Every Stranger Things Actor Who Guest-Starred On Law And Order

Let’s talk about two TV franchises with iconic opening theme songs, huge ensemble casts, and devastating threats around every corner. One of them is a longstanding NBC staple of procedural storytelling created by producer extraordinaire Dick Wolf — “Law & Order” and its many spinoffs, including “Special Victims Unit.” The other is a Netflix flagship of serialized storytelling created by Matt and Ross Duffer — “Stranger Things.”

Lots of working actors cut their teeth in guest roles on “Law & Order” shows, and that includes many members of the “Stranger Things” cast. Not only did some “Stranger Things” actors appear in the “Law & Order” universe early in their careers, but a few others arrived in featured guest star roles after they became celebrities on Netflix.

If you’re a fan of both of these TV beasts and love alternate dimension TV crossovers, we’ve got every “Stranger Things” actor who guest-starred on “Law & Order” listed here for your amusement. 

Caleb McLaughlin played Lucas, one of the key members of the main gang of adventuring children on “Stranger Things.” In 2013, when McLaughlin was 12 years old, he appeared on the “Special Victims Unit” episode “Born Psychopath” in a one-scene role, credited simply as “Boy.” In the scene, Detective Nick Amaro (Danny Pino) is visiting his nephew’s elementary school for a career day presentation, discussing what it’s like to be a New York City police detective.

McLaughlin’s character interrupts the presentation, asking bluntly, “You ever shoot anybody?” Nick responds as diplomatically as he can before McLaughlin’s character presses the issue, asking, “Is your gun even real? Do you wear a bulletproof vest?” Nick shows that he is, indeed, wearing one at that very moment, then gets a phone call taking him away to pressing law-enforcement matters.

With his trademark mustache and grumpy vibes, Jim Hopper became a fan-favorite character on “Stranger Things” and a breakout role for David Harbour, who had been a working actor for many years before becoming a household name. 

His resume includes five roles in the “Law & Order” universe. On the original series, he played Mike, a tuxedo-clad potential witness in the episode “Patsy”; and Jay Carlin, a wine dealer linked to dog fighting in “Submission.” In the “Special Victims Unit” episode “Dolls,” Harbour played the chilling role of Terry Jessup, a victim of abuse who kidnaps children in the misguided belief that he’s protecting them. And over on “Criminal Intent,” he played Wesley John Kenderson, a burglar and murder suspect in the episode titled “Silver Lining”; and Paul Devildis, a serial murderer in the episode “Family Values.”

Cara Buono, a regularly working actor of both stage and screen, played Karen Wheeler on “Stranger Things.” Karen is the mom of Mike (Finn Wolfhard), the love triangle’d Nancy (Natalia Dyer), and youngest daughter Holly (played by Nell Fisher in the final season, and a few different child actors before that). 

Like Harbour, Buono has appeared in numerous “Law & Order” episodes. On the original series, she played murderer Shelly Taggert in “Girlfriends”; convict Alice Simonelli in “Punk”; an attorney in “Melting Pot”; and returned to her comfort zone as a mother — albeit a suspicious mother — in “Time Will Tell.”

In “Criminal Intent,” Buono played Charlotte Fielding, the victimized mistress of a con artist in an episode called “Phantom.” And in a particularly grueling episode of “Special Victims Unit” called “Unorthodox,” she played Rachel Zelinsky, the mother of a rape victim.

“Stranger Things” is in dialogue with many beloved genre artifacts from the 1980s, and that nostalgic approach probably influenced many of the show’s casting choices. For example, Matthew Modine — noted for ’80s projects like “Married to the Mob” and “Full Metal Jacket” — played the antagonistic Dr. Martin Brenner.

Brenner, the head scientist at Hawkins Laboratory, is a conscienceless man who abducts Eleven when she’s a baby to develop her burgeoning psychic powers. He doesn’t care for the humanity of Eleven or any of his other test subjects; he only cares about progress and power. 

Modine appeared in the intense, experimental “Special Victims Unit” episode “Rage.” Modine’s character, Gordon Rickett, is a serial murderer and rapist who targets children. Over the episode’s interrogation sequences, Rickett and Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni) verbally spar and debate over the nature of man’s inhumanity, making the whole hour feel like a juicy piece of theater.

