Who played Deputy Chief William Dodds?

Peter Gallagher played Deputy Chief William Dodds on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

William Dodds was introduced in season 16 as the commanding officer responsible for the Special Victims Units across all five boroughs of New York City. Gallagher portrayed him as a politically savvy, demanding senior officer who could be hard on Olivia Benson and her squad while still respecting their work and backing them with NYPD leadership.

The character has an important family connection to another quiz answer in this set: William is the father of Sergeant Mike Dodds, who was played by Andy Karl. William personally assigns Mike to Manhattan SVU, hoping the posting will advance his son's career. Mike's later death deeply affects William and changes his relationship with Benson.

Gallagher appeared as William Dodds in 19 episodes between 2014 and 2019. The character eventually moved to the Staten Island Traffic and Safety Task Force. He is sometimes confused with former SVU commanders Donald Cragen or Frank Grillo's other police characters, but Gallagher is the canonical actor for William Dodds.