Rochelle Oliver


Rochelle Oliver is an American film, television and stage actress. Her film work includes 1918 in 1985, On Valentine's Day in 1986, Courtship in 1987, and Scent of a Woman in 1992. Her television includes a recurring roles Barbara Lamont in the early 1970s series The Best of Everything and as Judge Grace Larkin on Law & Order. Her stage work includes Toys in the Attic for which she received a Clarence Derwent Award in 1960.

Background

At the age of 17, Oliver started studying acting with Uta Hagen. She is Jewish.
It was while she was a cast member on the off-Broadway production of The Brothers Karamazov that she met her fellow cast member and husband to be, James Patterson. By 1960, they were living together in their small apartment on the upper East Side. Their marriage lasted until his death from cancer in 1972. In 1997, she became the second wife of Fritz Weaver and they remained married until Weaver's death in 2016.
Oliver is also an acting teacher and has been teaching acting since 1970. She is currently on the faculty of HB Studio in New York City.

Career

Oliver's early stage appearances include The Brothers Karamazov at Village Gate, New York City from 1956 to 1957. In 1957, she was in The Cave Dwellers, which ran at the Olney Playhouse. Also that year she was in The Diary of Anne Frank, which was at the same venue.
In 1958, she was appearing on television in the "Saw My Baby There" episode of Naked City. In 1963, she played the part of Jean Lowell in the episode "The Noose" from The Defenders. In 1970, she had a recurring role as Barbara Lamont in the series The Best of Everything. In 1976, she played the part of Dr. Marsha in Paul Mazursky's Next Stop, Greenwich Village. From 1993 to 2003, she appeared as Judge Grace Larkin in Law & Order.

Filmography

TitleEpisodeRoleDirectorYear / Air dateNotes
Naked City"Four Sweet Corners"Cora GaryStuart RosenbergApril 28, 1959
Naked City"Saw My Baby There "Katie HarrisStuart RosenbergJune 9, 1959
The United States Steel Hour"Little Lost Sheep"Ernest KinoyNovember 1, 1961
The Defenders"The Noose"Jean LowellStuart RosenbergApril 27, 1963
The Nurses"Credo"Sally EllisStuart RosenbergJanuary 9, 1964
The Defenders"The Objector"Anne WendelLeonard HornFebruary 11, 1965
The Best of EverythingBarbara LamontEpisode #1.1March 30, 1970Writer: James Lipton
Producer: Jacqueline Babbin
The Best of EverythingBarbara LamontEpisode #1.112Dennis KaneSeptember 7, 1970
The Best of EverythingBarbara LamontEpisode #1.114Alan PultzSeptember 9, 1970
Ryans HopeEpisode #1.838Jeri JeromeLela SwiftSeptember 25, 1978
ABC Afterschool SpecialsMrs. York"Amy & the Angel"Ralph RosenblumSeptember 22, 1982
Tribeca"The Hopeless Romantic"BlancheBarry PrimusApril 6, 1993
Law & Order"Manhood"Judge Grace LarkinEd SherinMay 12, 1993
Law & Order"Big Bang"Judge Grace LarkinDann FlorekMarch 2, 1994
Law & Order"Competence"Judge Grace LarkinFred GerberNovember 2, 1994
All My ChildrenEpisode dated 20 June 1995Alice HartJune 20, 1995
Law & Order"Paranoia"Judge Grace LarkinFred GerberNovember 15, 1995
Law & Order"Family Business "Judge Grace LarkinLewis GouldNovember 20, 1996
Law & Order"Faccia a Faccia"Judge Grace LarkinMartha MitchellFebruary 25, 1998
Law & Order"Ill-Conceived"Judge Grace LarkinDavid PlattDecember 3, 2003