Steven Hill

Steven Hill (born Solomon Krakovsky; ; February 24, 1922 – August 23, 2016) was an American actor. He is best known for his television roles as district attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC television drama series Law & Order (1990–2000) and Dan Briggs on the CBS action television series Mission: Impossible (1966–1967). For the former, he received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. His film roles include The Goddess (1958), A Child Is Waiting (1963), The Slender Thread (1965), Yentl (1983), Raw Deal (1986), Running on Empty (1988), Billy Bathgate (1991), and The Firm (1993). Early life Hill was born Solomon Krakovsky in Seattle, Washington, to Russian Jewish immigrants. His father owned a furniture store. He decided to become an actor at age six when he played the lead in The Pied Piper of Hamelin. After graduating from Garfield High School in 1939, Hill (known at the time as Sol Krakovsky) attended the University of Washington and served four years in the United States Navy during World War II. He graduated from the University of Washington and moved first to Chicago and then to New York City to pursue an acting career.