Maxwell Greevey
Encyclopedia
Sgt. Max Greevey is a fictional character
played by George Dzundza
on NBC
's long running police procedural
and legal drama
television series Law & Order
. He was featured on the show throughout its first season, 1990 to 1991.
detective working in Manhattan
's 27th Detective Squad. He began his career in the 1960s, partnered with Don Cragen (Dann Florek
). Though still a detective in the pilot
, by the time of the series he was promoted to sergeant and partnered with Mike Logan
(Chris Noth
), with Cragen as their captain. Greevey was very close to Logan, even while having authority over him, providing his young partner with advice and someone to confide in.
Greevey was happily married to his wife Marie, with whom he had three children. His life as a devoted family man, as well as his conservative
Catholic
faith, often led him to look down upon people, even murder
victims, whose lifestyles he disapproved of. For example, his opposition to abortion
made him uncomfortable investigating the bombing of a family planning
clinic and caused some friction with pro-choice
Logan.
Greevey also harbored an open distrust of doctors, stemming from an incident in which he was attacked by a suspect who hit him in the head. He began slurring his speech and sought advice from a doctor, who pronounced that he had an inoperable brain tumor
. Greevey sought a second opinion
, and learned that it was a subdural hematoma
, and the following month was completely healthy.
. His character's departure was addressed in the opening of the second season premiere, wherein Greevey—who was played by an uncredited stunt double in this episode—was shot outside his own home the night before he was set to testify before a grand jury. Greevey was replaced by Sgt. Phil Cerreta (Paul Sorvino
).
Greevey is the first detective within the Law & Order franchise
to have been killed in the line of duty.
. Prior to his death, Greevey had worked on a case involving the murder of a college student named Jennifer Talmadge, and the disappearance of her infant son, Stephen. He took the case very seriously, working on it on his off time. After Greevey's death, Cragen took the case over and kept in touch with her parents.
In the episode, Cragen, by now the head of the titular sex crimes unit, finds Stephen Talmadge while investigating a corrupt adoption
agency. Cragen and his detectives later determine that the wife of Stephen's biological father killed Jennifer Talmadge and gave Stephen to the adoption agency. In the end, Stephen's biological father wins custody of him.
Fictional character
A character is the representation of a person in a narrative work of art . Derived from the ancient Greek word kharaktêr , the earliest use in English, in this sense, dates from the Restoration, although it became widely used after its appearance in Tom Jones in 1749. From this, the sense of...
played by George Dzundza
George Dzundza
George Dzundza is an American television and film actor.-Personal life:Dzundza was born in Rosenheim, Germany, to a Ukrainian father and Polish mother who were forced into factory labour by the Nazis. He spent the first few years of his life in displaced persons camps with his parents and one...
on NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
's long running police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
and legal drama
Legal drama
A legal drama is a work of dramatic fiction about crime and civil litigation. Subtypes of legal dramas include courtroom dramas and legal thrillers, and come in all forms, including novels, television shows, and films. Legal drama sometimes overlap with crime drama, most notably in the case of Law...
television series Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
. He was featured on the show throughout its first season, 1990 to 1991.
In Law & Order
Greevey was a homicideHomicide
Homicide refers to the act of a human killing another human. Murder, for example, is a type of homicide. It can also describe a person who has committed such an act, though this use is rare in modern English...
detective working in Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
's 27th Detective Squad. He began his career in the 1960s, partnered with Don Cragen (Dann Florek
Dann Florek
Ezekial Dann Florek , professional name Dann Florek, is an American actor and director.-Early life:Florek was born in Flat Rock, Michigan. He attended Eastern Michigan University, but never graduated...
). Though still a detective in the pilot
Everybody's Favorite Bagman
"Everybody's Favorite Bagman" originally aired on October 30, 1990 as the sixth episode of NBC's legal drama Law & Order. It was produced in 1988 and was the intended pilot episode of the series.-Plot:...
, by the time of the series he was promoted to sergeant and partnered with Mike Logan
Mike Logan (Law & Order)
Michael "Mike" Logan is a fictional character in the police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order franchise, played by Chris Noth.-History in the franchise:...
