Law & Order: SVU first aired in 1999, and it is going into its 17th season this fall. Even if you consider yourself a hardcore fan, it can be difficult to keep track of the show’s countless guest stars. Many actors who had one-time roles on SVU went on to become huge stars. Here are 15 celebrities you probably didn’t know were once on Law & Order: SVU.
1. Natasha Lyonne
Season 13, Episode 8
Natasha Lyonne is one of many Orange is the New Black cast members to appear on SVU.
2. Amanda Seyfried
Season 6, Episode 5
Shortly after the release of Mean Girls, Amanda Seyfried was on SVU as a teenage girl who couldn’t keep her story straight.
3. Jesse McCartney
Season 10, Episode 6
Who knew that our favorite middle-school heartthrob had a one-time role on SVU?
4. Hilary Duff
Season 10, Episode 19
Speaking of throwbacks, Hilary Duff graced SVU with her presence in 2009.
5. Kate Mara
Season 2, Episode 9
You know her from House of Cards, but more than 10 years earlier, Kate Mara played a competitive gymnast on SVU.
6. Sarah Hyland
Season 3, Episode 1
Season 10, Episode 12
The Modern Family starlet was actually in two different SVU episodes.
7. Hayden Panettiere
Season 2, Episode 11
Season 6, Episode 15
Before Nashville or even Heroes, you could find Hayden Panettiere on SVU.
8. Elizabeth Banks
Season 3, Episode 7
You probably know her as Effie Trinket from The Hunger Games films, but back in 2001, Elizabeth Banks added SVU to her long list of acting credits.
9. Bradley Cooper
Season 6, Episode 20
Even People’s 2011 “Sexiest Man Alive” had his time on SVU.
10. Ty Burrell
Season 3, Episode 15
Another Modern Family cast member, Ty Burrell, can be seen in an early SVU episode.
11. Emily Deschanel
Season 3, Episode 17
Bones star Emily Deschanel played a concert cellist in her episode of SVU.
12. Abigail Breslin
Season 6, Episode 1
Abigail Breslin may be all grown up, but she was only 8 years old when she guest-starred on SVU.
13. Brittany Snow
Season 7, Episode 22
Before playing a collegiette in Pitch Perfect, Brittany Snow portrayed a pre-collegiette who suffered from bipolar disorder.
14. Elle Fanning
Season 8, Episode 8
You’ll most likely recognize her now from Maleficent, but Elle Fanning has been acting since she was almost 3 years old. At age 8, she was in a super creepy SVU episode.
15. Ian Somerhalder
Season 4, Episode 20
The Vampire Diaries hottie Ian Somerhalder was one of SVU’s most disturbing guest stars of all time.
Now that you're in the mood to binge-watch SVU, see if you can find your favorite actors and actresses before they were famous!
