Steven Zirnkilton - Wikipedia Steven Zirnkilton Steven Zirnkilton Member of the Maine House of Representatives In office 1982 -- 1988 In office 1992 -- 1994 Personal details Stephen Morgan Zirnkilton ( 1958 - 08 - 18 ) August 18, 1958 ( age 60 ) York, Pennsylvania, U.S. Citizenship United States Political party Republican Spouse ( s ) Stephanie Zirnkilton Children Occupation Voice actor former politician Known for Narrator of Law & Order franchise Website zirnkilton.com Steven M. Zirnkilton ( born Stephen Morgan Zirnkilton ; August 18, 1958 ) is an American voice - over actor and former politician from Maine. Zirnkilton is known for providing the opening narration of all US shows in the Law & Order franchise. He received the job after he was originally hired by series creator Dick Wolf for a small part on Law & Order. Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2.1 Politics 2.2 Acting 3 Filmography 3.1 Film 3.2 Television 4 References 5 External links Early life Zirnkilton grew up in York, Pennsylvania and spent summers in Maine. He graduated from New England College and began working for radio station WDEA in Ellsworth, Maine upon graduation. He later settled in Seal Harbor, Maine. Zirnkilton received a Legislative Sentiment for his work, from Maine State Representative Chris Greeley. Career Politics Zirnkilton, a Maine Republican, served for eight years ( four terms ) in the Maine House of Representatives from 1982 to 1988 and again from 1992 to 1994. He represented part of Hancock County, Maine, including his residence in the village of Seal Harbor in the town Mount Desert. During his final term in the House of Representatives, Zirnkilton served in leadership as Assistant Minority Leader. In 1994, when then Congresswoman Olympia Snowe decided not to seek re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives for Maine 's 2nd congressional district, Zirnkilton sought to replace her. Zirnkilton lost the primary to fellow State Representative Richard A. Bennett, who eventually lost the general election to State Senator John Baldacci. Zirnkilton also provides voice overs for political ads, notably during Susan Collins re-election campaign in 2014. Acting Zirnkilton is known for providing the opening narration of all US shows in the Law & Order franchise. He received the job after he was originally hired by series creator Dick Wolf for a small part on Law & Order. Zirnkilton has also provided voices for Family Guy and The Rugrats Movie. He was a narrator for Faith Rewarded : The Historic Season of the 2004 Boston Red Sox. Zirnkilton narrated Ruby Ridge : Anatomy of a Tragedy on Investigation Discovery. He also provided the voice - over for a Sky One advertisement for the channel 's Law & Order airings. Zirnkilton was the narrator for TLC 's Code Blue : New Orleans and the syndicated series Arrest & Trial. He has been the announcer for the Kennedy Center Honors, and for the past thirteen years he has been the onstage announcer for the Top Cops Awards in Washington, D.C.. Zirnkilton 's agent is William Morris Endeavor. Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1998 The Rugrats Movie Reporter Animated adventure -- comedy film directed by Igor Kovalyov & Norton Virgien and written by David N. Weiss & J. David Stem. Law & Order : The First 3 Years Opening Narrator Documentary film Faith Rewarded : The Historic Season of the 2004 Boston Red Sox Narrator Documentary film written by Jeff Scott. 2008 The Stag Hunt Narrator Short thriller film directed and written by Alfred Thomas Catalfo. 2013 Summer Colony Narrator Documentary -- historical film directed and written by Jeremy Lunt. 2015 Toy Soldier Voice Animated short drama film directed and written by Christopher Choyce. 