Richard Jay Belzer(August 4, 1944 – February 19, 2023) was an American actor, comedian, and author.[2]He was best known for his role as BPD Detective, NYPD Detective/sergeant and investigatorJohn Munch,[3]whom he portrayed for 23 years in theNBCpolice dramaseriesHomicide: Life on the Street,[4]Law & Order: Special Victims Unit[3]and several guest appearances on other series.
Richard Belzer | |
|---|---|
 Belzer at theWhite House Correspondents Dinnerin 2009 | |
| Born | Richard Jay Belzer August 4, 1944 |
| Died | February 19, 2023(aged 78) |
| Education | |
| Occupations |
|
| Spouses |
|
| Relatives | Henry Winkler(cousin) |
| Comedy career | |
| Medium |
|
| Years active | 1972–2016 |
| Genres | |
| Subject(s) | |
| Notable works and roles | John MunchonHomicide: Life on the StreetandLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit |
Early life and education
editBelzer was born inBridgeport, Connecticut,on August 4, 1944,[5]to a Jewish family.[6][7]He described his mother as frequentlyphysically abusive,and he declared that his comedy career began when trying to make her laugh to distract her from abusing him and his brother. After graduating fromFairfield Warde High School,Belzer worked as a reporter for theBridgeport Post.[6]
Belzer attendedDean College,which was then known as Dean Junior College, inFranklin, Massachusetts,but was expelled.[8]
Career
editStand-up
editAfter his first divorce, Belzer relocated to New York City, moved in with singerShelley Ackerman,and began working as a stand-up comic at Pips,The Improv,andCatch a Rising Star.He participated in the Channel One comedy group that satirized television and became the basis for the cult movieThe Groove Tube,in which Belzer played the co-star of theersatzTV showThe Dealers.
Belzer was the audience warm-up comedian forSaturday Night Live[9]and made three guest appearances on the show between 1975 and 1980. He also opened for musicianWarren Zevonduring his tour supporting the release of his albumExcitable Boy.[10]
Film
editIn the late 1970s and early 1980s, Belzer became an occasional film actor. A short skit of a younger Belzer can be found onSesame Streetin a season 9 episode in 1978 when two young men attempt a picnic and boat ride, only to be thwarted by a dog who eats their food. He is noted for minor roles inFame,Café Flesh,Night Shift,Scarface,“Girl 6”, andFletch Lives.He appeared in themusic videosfor theMike + The Mechanicssong "Taken In",thePat Benatarsong "Le Bel Age", and theKansassong "Can't Cry Anymore" all of which were made by Flattery Yukich Inc (Producer Paul Flattery and Director Jim Yukich). He appeared inA Very Brady Sequelas anLAPDdetective.[11]
Radio
editIn addition to his film career, Belzer was a featured player on theNational Lampoon Radio Hourwith co-starsJohn Belushi,Chevy Chase,Bill Murray,Gilda Radner,andHarold Ramis,a half-hour comedy program aired on 600 plus U.S. stations from 1973 to 1975.[12]Several of his sketches were released on National Lampoon albums, drawn from theRadio Hour,including several bits in which he portrayed a pithy call-in talk show host named "Dick Ballantine".[citation needed]
In the late 1970s, he co-hostedBrink & BelzeronWNBCradio (660 AM) in New York City.[13]He was a frequent guest onThe Howard Stern Show.Following the departure ofRandi RhodesfromAir America Radio,Belzer guest-hosted the afternoon program on the network.[14]
Belzer was a regular guest on the right-wing radio show ofAlex Jonesand appeared on the episode covering theBoston Marathon bombing,in which he referred to the bombing as afalse flagevent.[15][time needed]
Television
editIn the 1980s, Belzer was a regular onAlan Thicke's short-lived showThicke of the Night.He also briefly starred inThe Richard Belzer ShowonCinemax,[16]and hosted theLifetimecable TV talk show,Hot Properties.[11]By the 1990s, he was appearing frequently on television. He was a regular onThe Flashas a news anchor and reporter. In several episodes ofLois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman,he playedInspector William Henderson.[11]
He followed that with starring roles on theBaltimore-basedHomicide: Life on the Street(1993–1999) and the New York City-basedLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit(1999–2013), portraying police detectiveJohn Munchin both series.[4]Barry Levinson,Executive Producer ofHomicide,said Belzer was a "lousy actor" in audition when he read lines from the script for "Gone for Goode",the first episode in the series.[17]Levinson asked Belzer to take time to reread and practice the material, then read it again. At his second reading, Levinson said Belzer was "still terrible", but that the actor eventually found confidence in his performance.[18]
In addition, Belzer played Munch in episodes on seven other series and in a sketch on one talk show, making Munch the only fictional character to appear on 11 different television shows played by a single actor.[19]These shows were on six different networks:
- Homicide: Life on the Street(NBC)
- Law & Order(NBC)
- The X-Files(Fox)
- The Beat(UPN)
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury(NBC)
- Belzer's appearance onTrial by Jury,which aired April 15, 2005, made him the third actor ever to play the same character in six different prime-time TV series. The other two actors areJohn RatzenbergerandGeorge Wendt,who playedCliff ClavinandNorm Peterson,respectively, inCheers(1982–93),St. Elsewhere(1985),The Tortellis(1987),Wings(1990),The Simpsons(1994), andFrasier(2002).
