episode, Captain Cragen comes back from his suspension just as the Special Victims Unit is being stopped by Lieutenant Eames for uncovering a sex trafficking operation, leaving Detective Benson to figure out another way to free the enslaved women.

<i>Law & Order</i> (season 21) Season of television series

The twenty-first season of Law & Order, an American police procedural and legal drama, was ordered by NBC on September 28, 2021, over a decade after its original cancellation on May 24, 2010. The season began airing on February 24, 2022, as a mid-season replacement during the 2021–2022 broadcast season. Due to such status, the season consists of only 10 episodes. In May 2022, the series was renewed for a twenty-second season.

References

  1. ↑ McCann, Bob (2022). Encyclopedia of African American Actresses in Film and Television. McFarland. p. 227. ISBN   978-1-4766-9140-4.
  2. ↑ Romanko, Karen A. (2016-03-01). Television's Female Spies and Crimefighters: 600 Characters and Shows, 1950s to the Present. McFarland. pp. 213–214. ISBN   978-1-4766-2415-0.
  3. ↑ Leonard, David J.; Robbins, Stephanie Troutman (2021). Race in American Television: Voices and Visions that Shaped a Nation [2 volumes]. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 397. ISBN   978-1-4408-4306-8.
  4. ↑ "Star's Law & Order character makes television history". The Daily Oklahoman. 2008-03-19. p. 82. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  5. ↑ "S. Epatha Merkerson achieves a position of power on TV". The Baltimore Sun. 1997-03-30. p. 61. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  6. ↑ "HBO to air new film 'Lackawanna Blues'". The Ithaca Journal. 2005-02-11. p. 18. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  7. ↑ Moore, Frazier (2010-05-20). "Two-decade run for 'Law & Order' cut short". The Daily Journal. Associated Press. p. 15. Retrieved 2023-08-02.
  8. ↑ Moorti, Sujata; Cuklanz, Lisa (2016-12-18). All-American TV Crime Drama: Feminism and Identity Politics in Law and Order: Special Victims Unit. Bloomsbury Publishing. p. 209. ISBN   978-1-78673-161-6.
  9. ↑ Sepinwall, Alan; Seitz, Matt Zoller (2016). TV (The Book): Two Experts Pick the Greatest American Shows of All Time. Grand Central Publishing. pp. n.p. ISBN   978-1-4555-8820-6.
  10. ↑ Hein, John F. (2013). Inside Internal Affairs: An In-depth Look at the People, Process & Politics. Looseleaf Law Publications. p. 63. ISBN   978-1-60885-052-5.
  11. 1 2 3 "Competence". Law & Order. Season 5. Episode 6. November 2, 1994. NBC.
  12. ↑ "Ritual". Law & Order. Season 8. Episode 10. December 17, 1997. NBC.
  13. ↑ "Monster". Law & Order. Season 8. Episode 24. May 20, 1998. NBC.
  14. ↑ "Myth of Fingerprints". Law & Order. Season 12. Episode 7. November 14, 2001. NBC.
  15. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie. (2021) Camryn Manheim Joins ‘Law & Order’ Revival On NBC. Deadline. [online] Available at: https://deadline.com/2021/12/camryn-manheim-cast-law-order-revival-nbc-season-21-1234888572/ (Accessed: October 11th 2023).
  16. 1 2 "Over Here". Law & Order. Season 17. Episode 21. May 11, 2007. NBC.
  17. ↑ "Scoundrels". Law & Order. Season 5. Episode 9. November 30, 1994. NBC.
  18. ↑ "Just A Girl in the World". Law & Order. Season 20. Episode 2. October 2, 2009. NBC.
  19. ↑ "Suicide Box". Law & Order. Season 13. Episode 16. March 26, 2003. NBC.
  20. ↑ "Mother's Day". Law & Order. Season 13. Episode 10. January 8, 2003. NBC.
  21. ↑ "Fame". Law & Order. Season 17. Episode 1. September 22, 2006. NBC.
  22. ↑ "Slave". Law & Order. Season 6. Episode 19. April 21, 2006. NBC.
  23. ↑ "Scrambled". Law & Order. Season 9. Episode 6. November 11, 1998. NBC.
  24. ↑ "Embedded". Law & Order. Season 14. Episode 18. November 19, 2003. NBC.
  25. ↑ "License to Kill". Law & Order. Season 15. Episode 17. February 23, 2005. NBC.
  26. ↑ "Memo from the Dark Side". Law & Order. Season 20. Episode 1. September 25, 2009. NBC.
  27. ↑ "Human Flesh Search Engine". Law & Order. Season 20. Episode 6. October 30, 2009. NBC.
  28. ↑ "Boy Gone Astray". Law & Order. Season 20. Episode 7. November 6, 2009. NBC.
  29. ↑ "Rubber Room". Law & Order. Season 20. Episode 23. May 24, 2010. NBC.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.