Ned Eisenberg, a prolific film, TV and stage actor, has died from cancer at 65, his family confirmed in a statement to NBC News.
Eisenberg, who died Feb. 27 at his home in New York, was known to many for his recurring role as defense attorney Roger Kressler on “Law & Order: SVU.”
Former "SVU" star and current “Law & Order: Organized Crime” lead Chris Meloni remembered the late actor in a tweet Monday.
“I started with Ned in 1990 on The Fanelli Boys,” he wrote. “Great actor. A singular voice. Always ready with a smile and a laugh. A beautiful gentle human being.”
"SVU" star Mariska Hargitay posted a tribute Wednesday to Eisenberg on her Instagram page.
"My heart is so full of sadness over the loss of our dear, dear Ned Eisenberg," she wrote. "What a light and what a love. And such a first-rate actor, which pales next to him as a first-rate human."
"We will remember him always with his bright, mischievous smile and his wide-open heart," she continued. "We love and miss you, sweet Ned."
Eisenberg acted in dozens of series throughout his four-decadeslong career, including “The Blacklist,” “Mare of Easttown” and “The Good Wife.”
He also appeared in several major films, including Clint Eastwood’s “Million Dollar Baby” and “Flags of Our Fathers.”
His theater credits include roles on Broadway in “The Green Bird,” “Rocky,” and “Six Degrees of Separation,” among other productions.
In the late '80s, Eisenberg co-founded the Naked Angels theater company, whose members include several actors, writers and producers like Matthew Broderick and Sarah Jessica Parker.
“Law & Order: SVU” showrunner Warren Leight, who's also a member of Naked Angels, paid tribute to his late friend on Twitter.
“Devastating news…” he wrote, along with a broken heart emoji.
Eisenberg is survived by his son, Lino Eisenberg, as well as his wife, actor Patricia Dunnock, who shared a statement about her husband.
“As Ned would say, he was attacked by two very rare assassins — cholangiocarcinoma and ocular melanoma,” she said. “Over the course of two years, he bravely fought the cancers in private while continuing to work in show business to ensure that his medical coverage paid for himself and his family.”
Cholangiocarcinoma is "known as bile duct cancer," according to the Mayo Clinic, and usually appears in people over the age of 50.
Ocular melanoma is a kind of cancer that affects melanin-producing cells in the eye, according to the Mayo Clinic, and the majority of these types of melanomas build up in a part of the eye that can't be seen "when looking in a mirror," which makes them even harder to find.