- Arrested Development(Fox)
- The Wire(HBO)
- 30 Rock[4](NBC)
- The characters are watching aLaw & Order: Special Victims Unitepisode; a scene shot for30 Rock
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit(NBC)
- Jimmy Kimmel Live!(ABC)
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt(Netflix), in which he played a John Munch-like character on a fictionalLaw & Orderspin-off.[20][21]
In March 2016, executive producer Warren Leight announced Belzer would return to reprise the role in a May 2016 episode ofLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit,titled "Fashionable Crimes".[22]
Belzer portrayed Det. Munch for 22 consecutive seasons onHomicide(7 seasons) andLaw & Order: SVU(15 seasons), which exceeded the previous primetime live-action record of twenty consecutive seasons held byJames Arness(who portrayedMarshal Matt DillononGunsmokefrom 1955 to 1975) andKelsey Grammer(as Dr.Frasier CraneonCheersandFrasierfrom 1984 to 2004). This record has since been passed by Belzer'sSVUco-stars Mariska Hargitay andIce-T.
Belzer appeared in several ofComedy Central's televised broadcasts ofFriars' Clubroasts. On June 9, 2001, Belzer himself was honored by the New York Friars Club and the Toyota Comedy Festival as the honoree of the first-ever roast open to the public. Comedians and friends on the dais included RoastmasterPaul Shaffer;Christopher Walken;Danny Aiello;Barry Levinson;Robert Klein;Bill Maher;SVUco-starsMariska Hargitay,Christopher Meloni,Ice-T,andDann Florek;andLaw & Order'sJerry Orbach.At the December 1, 2002, roast ofChevy Chase,Belzer said, "The only time Chevy Chase has a funny bone in his body is when I fuck him in the ass."[23]
Belzer voiced the character of Loogie for most of theSouth Parkepisode titled "The Tooth Fairy's Tats 2000".[24]He andBrian Doyle-Murraywere featured in the tenth-season premiere ofSesame Street.[25]
Author
editBelzer believed there was aconspiracy to assassinate President John F. Kennedy[26]and wrote five books discussingconspiracy theories:
- UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe(2000)[27]
- Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups[28]
- Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination[29]
- Corporate Conspiracies: How Wall Street Took Over Washington[30]
- Someone Is Hiding Something: What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?[31]
Dead WrongandHit Listwere written with journalist David Wayne and reachedThe New York TimesBest Seller list.[31]Someone Is Hiding Somethingwas also written with David Wayne as well as radio talk show hostGeorge Noory.[32]Belzer's long-time character, John Munch, was also a believer in conspiracy theories, including the JFK assassination. In 2008, Belzer published a novel,I Am Not a Cop!,about a fictional version of himself investigating a murder.[1]
Personal life
editBelzer's first two marriages were to Gail Susan Ross (1966–1972)[33]and boutique manager Dalia Danoch (1976 – c. 1978),[33]both of which ended in divorce. In 1981, in Los Angeles, he met 32-year-oldHarlee McBride,a divorcée with two daughters,[34]Bree Benton and Jessica.[35]McBride, who had been seen inPlayboymagazine four years earlier in that year's sex-in-cinema feature, in conjunction withYoung Lady Chatterley,[36]was appearing inTV commercialsforFordand acting in free theater when she met Belzer at the suggestion of a friend.[34]The two married in 1985[33]and had a home inBozouls,France.[1]
Belzer survivedtesticular cancerin 1983.[34]His 1997HBOspecial and comedy CDAnother Lone Nutpokes fun at this medical incident, as well as his status as a well-knownconspiracy theorist.