Another well-loved figure from the 1980s and beyond, the endearing Sean Astin is noted for his child role in “The Goonies,” his teen role in “Rudy,” and his adult role in the “Lord of the Rings” trilogy. He was the perfect candidate to play Bob Newby, a RadioShack manager who becomes Joyce’s (Winona Ryder) boyfriend and a kind of father-ish figure to Will (Noah Schnapp). Just like Mikey, Rudy, and Sam before, Bob becomes an unlikely hero.

The casting directors of “Law & Order” know we associate Astin with characters he played in beloved films of yesteryear. And for the 2008 episode “Angelgrove,” they used our nostalgia against us. Astin played Pastor Wayne Hensley, the head of an extremist Christian sect training children to be soldiers in a war against Islam. When one of the kids under his tutelage kills his mother, Hensley is charged with second-degree murder. It’s fascinating and excruciating to watch Astin turn the screws toward menace without losing any of his charm.

On Broadway, there’s a live stage show based in the world of “Stranger Things” called “Stranger Things: The First Shadow.” In that production, Alex Breaux plays Dr. Brenner (Matthew Modine on Netflix). The producers of the Netflix series cast Breaux as Lieutenant Robert Akers in Season 5.

Like many New York stage actors, Breaux guest starred on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.” In the 2021 episode “Return of the Prodigal Son,” Breaux played Jacob Peters, an unstable criminal who sets fires and throws Molotov cocktails into police cars. He has an absolute corker of a scene with Meloni in which he taunts and provokes an already agitated Detective Stabler, causing him to lash out.

Where Karen Wheeler is a fundamentally magnanimous parent, Ted Wheeler is the inverse. He is the archetypal “stern father,” barely hiding a gaze of annoyance and impatience behind his glasses. He’s uptight, stoic, and never quite on the same emotional page as his wife and children. 

He’s played with prickly perfection by Joe Chrest. Not only has Chrest appeared in “Law & Order,” but it’s his first credited screen role on IMDb. In 1993’s third season of “Law & Order,” Chrest played Lieutenant Charles Bates, a naval officer in an episode called “Conduct Unbecoming” that might remind some viewers of 1992’s “A Few Good Men.”

Bates is present at a raucous party of returning Navy sailors where a female lieutenant is murdered. Later, he’s interrogated by Detectives Briscoe (Jerry Orbach) and Logan (Chris Noth), and he reveals that he left the party early when prostitutes showed up, so he couldn’t have murdered the lieutenant. It’s a brief but effective display of Chrest’s stiff upper lip as an acting tool.

Lonnie Byers is the ex-husband of Joyce and the biological father of Jonathan (Charlie Heaton) and Will. As played by Ross Partridge, Lonnie has an amount of sleazy charm, but he’s a deadbeat divorcé with a younger girlfriend and a devil-may-care attitude.

Partridge appeared in Season 11 of “Law & Order” on an episode called “Bronx Cheer,” about the investigation of a drug deal that uncovers evidence of a previous murder case. Partridge played Gibson, a high-powered but (surprise, surprise) sleazy executive who’s interrogated by Detectives Briscoe and Green (Jesse L. Martin).

Catherine Curtin, also from “Orange Is the New Black,” played Dustin’s (Gaten Matarazzo) mom, Claudia, and their interactions provide a sense of comic relief to “Stranger Things.” Claudia means well, but she never quite knows what’s going on with her son and his friends. Then again, her son and his friends are off in pocket dimensions fighting demons a lot of the time, so maybe we can’t blame her if she gets confused now and again.

Curtin joins some of the other actors on this list in making multiple appearances across the “Law & Order” universe. First, she showed up in the original series in the episode “Panic” as Stephanie Hollis, a smooth-talking but prickly literary agent. Then, she appeared in the “Criminal Intent” episode “Masquerade” as Jenna Switzer, a children’s talent agent who may have inadvertently exploited an endangered child.

Next, she moved back to the OG “L&O” for a part in the episode “Tango.” And finally, she appeared in the “Organized Crime” episode “Catch Me If You Can” as a pulpy private eye.

Another Broadway vet on this list — he appeared in the original cast of “Dear Evan Hansen” — Michael Park played Tom Holloway, father of Heather (Francesca Reale) and editor of the Hawkins Post, where Nancy and Jonathan briefly intern. Tom’s gruesome fate brings to mind a 1980s body horror classic “Stranger Things” may have borrowed from: John Carpenter’s “The Thing.”

