‘Homicide’ and ‘Law & Order’ actor Richard Belzer has Died, age 78
A satirical stand-up at the start of his career, he found fame as the stalwart, laconic Detective John Munch, who appeared in a wide variety of TV series.
Richard Belzer as John Munch on NBC's 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.'
Many actors dislike the idea of becoming known for one role that ends up dominating their career, but Richard Belzer happily leaned into the idea of portraying cynical, deadpan Detective John Munch, who originated on TV cop drama ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’. It’s the part for which he will forever be remembered now that Belzer has died at the age of 78.
Who was Richard Belzer?
Richard Jay Belzer was born on Aug. 4, 1944, in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His early life was colored by his abusive mother and a lot of tragedy in his life––his mother died of breast cancer and his father first attempted suicide (Belzer found and saved him) and then killed himself a year later. Belzer’s brother also died years later by suicide after the death of his own wife.
Belzer showed an early penchant for comedy, getting in trouble as a class clown, and was expelled from Massachusetts’ Dean Junior College for organizing on-campus protests. A series of odd jobs followed, including census taker, dock worker and jewelry salesman. After that, he pursued a career as a journalist and worked for The Bridgeport Post newspaper.
Yet the tragedy in his family pushed him back towards exploring his comedic side, and he ended up part of anarchic, satirical comedy troupe Channel one, which spoofed TV conventions. The theatrical show, ‘The Groove Tube’ would go on to spawn a movie, which also featured the debut of Chevy Chase.
Success there led Belzer to become a regular on the stand-up circuit and he also landed a job as the warm-up comedian for the first season of ‘Saturday Night Live’.
Richard Belzer as John Munch on NBC's 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.'
What happened between Richard Belzer and Hulk Hogan?
One more infamous gig was hosting short-lived Lifetime talk show ‘Hot Properties’ where an encounter with guest Hulk Hogan in 1985 left Belzer unconscious and bleeding on the floor after Hogan put him in a front chin lock and dropped him.
Belzer sued Hogan, Mr. T (who was also in the show), Vince McMahon and the World Wrestling Federation for $5 million and received a reported $400,0000 in a 1990 settlement, which he said he used for a down payment on a house in France.
On the big screen, he had small roles in the likes of ‘Fame’, ‘Scarface’, ‘Fletch Lives’, ‘Night Shift’, ‘The Bonfire of the Vanities’, ‘Get on the Bus’ and ‘Man on the Moon’.
Who was the character of John Munch on TV shows?
Yet it was TV where Belzer really found his calling. Cast as John Munch in ‘Homicide’, he played the character for its entire run of seven seasons and then enquired about bringing him over to ‘Law & Order’. Producer Dick Wolf instead slotted the character into that show’s spin-off, ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’.
Munch became a beloved TV character, and showed in 10 different series across five networks, including ‘The X-Files’, ‘The Beat’, ‘The Wire’, spoofing him gently on ‘Arrested Development’, ‘30 Rock’ and ‘Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’.
“I never asked anyone to be on their show. So it’s doubly flattering to me to see me depicted in a script and that I’m so recognizable and lovable as the sarcastic detective and smart-ass,” Belzer told The Comic’s Comic in 2008. “Much to my delight, because he is a great character for me to play, it’s fun for me. So I’m not upset about being typecast at all.”
Belzer, who died at his home in Bozouls in southwest France, also kept things dryly funny to the end, according to friend Bill Scheft. “He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘F**k you, motherf**ker.’”
(L to R) Yaphet Kotto as Lieutenant Al Giardello, Melissa Leo as Detective/Sergeant Kay Howard, Clark Johnson as Detective Meldrick Lewis, Reed Diamond as Detective Mike Kellerman, Andre Braugher as Detective Frank Pembleton, Kyle Secor as Detective Tim Bayliss, Richard Belzer as Detective John Munch, Michelle Forbes as Dr. Julianna Cox, and Max Perlich as J.H. Brodie in NBC's 'Homicide: Life on the Street.'
Richard Belzer Movies:
- 'Fame' (1980)
- 'Night Shift' (1982)
- 'Author! Author!' (1982)
- 'Scarface' (1983)
- ‘Fletch Lives' (1989)
- 'The Big Picture' (1989)
- 'The Bonfire of the Vanities' (1990)
- 'Get on the Bus' (1996)
- 'Girl 6' (1996)
- 'A Very Brady Sequel' (1996)
- 'Species II' (1998)
- 'Man on the Moon' (1999)
- 'The Comedian' (2017)
- ‘Gilbert' (2017)
Buy Richard Belzer Movies On Amazon
