Ben Hammer

Actor Ben Hammer developed a knack for portraying authority figures in television and movies, during a career that has covered over half a century. However, due to mostly one-off or short-lived appearances on television shows, Hammer never truly received the "breakthrough role" that many of his peers were lucky to obtain. Hammer initially got his start in acting during the early 1950s, via appearances on such early television shows as "The Plymouth Playhouse" and "Goodyear Playhouse." In the ensuing decades, Hammer has appeared in some of television's most renowned shows ("Peter Gunn," "Bonanza," "The Six Million Dollar Man," "Kojak," "The Incredible Hulk," "Barney Miller," etc.), but again, few of these roles lasted more than one episode. In fact, his longest-lasting role, as Judge Herman Mooney on "Law & Order," did not arrive until the early 1990s (10 episodes from 1991 through 2002). Although primarily a television actor, Hammer has also appeared in countless films over the years, including "The Beastmaster," "Mannequin," and "The Last New Yorker," to name but a few.