What The Cast Of L.A. Law Looks Like Now

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

The following article includes discussions of eating disorders.

Running for eight seasons across the 1980s and '90s, "L.A. Law" redefined legal dramas for a generation, adding glamour and sexuality to the genre and making it one of the hottest shows on TV. The series racked up 89 Emmy nominations and 15 wins during its run and helped turn its cast into household names. 

The series played an integral role in launching the careers of writer David Kelley, who went on to create the legal comedy "Ally McBeal," as well as now-famous actors like Don Cheadle, David Schwimmer, and Lucy Liu. But it was the main cast of "L.A. Law" that kept bringing audiences back week after week.

The stars of the series have gone on to have long and impressive careers since the show ended. Though many years may have passed since the show premiered, the cast of "L.A. Law" still have the looks that lit up TV screens and made the hearts of their fans go all aflutter.

One of the many handsome lawyers at McKenzie, Brackman, Chaney and Kuzak, Corbin Bernsen became a 1980s sex symbol playing the womanizing divorce attorney Arnie Becker on "L.A. Law." The number of people crushing on Bernsen only grew when he co-starred with Charlie Sheen in the 1989 hit "Major League," cementing his place as one of the decade's most desirable men. 

When "L.A. Law ended in 1994, Bernsen kicked off his movie career at full blast, appearing in "Major League 2" and the horror movies "Tales from the Hood" and "The Dentist." Bernsen's film career never hit the heights of his TV stardom, but the actor found a new fanbase playing Henry Spencer on the hit series "Psych." The series often played into Bernsen's "hot dad" status, with more than one woman pining over him, including his real-life wife, actor Amanda Pays. 

Bernsen's TV stardom has continued, with the actor appearing on "Your Friends and Neighbors" as Jon Hamm's former boss and in "The Fall and Rise of Reggie Dinkins" as Tracy Morgan's former coach who loves his cat a little too much. Bernsen has embraced his status as an older handsome actor, telling People, "I'm bothered just enough that it feeds my ego. And I can get us a good table now and then." 

Susan Dey exploded onto the scene in 1970 when she was cast in "The Partridge Family," playing Laurie Partridge, the singer and piano player for the fictional family band. Her natural wholesome beauty shined through on the show, making her a teen idol, but her status as a beautiful young star took a toll on her. Dey became anorexic during the '70s and struggled with the disease for nearly two decades. She told the Enquirer (via Hello!) in 1993, "It's something that has been plaguing my life. Beating a severe eating disorder is something you cannot do alone."

As deputy district attorney Grace Van Owen on "L.A. Law," Dey was able to shed the wholesome girl image that Hollywood had stuck on her for years and show she had more to offer, earning three Emmy nominations for her work on the series. She left the series during the sixth season and continued to work on other projects for a time, but announced her retirement from acting in 2004. These days, Dey has lived a quiet life in the Catskills working as a member of the board of directors at the Mark Project, a non-profit focused on housing in the area. A more recent photo of Dey can be seen on the company's site, and Dey looks as beautiful as ever.

If you need help with an eating disorder, or know someone who does, help is available. Visit the National Eating Disorders Association website or contact NEDA's Live Helpline at 1-800-931-2237. You can also receive 24/7 Crisis Support via text (send NEDA to 741-741).

Before "L.A. Law," Jimmy Smits was best known for playing Eddie Rivera on "Miami Vice," a role that had just a few minutes of screen time before the character was killed off. Playing charismatic lawyer Victor Sifuentes on the legal drama earned Smits six Emmy nominations, including one win. The actor's dark eyes and slick style made him a fan favorite and an instant sex symbol. Smits wasn't a fan of the label, telling the Washington Post, "That 'who's the sexiest' business is a crock that the media cooked up to sell magazines, so while I say thank you very much, I don't put much stock in it." Smits left "L.A. Law" at the end of the fifth season to take on new acting challenges, and he didn't have trouble finding them. 

The 6'3" tall actor has been a constant face on TV and in movies ever since. Smits appeared in the "Star Wars" prequel movies as Senator Bail Organa — a role he reprised for the 2022 "Obi-Wan Kenobi" series — and had lengthy runs on NYPD playing Detective Bobby Simone. 

In 2021, Smits appeared in the critically praised adaptation of Quiara Alegría Hudes and Lin-Manuel Miranda's Broadway musical "In the Heights," getting the chance to show off his singing skills. He told the New York Times that taking on the role required quite a bit of help: "I had six lines that were musical, and I had four different vocal coaches." He may need help singing, but Smits still doesn't need any help with his looks.

Harry Hamlin first gained attention playing Perseus in 1981's "Clash of the Titans," a movie that proudly showed off his good looks as well as his square jaw and perfect physique. On "L.A. Law," he played the ambitious but ethical attorney, Michael Kuzak. 

Hamlin became one of the biggest actors of the decade, earning him People's title of "Sexiest Man Alive" in 1987. Hamlin wasn't happy about being People's choice, telling the Desert News that he thought he was being interviewed for a piece about "L.A. Law" and when the issue came out, "I was mortified when I saw that and I told the driver of the car to go right back to the hotel because I had some calls to make."

Hamlin left "L.A. Law" after the fifth season, but continued to work non-stop through the 1990s and 2000s, including landing recurring roles on "Veronica Mars," "Mad Men," and "Mayfair Witches." Reality TV fans may recognize him as well: he and his wife, Lisa Rinna, had their own show, "Harry Loves Lisa," in 2010, and he has shown up on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills," which his wife stars in, a number of times. Perhaps most importantly, Hamlin still has that impressively square jaw.

Blair Underwood debuted on "L.A. Law" in the show's second season, joining the firm as the ever-confident and exceptionally good-looking attorney Jonathan Rollins. He was just 21 at the time and, as he told TVLine, "I was a baby." But the show's creator instantly made him feel welcome, as Underwood recalled, "Steven Bochco came up to me... and put his arm around me," the actor says. "And he said, 'How does it feel to know you have a home for the next five years?'" Underwood ended up staying in the show for seven years. 

After "L.A. Law," Underwood continued to find success on TV and in film. He returned to TV in 1996 to star in "High Incident," which ran for two seasons, and also appeared in the sci-fi movie "Gattaca" with Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman. In 2006, Underwood starred in Tyler Perry's second film, "Madea's Family Reunion."

Underwood won a Grammy in 2009 as part of the spoken word album, "An Inconvenient Truth," a reading of the Al Gore book. He has also had a recurring role on Marvel's "Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D." and the final season of "Sex and the City." In 2019, he returned to his lawyer roots, playing Bobby Burns, a real-life divorce lawyer who represented Yusef Salaam during his trial as one of the wrongly convicted Central Park Five in Ava DuVernay's seminal miniseries "When They See Us." In 2024, the actor worked alongside Maika Monroe and Nicolas Cage in the box office hit "Longlegs." And, as anyone who was able to watch the creepy thriller without covering their eyes the whole time can tell you, Underwood is still an exceptionally good -looking man.