2016 Too Cold to Swim Motel Clerk Drama film directed by D.W. Young. Television Year Title Role Notes 1990 -- 2010 Law & Order Narrator Contract role Duckman : Private Dick / Family Man Opening narrator Episode : `` Das Sub '' ( S 4 : Ep 26 ) 1999 -- present Law & Order : Special Victims Unit Opening Announcer Contract role 2000 -- 01 Arrest & Trial Narrator TV Series documentary / nontraditional court show 2000 -- 02 Code Blue : New Orleans Narrator TV Series documentary 2001 -- 11 Law & Order : Criminal Intent Opening announcer Contract role 2002 -- 04 Crime & Punishment Narrator TV Series documentary / nontraditional court show 2003 Dragnet Narrator Episode : `` The Silver Slayer '' ( S 1 : Ep 1 -- Pilot ) The Tonight Show with Jay Leno Voice Over Episode : `` Episode # 12.209 '' ( S 12 : Ep 209 ) 2005 Family Guy Himself Episode : `` Fast Times at Buddy Cianci Jr. High '' ( S 4 : Ep 2 ) 2005 -- 06 Law & Order : Trial by Jury Opening announcer Contract role 2010 -- 11 Law & Order : Los Angeles Narrator Contract role References ^ Jump up to : `` ' Law & Order ' reunion salutes 20th season ''. Today. Associated Press. September 23, 2009. Retrieved July 28, 2013. ^ Jump up to : `` Ask the Editors ''. TV Guide. April 19, 2010. p. 6. Jump up ^ Morton, Spencer ( February 2, 2009 ). `` Steve Zirnkilton : The man behind the voice ''. The Maine Campus. University of Maine. Archived from the original on 8 August 2014. Retrieved 1 August 2014. Jump up ^ `` Biography ''. Steve Zirnkilton Voiceovers. Retrieved December 11, 2007. Jump up ^ Hale, John ( June 11, 1987 ). `` Seal lovers attempt to harpoon whale bill ''. Bangor Daily News. Bangor, ME : Bangor Publishing Company. p. 1. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ Quinn, Francis X. ( June 7, 2002 ). `` Crowded 2nd District contests reminiscent of battles in 1994 Regional strength led the way to victory in contested primary races ''. Bangor Daily News. Retrieved 1 August 2014. ^ Jump up to : O'Neill, Bill ( March 28, 2005 ). `` Rave of the Week : `` Idiots on film '' ``. Cape Cod Times. Hyannis, MA : Dow Jones Local Media Group. Retrieved July 28, 2013. Jump up ^ `` Faith Rewarded : The Historic Season of the 2004 Boston Red Sox ''. New England Sports Network. Fenway Sports Group and Delaware North. ASIN B005Y1C3TQ. Retrieved November 10, 2016. Jump up ^ Sparked Media. `` Ruby Ridge : Anatomy of a Tragedy ''. Vimeo. Retrieved 18 May 2015. Jump up ^ Heffernan, Virginia. `` Weaver 's Last Stand ''. Slate. Retrieved 18 May 2015. Jump up ^ `` The Rugrats Movie ''. Turner Classic Movies. Atlanta : Turner Broadcasting System ( Time Warner ). Retrieved November 10, 2016. External links Biography portal United States portal Maine portal Politics portal Film portal Television portal Official website Steven Zirnkilton on IMDb Law & Order franchise Series Law & Order ( 1990 -- 2010 ) Law & Order : Special Victims Unit ( 1999 -- present ) Law & Order : Criminal Intent ( 2001 -- 2011 ) Law & Order : Trial by Jury ( 2005 -- 2006 ) Law & Order : LA ( 2010 -- 2011 ) Law & Order True Crime ( 2017 -- present ) Adaptations Paris enquêtes criminelles ( 2007 -- 2008 ) Law & Order : UK ( 2009 -- 2014 ) Video games Law & Order : Dead on the Money Law & Order : Double or Nothing Law & Order : Justice Is Served Law & Order : Criminal Intent Law & Order : Legacies Related series Homicide : Life on the Street ( 1993 -- 1999 ) New York Undercover ( 1994 -- 1998 ) Arrest & Trial ( 2000 -- 2001 ) Deadline ( 2000 -- 2001 ) Crime & Punishment ( 2002 -- 2004 ) Conviction ( 2006 ) In Plain Sight ( 2008 -- 2012 ) Chicago franchise Films Exiled : A Law & Order Movie ( 1998 ) Homicide : The Movie ( 2000 ) Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Steven_Zirnkilton&oldid=855012778 '' Categories : Living people American male voice actors Male actors from Maine New England College alumni Politicians from York, Pennsylvania People from Mount Desert Island Members of the Maine House of Representatives Maine Republicans 1958 births Hidden categories : All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016 Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia Talk Contents About Wikipedia Italiano 日本 語 Edit links This page was last edited on 15 August 2018, at 09 : 43 ( UTC ). Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution - ShareAlike License ; additional terms may apply. By using this site, you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Wikipedia ® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. About Wikipedia

Question: who says the opening of law and order svu
Answer: Steven M. Zirnkilton