(Chris Noth
Chris Noth
Christopher David "Chris" Noth is an American actor. He is known for long-running television roles as Det. Mike Logan on the police procedural and legal drama television series, Law & Order and Law & Order: Criminal Intent, and as Big on Sex and the City. For the latter role, he has been...
), with Cragen as their captain. Greevey was very close to Logan, even while having authority over him, providing his young partner with advice and someone to confide in.
Greevey was happily married to his wife Marie, with whom he had three children. His life as a devoted family man, as well as his conservative
Conservative Christianity
Conservative Christianity is a term applied to a number of groups or movements seen as giving priority to traditional Christian beliefs and practices...
Catholic
Catholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
faith, often led him to look down upon people, even murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
victims, whose lifestyles he disapproved of. For example, his opposition to abortion
Abortion
Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...
made him uncomfortable investigating the bombing of a family planning
Family planning
Family planning is the planning of when to have children, and the use of birth control and other techniques to implement such plans. Other techniques commonly used include sexuality education, prevention and management of sexually transmitted infections, pre-conception counseling and...
clinic and caused some friction with pro-choice
Pro-choice
Support for the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-choice movement, a sociopolitical movement supporting the ethical view that a woman should have the legal right to elective abortion, meaning the right to terminate her pregnancy....
Logan.
Greevey also harbored an open distrust of doctors, stemming from an incident in which he was attacked by a suspect who hit him in the head. He began slurring his speech and sought advice from a doctor, who pronounced that he had an inoperable brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. Greevey sought a second opinion
Second opinion (medicine)
A second opinion is a visit to a physician other than the one a patient has previously been seeing in order to get a differing point-of-view. Second opinions may be sought by a patient under the following circumstances:*Physician recommends surgery....
, and learned that it was a subdural hematoma
Subdural hematoma
A subdural hematoma or subdural haematoma , also known as a subdural haemorrhage , is a type of haematoma, a form of traumatic brain injury. Blood gathers within the outermost meningeal layer, between the dura mater, which adheres to the skull, and the arachnoid mater, which envelops the brain...
, and the following month was completely healthy.
Departure
After only one season on the show, George Dzundza left the cast of Law & Order, making his last full appearance in The Blue WallThe Blue Wall
"The Blue Wall" is the twenty-second episode of NBC's legal drama Law & Order. It originally aired on June 9, 1991.-Plot:Suspicion grows in the department after incriminating evidence is erased. When Cragen is implicated in the internal affairs investigation, the detectives and prosecutors work...
. His character's departure was addressed in the opening of the second season premiere, wherein Greevey—who was played by an uncredited stunt double in this episode—was shot outside his own home the night before he was set to testify before a grand jury. Greevey was replaced by Sgt. Phil Cerreta (Paul Sorvino
Paul Sorvino
Paul Anthony Sorvino is an American actor. He often portrays authority figures on both sides of the law, and is possibly best known for his roles as Paulie Cicero, a portrayal of Paul Vario in the film Goodfellas and Sgt. Phil Cerreta on the police procedural and legal drama television series Law...
).
Greevey is the first detective within the Law & Order franchise
Law & Order (franchise)
The Law & Order franchise is a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and originally broadcast on NBC, all of which deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system...
to have been killed in the line of duty.
SVU connection
Greevey is mentioned in a 2001 episode of the spinoff series Law & Order: Special Victims UnitLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
. Prior to his death, Greevey had worked on a case involving the murder of a college student named Jennifer Talmadge, and the disappearance of her infant son, Stephen. He took the case very seriously, working on it on his off time. After Greevey's death, Cragen took the case over and kept in touch with her parents.
In the episode, Cragen, by now the head of the titular sex crimes unit, finds Stephen Talmadge while investigating a corrupt adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
agency. Cragen and his detectives later determine that the wife of Stephen's biological father killed Jennifer Talmadge and gave Stephen to the adoption agency. In the end, Stephen's biological father wins custody of him.