Richard Belzer, the longtime stand-up comedian who grew to become one particular of Television’s most indelible detectives as John Munch in “Homicide: Lifetime on the Street” and “Law & Get: SVU,” has died. He was 78.
Belzer died Sunday at his house in Bozouls in southern France, his longtime close friend Bill Scheft told The Hollywood Reporter. Comic Laraine Newman to start with introduced his demise on Twitter. The actor Henry Winkler, Belzer’s cousin, wrote “Rest in peace Richard.”
Common Television and NBC issued a joint assertion Sunday issuing condolences on information of Benson’s death.
“Any individual who ever had the pleasure of observing Richard Belzer portray Det. John Munch — regardless of whether on ‘Homicide’ or ‘Law & Get: SVU’ – about 4 many years will in no way forget about how significantly he inhabited that beloved character to make it his possess,” the assertion mentioned.
“His professionalism, skills and devotion to the craft built him a pillar in the market, but it was his humor, compassion and loving coronary heart that manufactured him family members.”
For extra than two decades and across 10 series — even which includes appearances on “30 Rock” and “Arrested Development” — Belzer performed the intelligent-cracking, acerbic homicide detective vulnerable to conspiracy theories. Belzer initial performed Munch on a 1993 episode of “Homicide” and previous played him in 2016 on “Law & Get: SVU.”
Belzer under no circumstances auditioned for the role. Following listening to him on “The Howard Stern Present,” govt producer Barry Levinson introduced the comedian in to browse for the section.
“I would under no circumstances be a detective. But if I had been, that’s how I’d be,” Belzer when said. “They generate to all my paranoia and anti-establishment dissidence and conspiracy theories. So it’s been a lot of exciting for me. A desire, actually.”
From that not likely commencing, Belzer’s Munch would come to be a single of tv’s longest-operating figures and a sun shades-sporting presence on the modest screen for a lot more than two many years. In 2008, Belzer released the novel “I Am Not a Cop!” with Michael Ian Black. He also assisted produce quite a few publications on conspiracy theories, about items like President John F. Kennedy’s assassination and Malaysia Airways Flight 370.
“He created me giggle a billion occasions,” his longtime friend and fellow stand-up Richard Lewis reported on Twitter.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Belzer was drawn to comedy, he mentioned, through an abusive childhood in which his mother would conquer him and his older brother, Len. “My kitchen was the hardest place I ever labored,” Belzer explained to Men and women journal in 1993.
Immediately after currently being expelled from Dean Junior College or university in Massachusetts, Belzer embarked on a everyday living of stand-up in New York in 1972. At Catch a Soaring Star, Belzer turned a frequent. He designed his huge-display screen debut in Ken Shapiro’s 1974 movie “The Groove Tube,” a Television set satire co-starring Chevy Chase, a movie that grew out of the comedy group Channel One that Belzer was a aspect of.
Prior to “Saturday Night time Dwell” altered the comedy scene in New York, Belzer executed with John Belushi, Gilda Radner, Invoice Murray and other individuals on the National Lampoon Radio Hour. In 1975, he grew to become the warm-up comedian for the recently released “SNL.” Whilst numerous solid customers immediately became well-known, Belzer’s roles have been generally smaller sized cameos. He later mentioned SNL creator Lorne Michaels reneged on a promise to work him into the show.
