Adam Beach to leave Law & Order: SVU

Canadian actor Adam Beach is leaving the crime drama Law & Order: SVU at the end of the season.

Trade paper the Hollywood Reporter says the Manitoba-born actor had a one-year contract with an option for a second. Both the actor and the production company have decided not to exercise that option.

In the series, executive produced by Dick Wolf, Beach plays police detective Chester Lake — a character who became a regular after Beach appeared as Lake in one episode the previous season.

"I very much enjoyed my year on Law & Order: SVU," Beach told the Hollywood Reporter. "Now I'm looking forward to new adventures."

Beach — whose character will not be re-cast — joined the show after his role in Wolf's Emmy-winning HBO film Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, which earned the actor a Golden Globe nomination.

"From the first day I met him on the set of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, I was knocked out by his commitment, dedication and total immersion in the film's most crucial role. He did a terrific job this season on SVU, and I look forward to working with him again in the near future," Wolf said in a statement.

Beach's career in Canada included roles in the movie Dance Me Outside, its spinoff CBC-TV series The Rez and the TV movie Cowboys and Indians: The J.J. Harper Story.

He has since made a name for himself south of the border in the feature films Smoke Signals, Windtalkers and, most recently, in Clint Eastwood's Flags of Our Fathers.

Beach grew up on the Dog Creek Reserve, about 180 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg.

Besides Beach, another regular on the show, veteran Diane Neal, is also exiting the series. Neal plays assistant district attorney Casey Novak.

Via cbc.ca