CHRIS SARANDON GUEST-STARS AS A DEFENSE ATTORNEY IN A CONTROVERSIAL 'LAW & ORDER' EPISODE RIPPED FROM THE HEADLINES ON NBC NOVEMBER 10

NEW YORK -- November 8, 2004 -- Chris Sarandon ("The Princess Bride"and "Dog Day Afternoon") guest-stars as defense attorney, Harold Pincham, in the "Gov Love" episode of NBC's "Law & Order" -- which centers on the issue of spousal confidentiality in a same-sex marriage on Wednesday, Nov. 10 (10-11 p.m. ET). In speaking about his appearance, Sarandon said, "The show's writers have handled the issue with clarity and fairness, while not shortchanging the classic "Law & Order" format. I'm proud to have been a part of this rich, revealing episode."

In this controversial episode, Detectives Fontana (Dennis Farina) and Green (Jesse L. Martin) follow the sensational murder of the wife of Connecticut Governor Riordan (guest star Robin Thomas) -- but their spadework turns up a corrupt developer (guest star Zeljko Ivanek) whose business and romantic links to Riordan cause the official to step down in shame. However, A.D.A. McCoy (Sam Waterston) is stymied when he can't get a third man (guest star Jeremy Webb) to testify against the crooked business exec after he claims to have already married him, forcing the dogged McCoy to take the crucial gay marriage issue before the state's Supreme Court.

Sarandon made his film debut as Al Pacino's confused lover in "Dog Day Afternoon" for which he was nominated for an Academy Award as Best Supporting Actor. He appeared in other feature films, such as "Lipstick," "Cuba," "The Osterman Weekend," "Protocol," "The Princess Bride," "Fright Night," "Childsplay," "Slaves of New York," "Flight 007," "Bordello of Blood" and "Just Cause."

On television Sarandon appeared in the Hallmark Hall of Fame production "You Can't Go Home Again" and "A Tale of Two Cities." Last year, Sarandon was a series regular on the short -lived series "The Court" and guest-starred on NBC's "ER."

"Law & Order" is a Wolf Films production in association with NBC Universal Television Studio. Dick Wolf is creator and executive producer; Matthew Penn, Eric Overmyer, Peter Jankowski and Roz Weinman are executive producers.