Comic became known as John Munch on Homicide and Law And Order

Richard Belzer, the comedian who became known as hardbitten cop John Munch on  Homicide: Life on the Street  and Law and Order SVU has died at the age of 78.

His friend Bill Scheft told The Hollywood Reporter his last words were: ‘Fuck you, motherfucker.’

Belzer became a comedian after moving to New York City in the early 1970s after a divorce, working in clubs such as The Improv, and Catch a Rising Star. He was also one of the members of the sketch troupe Channel One, which satirised TV  shows, and led to the 1974 movie The Groove Tub

Alongside future comedy A-listers John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Harold Ramis, Belzer was also one of the  featured players on the National Lampoon Radio Hour  which ran 1973 to 1975.

And he got into TV as the  audience warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live, making three guest appearances on the show in the late 1970s.

Laraine Newman who was part of the original Saturday Night Live  team, wrote on social media today: ‘I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL."

‘We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest.’

Fellow comic Marc Maron tweeted: ‘Richard Belzer died. He was an original. One of the greats, babe. I loved the guy. RIP.’

Patton Oswald added: ‘Aw goddamit, RIP Richard Belzer. I just always thought he’d be around ‘cause it seemed like he always was. A true original.’

And Tom Green tweeted: ‘Sorry to hear about the passing of legendary comedian@MRbelzer - Richard Belzer was always so incredibly kind to me personally - Once when I performed in NYC he lent me his awesome Manhattan condo.  Always funny and always opinionated I was proud to have known him.’

#RIP #RichardBelzer (In the always-cool, ever-present shades.) ‘Belz’ broke every rule of comedy and blazed the path for so many …  pic.twitter.com/3oQPnQxe4T

— Joe Piscopo (@JrzyJoePiscopo) February 19, 2023

Here’s some rarely-seen footage of his stand-up from An Evening At The Improv:

Belzer had a short-lived chat show, most famous for a 1984 incident in which Hulk Hogan choked the comic out. Belzer was seriously injured in the stunt, cracking his head on the studio floor as he fell. After suing Hogan for damages, he settled for $400,000.

His  acting career started taking off in the 1990s, and in 1993 he was cast as Munch in  Homicide: Life on the Street. Executive producer  said Belzer was a ‘lousy actor’ when he auditioned – and even at the second audition – but he must have cracked it, as he played the role for six years in the show. And then another 14 in  Law & Order: Special Victims.

In addition, Belzer played Munch in episodes on seven other series – includinh The X-Files, Arrested Development , The Wire  and 30 Rock –  and in a sketch on the Jimmy Kimmel Live! talk show, making Munch the only fictional character to appear on 11 different TV shows played by a single actor.

Dick Wolf, who created the Law & Order franchise wrote: ‘Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters…  Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him very much.’

A statement from NBC and Universal Television added: ‘Anyone who ever had the pleasure of watching Richard Belzer portray Det. John Munch — whether on Homicide or Law & Order: SVU – over four decades will never forget how much he inhabited that beloved character to make it his own.

‘His professionalism, talents and dedication to the craft made him a pillar in the industry, but it was his humor, compassion and loving heart that made him family. Our condolences go out to his loved ones as we join them in mourning his loss, but also in celebrating his memory.’

Later in life, Belzer became an author of books including UFsS, JFK and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to be Crazy to Believe and Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country’s Most Controversial Cover-Ups.

He reportedly had several health issues leading up to his death.

Published: 19 Feb 2023