“Law & Order” actor Vincent D’Onofrio has filed for divorce from his wife of 26-years Carin van der Donk — and appeared in a Manhattan court Tuesday for the first time in the case.
The 63-year-old Brooklyn-born actor filed the divorce papers in Manhattan Supreme Court on April 12 seeking to end his marriage from his wife, a Dutch photographer and former model whose full name is Catharina van der Donk.
The estranged couple’s lawyers spent most of Tuesday’s hearing behind closed doors with Justice Kathleen Waterman-Marshall, who made a brief statement from the bench after, saying: “this is the first time I had the opportunity to meet the attorneys and litigants.”
“This is a family matter,” the judge said, noting that while “most of the issues,” in the divorce case have been settled, “custody is unresolved.”
D’Onofrio and van der Donk, 54, have two sons together Elias, 23, and Luka, 15. D’Onofrio had another daughter from his first marriage, Leila George – who was once married to actor Sean Penn.
The judge set the next court hearing for Sept. 19.
Further details about the divorce were not immediately known as divorce records are not public in New York and neither D’Onofrio nor van der Donk commented as they left the courtroom.
D’Onofrio was born in Bensonhurst but moved around growing up and lived in Hawaii, Colorado and Florida.
His breakout role was in the 1987 film “Full Metal Jacket” playing Private Pyle in the Vietnam War drama. He then had a longtime role as the hardened Det. Robert Goren in “Law & Order: Criminal Intent.”
He made his directorial debut with the 2019 Western “The Kid” that starred Chris Pratt and Ethan Hawke.
Australia native Leila George – whom D’Onofrio had with first wife and actress Greta Scacchi – began dating Penn in 2016. George filed for divorce from Penn – who is 32 years her senior – in 2021 after just a year of marriage.
