Veteran character actor Mark Blum passed away on Wednesday in a hospital in New York.
He died from complications arising from COVID-19, the disease associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
Blum was a career stage actor who got his start on Broadway in the ’70s. However, it was his movie and television roles that brought him fame and worldwide fans.
In movies, he was best known for his roles in Desperately Seeking Susan (1985) and Crocodile Dundee (1986).
Television saw him perform in multiple parts over four decades, but he was best known for his work on the Law and Order Franchise.
Who did Mark Blum play in Law and Order?
Mark Blum played six different characters across the Law and Order franchise.
He played three characters on the original Law and Order series, two on Law and Order: Criminal Intent, and one on Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.
He appeared twice on Law and Order as Brooklyn Assistant District Attorney Frank Lazar. Lazar was known for having a particularly antagonistic relationship with the Jack McCoy character played by Sam Waterston.
Blum played Lazar twice, once in 1993 in the Jurisdiction episode, and again in 1998 in Agony.
In Jurisdiction, Blum’s character, Lazar, is working on the case of a murdered nurse and ends up having to quit after making an embarrassing mistake.
In the Agony episode, Lazar returns to represent a man accused of killing a mailman.
Mark Blum played multiple roles on Law and Order franchise
Blum’s second appearance on the show was in 1995 when he played defense attorney Michael Aronson in Seed. He also had a small role in 2009 as the Expert Doctor in Dignity.
He appeared in Law and Order: CI as Dr. Philip Oliver in 2003 in Con-text and again in 2006 as Professor Larry Lewis in Proud Flesh.
His final appearance in the franchise was in 2011 on Law and Order: SVU’s Personal Fouls as David Arnoff.
Tributes flooded in for Mark Blum
The Playwright Horizons theater led the tributes on Twitter and thanked Blum for all he “brought to our theater, and to theaters and audiences across the world. We will miss you.”
With love and heavy hearts, Playwrights Horizons pays tribute to Mark Blum, a dear longtime friend and a consummate artist who passed this week. Thank you, Mark, for all you brought to our theater, and to theaters and audiences across the world. We will miss you. pic.twitter.com/NMVZFB5hPb
— Playwrights Horizons (@phnyc) March 26, 2020
The vice-president of SAG-AFTRA, Rebecca Damon, said Blum “was a dedicated Screen Actors Guild and SAG-AFTRA board member serving from 2007-2013,” and referred to him as “a gifted actor, a master teacher, a loyal friend, and a beautiful human.”
It is with such deep sorrow that I’m writing to share the news that our friend and former board member Mark Blum has passed away as a result of complications from the coronavirus. Mark was a dedicated Screen Actors Guild and SAG-AFTRA board member serving from 2007-2013, pic.twitter.com/aA3yPfOwh7
— Rebecca Damon (@RebeccaDamonNYC) March 26, 2020
The death of Law and Order: SVU costume designer, Josh Wallwork was also announced on Thursday. Also, this week, Top Chef Masters winner Floyd Cardoz died at 59-years-old from coronavirus.