BROADWAY ORIGINAL "RENT" STAR JESSE L. MARTIN ('LAW & ORDER') WILL RECUR IN NBC'S "SMASH" OVER ARC OF SIX EPISODES WHEN SERIES RETURNS IN MID-SEASON

UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif. - September 14, 2012 - "Law & Order" star Jesse L. Martin - one of the original members of the Tony-winning "Rent" Broadway cast - will recur over an arc of six episodes in NBC's "Smash" and will sing in some episodes when the musical drama series returns at mid-season.

Martin will play Scott Welker, who is the artistic director of the Manhattan Theatre Workshop whose story crosses with virtually every cast member.

After an extensive career on Broadway in "Rent" and other productions, Martin initially attracted attention on television for his portrayal of a doctor who was the love interest for the title character in "Ally McBeal." He then played Detective Ed Green on "Law & Order" from 1999 to 2008 and later starred on the series "The Philanthropist."

Martin later returned to the stage in "The Merchant of Venice" and "A Winter's Tale" at the Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. He accompanied "The Merchant of Venice" when it was later staged at the Broadhurst Theater in New York.

"Smash" is a musical drama that celebrates the beauty and heartbreak of the Broadway theater as it follows a cross-section of dreamers and schemers who all have one common desire - to be a Broadway star. The series stars Emmy Award winner Debra Messing ("Will & Grace"), Oscar winner Anjelica Huston ("Prizzi's Honor"), Jack Davenport ("Pirates of the Caribbean" films), Tony Award winner Christian Borle ("Peter and the Starcatcher"), Katharine McPhee ("American Idol"), Megan Hilty ("9 to 5: The Musical"), Tony Award nominee Jeremy Jordan ("Newsies"), Andy Mientus ("Spring Awakening"), Leslie Odom Jr. ("Leap of Faith") and Krysta Rodriguez ("Spring Awakening").

From Universal Television in association with DreamWorks Television, "Smash" stemmed from an idea of executive producer and multiple Emmy and Oscar winner Steven Spielberg ("ER," "Schindler's List"). The series' executive producers also include Joshua Safran ("Gossip Girl"), Craig Zadan and Neil Meron (Oscar-winning "Chicago," "Hairspray"), Darryl Frank and Justin Falvey ("United States of Tara," "The Borgias"), Tony and Grammy Award winners Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman ("Hairspray," "Catch Me If You Can"), Jim Chory ("Heroes," "American Dreams") and Theresa Rebeck ("Mauritius," "NYPD Blue").