Park has thus far appeared in two “Law & Order” universe episodes as two different characters, both after his turn in “Stranger Things.” First, he acted in Season 22 of the original series in an episode called “Land of Opportunity.” Here, he played Eric Wise, a construction manager who makes the unwise decision to conspire in murder.

Then, in a 2025 episode of “Special Victims Unit” called “In the Wind,” Park leapt to the other side of the law and played Charles Valentine, the somewhat detestable defense attorney for an accused serial rapist.

Cary Elwes is undoubtedly a familiar face to genre fans. In the 1980s — the decade from which “Stranger Things” borrows its mojo — he starred in “The Princess Bride” as Westley, a figure of true love and swashbuckling derring-do. But he also appeared in the highly influential puzzle-based slasher “Saw” (2004), major comedies “Robin Hood: Men in Tights” (1993) and “Liar Liar,” (1997) and quite a few other film and TV endeavors. 

Elwes scans as dashing and erudite. He can also hint that there’s something sinister or unlikable going on under the surface. This made him the perfect choice for the corrupt Mayor Larry Kline in “Stranger Things.” And it also made him the perfect choice to guest star in the “Special Victims Unit” episode “Dependent” as Sidney Truex, a figure the audience falls in and out of sympathy with.

Sidney’s wife is murdered. But as detectives work with him, they discover he is a longstanding lawyer to the mafia, with all the shadiness and corruption that implies. And when Sidney’s daughter Charlotte (Emily VanCamp) becomes a key figure in the case, Elwes, Meloni, and Mariska Hargitay have all kinds of performance fireworks with each other.

Eleven is named the way she is because she was the 11th test subject at Hawkins National Laboratory. That implies there are many other numerically identified test subjects, all with burgeoning psychic powers and shaved heads. This includes Two, played by Tristan Spohn.

In Season 4 of “Stranger Things,” Two is a major thorn in Eleven’s side. His bullying even garners a violent punishment from Dr. Brenner. Two’s final fate is detailed gruesomely in “The Massacre at Hawkins Lab.”

After his “Stranger Things” appearance, Spohn guest starred in the 2025 “Special Victims Unit” episode “Aperture” as the absolutely horrible Atlas DeWinn. Just like Two, Atlas is a brutal sociopath. He becomes dangerously obsessed with his stepsister (Ava Jean) and undergoes drastic and cruel actions to get what he wants.

“Stranger Things” Season 4 resolves a Season 3 cliffhanger by showing that Hopper is still alive and imprisoned in a Russian prison called Kamchatka. Among his many prison mates is Oleg, played by Pasha D. Lychnikoff, whom you might also recognize as a Russian heavy in titles like “Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning” and “Bullet Train.” Oleg buddies up with Hopper, and what does he get for his troubles? Eaten by a demogorgon.

Lychnikoff has played two characters over three “Law & Order” series. First, in the Season 11 “Special Victims Unit” episode “Ace,” he played Anton Petrov, a vicious mobster and serial murderer who is finally made accountable for his heinous crimes.

And in the three-series crossover special “Gimme Shelter,” Lychnikoff appeared in the “Organized Crime” and “Law & Order” segments. His character is Daniel Rublev, a criminal mastermind who orders a murder, a bombing, and all kinds of other nefarious shenanigans. His final moments are quite dramatic — if not quite as dramatic as getting eaten by a demogorgon.

Another member of the Kamchatka compound, Nikolai Nikolaeff appeared as the antagonistic prison warden Ivan in “Stranger Things” Season 4. Gamers might recognize Nikolaeff’s voice from “Call of Duty” and Marvel fans will definitely remember his face from the first season of Netflix’s “Daredevil.” Ivan takes his duties a little too seriously, but he’s also revealed to be selfish, willing to consider changing his allegiances at the offering of a potential bribe.

Nikolaeff appeared in a three-episode arc in “Organized Crime” Season 4: “Redcoat,” “Goodnight,” and “Stabler’s Lament.” His character, Tobias Krychek, is the bodyguard of criminal boss Julian Emery (Tom Payne) and quickly establishes himself as a serious threat. Through these episodes, viewers learn that he’s on Interpol’s most wanted list for a litany of war crimes, and we observe him threatening people with firearms, including a climactic shootout with Detectives Stabler and Bell (Danielle Moné Truitt).