On March 27, 1985, four days before thefirst WrestleMania,Belzer repeatedly requested on his TV talk showHot Propertiesthat professional wrestlerHulk Hogandemonstrate a wrestling move. Hogan applied a front facelock, which caused Belzer to pass out, and he hit the back of his head on the floor when released.[37]After waking up, Belzer was dazed, lacerated and briefly hospitalized.[38]He latersued Hogan for $5 millionand settled out of court for $400,000 in 1990.[1]Belzer refers to the settlement in his 1997 HBO stand-up specialAnother Lone Nut,revealing it helped him pay for a home inBeaulieu-sur-Mercalled the "Chez Hogan" or "Hulk Hogan Estate".[1][39]
Belzer's father and brother both died bysuicide,in 1968 and 2014, respectively.[6]His cousin is actorHenry Winkler.[40]
Death
editOn February 19, 2023, Belzer died from complications ofrespiratory diseaseinBozouls,France at the age of 78.[1][39][41]
Many paid tribute to Belzer includingChristopher Meloni,Mariska Hargitay,Ice-T,andDick Wolf.[39]
Filmography
editFilm
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | The Groove Tube | Rodriguez, Leo Batfish, The President, The Hooker | Independent film |
| 1980 | Fame | M.C. | |
| 1982 | Café Flesh | Loud-mouthed audience member | |
| Author! Author! | Seth Shapiro | ||
| Night Shift | Pig | ||
| 1983 | Scarface | M.C. at Babylon Club | |
| Likely Stories, Vol. 3 | Richard | ||
| 1986 | America | Gypsy Beam | a.k.a.Moonbeam |
| Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment | Man Reading Paper | ||
| 1987 | Flicks | Stoner | Segment: "New Adventures of the Great Galaxy" |
| 1988 | The Wrong Guys | Richard 'Belz' Belzer | |
| Freeway | Dr. David Lazarus | ||
| 1989 | The Big Picture | Video Show Host | |
| Fletch Lives | Phil | ||
| 1990 | The Bonfire of the Vanities | Television Producer | |
| 1991 | The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster | Joe Kline | |
| Missing Pieces | Baldesari | ||
| Off and Running | Milt Zoloth | ||
| 1992 | Flash III: Deadly Nightshade | Joe Kline | |
| 1993 | Mad Dog and Glory | M.C./Comic | |
| Dangerous Game | Himself | ||
| 1994 | North | Barker | |
| The Puppet Masters | Jarvis | ||
| 1995 | Not of This Earth | Jeremy Pallin | |
| 1996 | Girl 6 | Caller #4 – Beach | |
| A Very Brady Sequel | LAPD Detective | ||
| Get on the Bus | Rick | ||
| 1998 | The Bar Channel | — | |
| Species II | U.S. President | ||
| 1999 | Jump | Jerry | |
| 2006 | Copy That | Richard | |
| 2007 | BelzerVizion | Himself | Also executive producer |
| 2009 | Polish Bar | Hershel | |
| 2010 | Santorini Blue | Richard | Also executive producer |
| 2016 | The Comedian | Himself | |
| 2017 | Gilbert | Himself | Documentary film |
Television
edit| Year | Film | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1975–80 | Saturday Night Live | Juror Chevy Chase Himself Museum Visitor |
Season 1 episode 1,season 2 episode 27,season 3 episode 61,andseason 5 episode 106(uncredited) |
| 1978 | Sesame Street | Man in Row Boat #1 | Episode: "(#1186)" |
| 1983-1984 | Thicke of the Night | Regular | |
| 1984 | The Richard Belzer Show | Himself | Six episodes |
| 1985 | Hot Properties | Host | |
| 1985 | Moonlighting | Leonard | Episode: "Twas the Episode Before Christmas" |
| 1986 | Miami Vice | Captain Hook | Episode: "Trust Fund Pirates" |
| 1989 | Tattingers | — | Episode: "Ex-Appeal" a.k.a.Nick & Hillary |
| 1990–91 | The Flash | Joe Kline | 10 episodes |
| 1991 | Monsters | Buzz Hunkle | Episode: "Werewolf of Hollywood" |
| 1992 | Human Target | Greene | Episode: "Pilot" |
