Sam Waterston is returning for his 17th season as District Attorney Jack McCoy on NBC's "Law & Order," which premieres its 21st season on Thursday, Feb. 24 at 8 p.m. ET/PT.

SAM WATERSTON BIO

Sam Waterston was born in 1940 in Cambridge, Mass., where his father was a language teacher and his mother a landscape painter. He attended Brooks and Groton prep schools before earning a scholarship to Yale University, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1962. Later that year, Waterston made his New York debut at the Phoenix Theater in "Oh Dad, Poor Dad, Mama's Hung You in the Closet and I'm Feelin' So Sad."

Over the next five decades, Waterston's career has included a plethora of film and television credits as well as repeated returns to the stage. His trophy case includes an Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild Award as well as an OBIE and Drama Desk for theater. Other accolades include an Academy Award nomination for his role as journalist Sydney Schanberg in 1984's "The Killing Fields" and six Emmy nominations for his roles in "I'll Fly Away" and "Law & Order."

Waterston co-starred on Aaron Sorkin's "The Newsroom" for HBO and soon can be seen in the final season of Netflix's "Grace and Frankie," opposite Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and Martin Sheen. In 2022 Waterson will be featured in the Hulu limited series "The Dropout," opposite Amanda Seyfried and William H Macy.

A passionate activist for decades, Waterston is currently Chairman of the Board of Oceana, the world's preeminent ocean conservation NGO, and also serves on the Board of Refugees International.

DICK WOLF QUOTE

"Very few casting announcements have ever given me this much pleasure," said executive producer Dick Wolf. "Since day one, Sam has had perfect pitch when it comes to Jack McCoy as a character who both reflects and expands our ability to understand the law. He is the ultimate conscience of the show and I look forward to him emulating the career of New York District Attorney Robert Morgenthau, who served until he was 90. With both Sam and Anthony (Anderson) returning, it shows that the 21st season is merely a continuation of where we left off."

REPPED BY

Keith Addis and Mike Abrams at Industry Entertainment and attorney Bill Sobel of Edelstein Laird and Sobel

'LAW & ORDER'

NBC is bringing back one of its most treasured and honored dramas with the 21st season of "Law & Order." The series, which will continue the classic bifurcated format that was created for its original run, will once again examine "the police who investigate crime and the district attorneys who prosecute the offenders."

"Law & Order" is executive produced by Dick Wolf, Rick Eid, Arthur Forney and Peter Jankowski. The series will be produced by Universal Television, a division of Universal Studio Group, in association with Wolf Entertainment.

Cast: Anthony Anderson, Hugh Dancy, Jeffrey Donovan, Camryn Manheim and Odelya Halevi