ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602200106
SECTION: SPECTATOR PAGE: 17 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NEW YORK
SOURCE: SIMI HORWITZ THE WASHINGTON POST
Rage and revulsion flashed across Steven Hill's face as he recalled how his character, Adam Schiff, felt betrayed by a corrupt judge on a recent episode of ``Law & Order.''
``How could you do this? Think of your oath.'' With quiet intensity, Hill addressed the fictitious figure as if he were real and standing in Hill's dressing room at Pier 62 on 23rd Street in New York, facing the Hudson River.
``To me, a man's word, an oath, is such a sanctum sanctorum - a sacred trust. When you disregard your word and corrupt your job, you attack the very heart of your purpose.''
For all six of its seasons, Hill has co-starred on NBC's award-winning drama, airing Wednesday nights (at 10 on WSLS-Channel 10). He views his Manhattan district attorney as a man determined to see that justice is done, but always within the sometimes restrictive parameters of the law.
``Law & Order'' creator and executive producer Dick Wolf described Hill's role and his performance ``as the Talmudic influence on the entire Zeitgeist of the series. Steven has more moral authority than anyone else on episodic TV. He is `Law & Order's' moral keystone.''
``I take Dick's statement as a compliment,'' said Hill, looking both surprised and slightly embarrassed. ``I always saw Schiff as a man simply trying to do his job on a case-by-case basis.''
But the deliberate, thoughtful Schiff is the compass giving direction to the prosecution phase of this crime-and-punishment drama. He's the one who will tell prosecutor Sam Waterston when his ego is carrying a case in the wrong direction. He's the one to balance public and official outcry in a high-profile case against legal priorities.
And he's the one to throw in the towel occasionally, to acknowledge that his office doesn't have the resources to take a rich defendant through a retrial and endless appeals.
In short, amid the cross-currents of vanity, power, justice and the law, Steven Hill's Adam Schiff is the conscience of the show.
Hill has been an actor for more than 40 years. He has rolled up an impressive roster of critically acclaimed performances. Among his feature films: ``Eyewitness,'' ``Brighton Beach Memoirs,'' ``Heartburn,'' ``Running on Empty'' and most recently ``The Firm.''
Then there are his stage credits: original Broadway productions of ``Lady From the Sea,'' ``Mr. Roberts,'' ``The Country Girl'' and ``A Far Country,'' in which he starred as Sigmund Freud, garnering rave reviews.
Hill also was a charter member of the renowned Actors Studio. In a 1983 interview, Actors Studio founder Lee Strasberg described him as ``one of the finest actors America ever produced.''
Hill's television career dates to the early '50s. In 1954 he earned a Sylvania Award as best actor on television for his work in ``Man on a Mountaintop,'' an NBC Playhouse production. Six years later he starred as Bartolomeo Vanzetti in ``The Sacco-Vanzetti Story'' on NBC, winning an Emmy nomination. And he originated the leading role of Dan Briggs on ``Mission Impossible,'' a part he played for only one year.
``I moved on because I wanted more opportunity to develop creatively,'' he said, refusing to discuss it further. He was replaced in the part by Peter Graves.
Hill has brought endurance to his long run on ``L&O'' - the series recently marked its 100th episode. Co-starring since the first episode (he did not appear in the pilot), he has been around longer than any other cast member.
Hill, 71, commutes to the set from the upstate New York home he shares with his wife. He is the father of nine grown children.
Leaning back in his armchair, feet propped on an ottoman, he talked about his character in a quiet voice. Playing Schiff was one of the more demanding roles of his career, requiring continual soul-searching, he said. ``It's hard to imagine what it would feel like to have that much power.''
The role also required, at least in the beginning, old-fashioned research that included one afternoon spent with Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau. ``He is the genuine article,'' Hill said, ``and I was with him for hours, asking endless questions. He oversees upwards of 500 attorneys.''
Hill paused, shaking his head. ``I do not understand anything about the job, to this day. The kind of intellectual discipline that's needed, the detailed memory of past cases that a DA has to have at his fingertips and the ability and agility to handle so many different aspects of each current case - the evidence, the development and a deep familiarity with the vast realm of law.''
But Morgenthau made one remark Hill could tune in to.
``Before I left, I asked him, `Is there any one policy or slogan that defines the way you operate your office?' And he said, `To be tough, but fair.' And suddenly I understood something about the posture of that kind of character.
``What I hooked into was that sense of justice a DA must have. I think everyone has an instinctual grasp of what justice means. You learn very early what's right and wrong.''
Both Morgenthau and New York City Police Commissioner William Bratten attended the show's 100th-episode party.
LENGTH: Medium: 95 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Steven Hill stars as District Attorney Adam Schiff inby CNB``Law & Order,'' airing Wednesday at 10 p.m. on WSLS-Channel 10.