| 1993–99 | Homicide: Life on the Street | Det. John Munch | 122 episodes,regular cast |
| 1994 | Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman | Inspector William Henderson | Episode: "All Shook Up" Episode: "Witness" Episode: "Foundling" Episode: "The House of Luthor" |
| Nurses | Jesse Wilner | Episode: "Fly the Friendly Skies" | |
| Bandit Bandit | Big Bob | TV film | |
| Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart | Det. Frank Giordano | ||
| 1995 | Prince for a Day | Bernie Silver | TV film; a.k.a.The Prince and the Pizza Boy |
| The Invaders | Randy Stein | TV film | |
| 1996 | Deadly Pursuits | Mariano | |
| 1996–2000 | Law & Order | Det. John Munch | Episode: "Charm City" Episode: "Baby, It's You" Episode: "Sideshow" Episode: "Entitled" |
| 1997 | The X-Files | Episode: "Unusual Suspects" | |
| Richard Belzer: Another Lone Nut | Himself | HBOcomedy special | |
| When Cars Attack | TV film | ||
| 1997–98 | E! True Hollywood Story | Episode: "Gilda Radner","John Belushi" | |
| 1998 | Elmopalooza | — | |
| 1999 | Mad About You | Detective Sharp | Episode: "Stealing Burt's Car" |
| 1999–2016 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Det./Sgt. John Munch | 325 episodes,regular cast |
| 2000 | Homicide: The Movie | Det. John Munch | TV film based on the television series |
| The Beat | Episode: "They Say It's Your Birthday" | ||
| South Park | Loogie (voice) | Episode: "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000" | |
| 3rd Rock from the Sun | Himself | Episode: "Dick'll Take Manhattan: Part 1" | |
| 2005 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Det. John Munch | Episode: "Skeleton" This is a crossover sequel to the episode "Tombstone" from season 15 of the seriesLaw & Order. |
| 2006 | Arrested Development | Episode: "S.O.B.s"(uncredited) Episode: "Exit Strategy" | |
| 2008 | The Wire | Sgt. John Munch | Episode: "Took" |
| 2009 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | Episode dated October 7, 2009 | |
| Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers | Himself | — | |
| 2013 | America Declassified | Season 1 episode 1 | |
| 2015 | Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt | AJohn Munch-like character[20][21] | One episode: "Kimmy Goes to the Doctor!" |
Books
edit- UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe,ISBN0-345-42918-4
- How to Be a Stand-Up Comic,ISBN0-394-56239-9
- I Am Not a Cop!: A Novel,ISBN1-4165-7066-7
- I Am Not a Psychic!,ISBN1-4165-7089-6
- Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups,ISBN1-6160-8673-4
- Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination,ISBN978-1620878071
- Someone Is Hiding Something: What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?,ISBN978-1632207289
References
edit- ^abcdefKoseluk, Chris (February 19, 2023)."Richard Belzer, Extraordinarily Smart-Ass as a Comic and a TV Cop, Dies at 78".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
- ^"Richard Belzer's Books".Simon and Schuster.RetrievedJuly 31,2022.
- ^abBelzer, Richard (October 16, 2013)."Munch Madness".The Huffington Post.RetrievedDecember 31,2023.
- ^abcLocker, Melissa (October 16, 2013)."Farewell, Detective Munch: Richard Belzer's Cop Character LeavesSVU".Time.
- ^"Horoscope".TV Guide.January 17, 2022. p. 67.
- ^abc"Reports: Richard Belzer's brother dead from suicide".Connecticut Post.July 31, 2014.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
- ^Steinberg, Jacques (January 14, 2009)."Two Funny Guys With the Same Name, but Not the Same Jokes".The New York Times.Archived fromthe originalon March 2, 2012.RetrievedMarch 22,2011.
