NEW YORK, April 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Emmy Award-winning actress Julia Ormond ("Temple Grandin," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button") has been cast to guest star in USA's hit original series LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT.  Ormond will portray Dr. Paula Severin, a brilliant psychologist charged with conducting mandatory sessions with Detective Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) to unravel his tortured past, and chart a course for mental stability for our star detective.

The series returns on Sunday, May 1 at 9/8c with the first of eight all new episodes. LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT, produced by Wolf Films and Universal Cable Productions, created and executive produced by Emmy Award-winning producer Dick Wolf, was developed by Rene Balcer.  Shot entirely in and around New York City, the third installment of the "Law & Order" franchise takes viewers deep into the minds of its criminals while following the intense psychological approaches by the Major Case Squad.

With several solid years of stage work to her credit, Ormond went on to co-star in the HBO biopic "Stalin" directed by Edward Zwick.  He later directed her in "Legends of the Fall" opposite Brad Pitt, Anthony Hopkins and Aidan Quinn.  She was next seen opposite Sean Connery and Richard Gere in "First Knight" and was later cast in the title role of Sydney Pollack's "Sabrina."  She starred opposite Gabriel Byrne and Richard Harris in "Smilla's Sense of Snow" and "Captives" opposite Tim Roth.  She was recently seen in David Lynch's "Inland Empire" as well as the features "Kit Kittredge: An American Girl," "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," "Guerrilla" and "Surveillance."  She recently appeared in HBO's "Temple Grandin" which she won an Emmy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Miniseries or Movie and "The Wronged Man" for Lifetime.   She will next be seen on the big screen in "My Week With Marilyn" alongside Michelle Williams and Emma Watson.   Ormond is repped by Gersh and Chris Prapha at Artists Independent.

The tenth season of LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT features the long-anticipated return of Detectives Goren (Vincent D'Onofrio) and Eames (Kathryn Erbe). A tribute to the passionate fans, the show will take viewers to new heights with intrigue and crime-solving as never before. Terminated for insubordination a year ago, Detective Goren has been reunited with his long-time partner at the behest of new Major Case Captain Joseph Hannah (Jay O. Sanders), a friend of Goren's since Academy days. 

LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT had a strong ninth season, delivering 3.60 million total viewers to the series on Tuesdays in 2010.  LAW & ORDER: CRIMINAL INTENT is a Wolf Films production in association with Universal Cable Productions.  Dick Wolf, Peter Jankowski and Chris Brancato are executive producers.

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SOURCE USA Network