Law & Order's Sam Waterston Played Abraham Lincoln In Two Civil War TV Shows

Sam Waterston's performance as Jack McCoy in "Law & Order" helped make him convincing as one of the smartest TV lawyers of all time, but he's also got what it takes to be presidential. 

Waterston was eager to play Abraham Lincoln in the 1988 miniseries "Lincoln." "For a long time I had it in the back of my mind that I'd like to play him," he told the press at the time. "I thought it would be good compensation for being tall and thin and having a skinny face." However, Waterston didn't rely on physical similarities alone. At the Library of Congress, he immersed himself in Lincoln's life and even had the opportunity to hold some of the late president's personal effects from the night of his assassination. "It was a very electric thing," Waterston later recalled to Civil War Times (via HistoryNet).

Mary Tyler Moore co-starred as Mary Todd Lincoln in the series, which was based on a book by Gore Vidal. Although Moore received an Emmy nomination for her performance, out of all her memorable roles, this was her one and only time playing the former first lady. In contrast, Waterston reprised his role in Ken Burns' 1990 documentary "The Civil War." Waterston's previous studies on the president's likely accent made all the difference, since, in this project, he was only heard, not seen. While we don't have any way of knowing exactly how Lincoln sounded, Waterston pieced together as many clues as possible, and, in 2011, one authority on the president's voice deemed Waterson's portrayal the most accurate at the time.

Sam Waterston's affinity for portraying Abraham Lincoln even continued after his two TV performances. Between November 1993 and January 1994, he played the role on stage in "Abe Lincoln in Illinois." 

While Waterston became familiar with reciting Lincoln's famous Gettysburg address, in 2004, he also performed one of Lincoln's lesser-known orations, which the president gave in Cooper Union, New York, months before he won the 1860 presidential election. A few months later, Waterston also participated in a tribute to Lincoln at the White House, along with then-President George W. Bush. The presentation, which was broadcast on C-SPAN, offered a fascinating look at Waterston's vocal transformation abilities. The veteran actor appeared at the podium dressed in modern attire and set the scene in his own voice, slipping seamlessly into his Lincoln accent when he read the president's own words. 

In his interview with Civil War Times, Waterston revealed that he doesn't even need an audience to segue into his characterization of Lincoln — just a visit to the Lincoln Memorial. "I've dragged my wife there on numerous occasions around midnight, so I could read out loud the speeches carved on its walls. It sort of makes the floors tremble, it's so powerful." At the same time, Waterson isn't afraid to leave a beloved role behind, including his "Law & Order" character, Jack McCoy. He feels similarly about Lincoln, especially in light of Daniel Day-Lewis' performance in the 2012 feature film. "I don't think I'll be performing Abraham Lincoln much more," Waterston said. "But never say never."