In 1991 , Orbach starred in Disney 's Academy Award-winning animated musical '' Beauty and the Beast '' , as the voice ( both singing and speaking ) of the French-accented candelabrum Lumière , which according to Orbach , he played " halfway between Maurice Chevalier and Pepé Le Pew " . At the 64th Academy Awards , Orbach performed a live-action stage rendition of the Oscar-nominated song , " Be Our Guest " , that he sang in '' Beauty and the Beast '' . He later reprised his voice role of Lumière for the film 's direct-to-video sequels , multiple episodes of '' Disney 's House of Mouse '' , and the previously-deleted song ( " Human Again " ) that was added to the '' Beauty and the Beast '' 2002 IMAX re-release . In 1992 , Orbach joined the main ensemble cast of '' Law & Order '' as the world-weary , wisecracking NYPD homicide detective Lennie Briscoe . He had previously guest-starred as a defense attorney on the series , and was subsequently cast as the new " senior detective " following Paul Sorvino 's departure . Orbach 's portrayal of Briscoe was based on his similar role from '' Prince of the City '' years before , which '' Law & Order '' creator Dick Wolf had personally suggested to him at the time of his casting . Orbach starred on '' Law & Order '' for 12 years , ultimately becoming the third longest-serving main cast member ( behind S. Epatha Merkerson and Sam Waterston ) in the show 's 20-year-run history , as well as one of its most popular . During Orbach 's tenure on '' Law & Order '' , the series won the 1997 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series among other accolades , made multiple crossover episodes with fellow NBC series '' Homicide : Life on the Street '' , and spawned a franchise that included the TV film '' Exiled : A Law & Order Movie '' , the spin-off series '' Law & Order : Special Victims Unit '' and '' Law & Order : Criminal Intent '' ( both of which featured Orbach in guest appearances ) , and three video games . Orbach himself was nominated for a 2000 Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series ( losing to James Gandolfini for '' The Sopranos '' ) . '' TV Guide '' named Lennie Briscoe one of their top-25 greatest television detectives of all time . Also during his time on '' Law & Order '' , Orbach co-starred with Al Pacino in the independent film '' Chinese Coffee '' , which was filmed in the summer of 1997 and released three years later
64th Academy Awards
64th Academy Awards
Jerry Orbach