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- ^Jarvis, Zeke, ed. (2015). "Richard Belzer".Make 'Em Laugh: American Humorists of the 20th and 21st Century.Santa Barbara, California:ABC-Clio.p. 215.ISBN9781440829956.
- ^abc"Richard Belzer, stand-up comic and 'Law & Order: SVU' star, dies at 78".Variety. February 19, 2023.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
- ^"The National Lampoon Radio Hour".NPR.November 17, 2003.
- ^Haller, Scott (July 2, 1979)."Waking Up Weird: Can Brink and Belzer Save WNBC?".New York.RetrievedMarch 19,2018– via Google Books.
- ^Shea, Danny (April 18, 2008)."Richard Belzer to Fill in During Randi Rhodes' Air America Time Slot".The Huffington Post.New York City.RetrievedJune 14,2014.
- ^"#349: April 15-16, 2013".Knowledge Fight.September 30, 2019 – via PlayerFM.
- ^O'Connor, John (November 19, 1984)."TV REVIEW; 'RICHARD BELZER SHOW,' COMEDY SERIES ON CABLE".The New York Times.RetrievedMarch 1,2023.
- ^Mendoza, Manuel (June 11, 2003). "Revisit 'Life on the Street'".The Dallas Morning News.Dallas,Texas. p. 1E.
- ^Levinson, Barry(2003).Homicide Life on the Street – The Seasons 1 & 2(DVD audio commentary).A&E Home Video.
- ^Ganley, Doug (October 16, 2013)."Richard Belzer retires Detective Munch".CNN.Atlanta, Georgia.
- ^abCruz, Rachel (March 12, 2015)."Unbreakable Kimmy SchmidtRecap: "Kimmy Goes to the Doctor"".MovieNewsGuide.RetrievedMarch 22,2016.
... she and Titus (Tituss Burgess) come across an old episode ofLaw Squiggle Orderwhere Coriolanus Burt (James Monroe Iglehart) is in a scene with actor Richard Belzer.
[permanent dead link] - ^abSmith, Courtney E.; Peterson, Jessie (March 6, 2015)."Everything We Learned From the 'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt'".Radio.Archived fromthe originalon March 19, 2016.RetrievedMarch 22,2016.
There was a Law & Order star, Richard Belzer, in a fake spin-off.
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- ^Heffernan, Virginia (December 2, 2002)."The Meanest Roast".Slate.San Francisco, California.RetrievedDecember 2,2002.
- ^Crockford, C.M. (August 5, 2022)."The Law & Order star you likely forgot had a role on South Park".Looper.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
- ^"The Muppets Meet… Munch?".Observer.August 22, 2006.RetrievedFebruary 8,2021.
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- ^"Hit List".Arcade Publishing.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
- ^"Corporate Conspiracies".Arcade Publishing.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
- ^abElias, Marilyn (Winter 2013)."Conspiracy Act".Intelligence Report(152). Montgomery, Alabama:Southern Poverty Law Center.RetrievedDecember 22,2014.
- ^"Someone Is Hiding Something".Arcade Publishing.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
- ^abcCastro, Peter (March 29, 1993)."Richard Belzer: His Wit Honed by Anger, He's a Comic Who Has Gone from Stand-Up to Homicide".People.Vol. 39, no. 12. Archived fromthe originalon September 17, 2008.RE Ross: "In 1971, a year before the end of his six-year marriage to Gail Susan Ross...." RE Danoch: "In 1976. Belzer worked himself into a second marriage with Dalia Danoch, a boutique manager, but it ended in divorce less than two years later."
- ^abcHiaasen, Rob (February 20, 1997)."Detective Mensch: A dark comic with a sweetheart of a soul, Richard Belzer has found a new life with 'Homicide'".The Baltimore Sun.Baltimore, Maryland.Archivedfrom the original on October 7, 2012.RetrievedOctober 7,2012.
- ^Hiaasen,p. 3
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- ^abcTraub, Alex (February 19, 2023)."Richard Belzer, Detective Munch on 'Law & Order: S.V.U.,' Dies at 78".The New York Times.RetrievedFebruary 19,2023.
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