The Law & Order character you’ve probably forgotten played Shameless’ Emmy Rossum

In 1997, Emmy Rossum played Alison Martin in Season 8 Episode 10, “Ritual” of Law & Order. The character is the daughter of Eric Martin (Cotter Smith), the man suspected of killing his wife’s uncle. The uncle was killed for hiring an Egyptian doctor, with the support of his family, to perform a female circumcision on Alison. Eric believed he was forced to act to protect his daughter from his wife’s family. IMDb describes investigators in the episode as “confronting a conflict between cultural beliefs and the law.”

At the end of the episode, Eric Martin accepts a reduced sentence as long as his wife relinquishes custody of Alison to his parents (via TV Tropes).

Law & Order originally debuted in 1990 and was recently brought back by NBC in 2022. Fans will be surprised to find out that the “Shameless” actress isn’t the only well-known actor to start his career on the show. Some other stars who have appeared on Law & Order include Adam Driver, Timothée Chalamet, Elizabeth Banks, John Krasinski, Rooney Mara, Jennifer Garner and many others.

Rossum will soon be collaborating with Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried on The Crowded Room, an anthology drama coming to Apple TV+. Meanwhile, the Law & Order brand has a history-making transition between all three shows taking place on Thursday, September 22nd. This will serve as the premiere for Season 24 of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Season 3 of Law & Order: Organized Crime and Season 22 of Law & Order.