Everything about Donald Cragen totally explained
Capt. Don Cragen is a fictional character in the TV drama
Law & Order and its spinoff, played by
Dann Florek.
Character appearances
Florek originally portrayed the character from 1990 to 1993 in the original
Law & Order. He went on to reprise his role on
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit from its premiere in 1999 to the present. Besides
Mike Logan (played by
Chris Noth) Cragen is the only original character of
Law & Order to still star in the
franchise.
In Law & Order
After fighting in
Vietnam, Cragen began his career as a
homicide detective in the
1960s with partner
Max Greevey (
George Dzundza), gradually rising up through the ranks to police captain. As revealed in the (
L&O: "Prescription for Death"), Cragen was an
alcoholic for much of his early career, but goes
sober after pulling a gun on a taxi driver in a drunken rage when he was still a detective. He doesn't touch another drop, even in 2000 when he brought a bottle of an unidentified liquid to share with
Olivia Benson (
Mariska Hargitay), following the death of his wife, Marge, a flight attendant. While he tries for the most part to downplay his ongoing recovery, he occasionally opens up about its role in his life; in the (
SVU: "Slaves"), for example, he admits to a police psychiatrist that he's daily tempted to relapse in order to escape the horrors he sees every day in his job. It is revealed during the series that Cragen and his wife never had children, but no reason for this is ever given.
In the 1991 (
L&O: "The Blue Wall"), Cragen is investigated by
internal affairs for
corruption; during the investigation to prove his innocence, he discovers that he's being framed by his former captain and mentor, whom he turns in. He has maintained bitter relations with the police
bureaucracy ever since. The same year, in the episode (
L&O: "Confession"), his former partner and longtime friend
Max Greevey is
murdered. Cragen was removed from the series following the episode (
L&O: "Benevolence") for an unknown reason; it was later explained that he'd transferred out of the department. He was replaced by
Anita Van Buren (
S. Epatha Merkerson).
Outside Law & Order
He goes on to head the Anti-Corruption Task Force. As portrayed in the 1998 TV movie, Cragen next comes into contact with the 27th Precinct while attempting to bust
Mafia boss Don Giancarlo Uzielli for the murders of 15 people. During that investigation, he discovers that there isn't only a cop in the 27th precinct on Uzielli's payroll, but that his former detective from homicide,
Mike Logan (
Chris Noth), is interfering with the investigation of the Don by investigating a murder of his own. With Logan's help, Cragen discovers the identity of the corrupt officer: his former detective, and trusted friend,
Tony Profaci (
John Fiore).
In SVU
In 1999, Cragen transferred out of the Anti-Corruption Task Force to a new bureau, called the "
Special Victims Unit", which investigates
sex crimes. The new job is a way to cope with Marge's death.
Cragen is portrayed as a somewhat stern but understanding father figure to the detectives who work under him and he gives them a great deal of leniency because he trusts their ability to get results, although he'd an early habit of haranguing them about the weaknesses of their investigations. He also maintained friendships with Logan (now a member of the Major Case Squad on ) and
Lennie Briscoe (
Jerry Orbach), his former detectives from Homicide. Cragen had differences in philosophy with psychologist, Dr. Emil Skoda, and they argued passionately on cases. This displeasure and lack of trust led to the change for Dr. George Huang being the psychologist the SVU team consulted.
In the season 5 episode (
SVU: "Criminal"), a convict whom Cragen arrested in the early 1970s for murder is now out on parole and is, of all things, a criminology professor who is being framed for a crime. Cragen takes on the case personally only to discover that a man can change after 30 years of being locked up.
In 2001, Cragen finds a
kidnapped boy he and Greevey had been assigned to find in 1991 while investigating a corrupt adoption agency. Cragen and his detectives later determined that the wife of the boy's biological father killed his mother and gave the baby to the adoption agency, where he was given a home. In the end, the boy's biological father won custody of him.
In the Season 9 opener he's forced to transfer to another department (the office of the Chief of Detectives) ceding control to the new Sgt.
John Munch. He returns by the end of the episode.
Work History
Further Information
Get more info on 'Donald Cragen'.
|
External Link Exchanges
Do you know how hard it is to get a link from a large encyclopaedia? Well we're different and will prove it. To get a link from us just add the following HTML to your site on a relevant page:
<a href="http://donald_cragen.totallyexplained.com">Donald Cragen Totally Explained</a>
Then simply click through this link from your web page. Our crawlers will verify your link, extract the title of your web page and instantly add a link back to it. If you like you can remove the words Totally Explained and embed the link in article text.
As long as your link remains in place, we'll keep our link to you right here. Please play fair - our crawlers are watching. Your site must be closely related to this one's topic. Any kind of spamming, dubious practises or removing the link will result in your link from us being dropped and, potentially, your whole site being banned. |
