Which actor guest-starred as Merritt Rook in the SVU episode "Authority"?

Robin Williams guest-starred as Merritt Rook in the SVU episode "Authority."

The character is an audio engineer who uses technology and impersonated authority figures to manipulate strangers into committing crimes. Detectives Elliot Stabler and Olivia Benson eventually connect the disturbing calls to Rook, whose actions are rooted in anger toward authority after a traumatic event.

Williams was recruited after his friend and fellow actor Richard Belzer told the show's producers that he wanted to appear on SVU. The producers then developed the story around Williams's availability. The episode drew inspiration from the 2004 Mount Washington strip-search phone-call scam, the Milgram experiment, and an Improv Everywhere performance.

A common mix-up is confusing Williams's role with his later awards recognition: he received a Primetime Emmy nomination for the performance, while the episode's central character remains Merritt Rook, not a police officer or detective.