The late actor initially began his career as a comedian but gained widespread recognition for portraying Detective John Munch on several hit TV series, including Homicide: Life on the Street and Law and Order: SVU. He played this character on 11 different shows over the course of 22 years, a record which was later broken by his co-star Mariska Hargitay.
Belzer’s death was first announced by Laraine Newman, who was a former Saturday Night Live cast member and a close friend of the actor. In her tribute, she called him “one of the funniest people ever” and “a master at crowd work.”
Prior to becoming an actor, Belzer had held a number of odd jobs, including working as a reporter and a census taker. He began his career in stand-up comedy at Manhattan comedy clubs and was a featured player on National Lampoon Radio Hour in the 1970s, alongside comedy legends such as John Belushi and Bill Murray.
Despite his success in comedy, Belzer found his true calling on television, playing the role of Detective John Munch for over two decades. He was also a known conspiracy theorist, having written several books on the subject. Belzer was married three times in his life and famously sued professional wrestler Hulk Hogan after he was injured on Hogan’s show.
The actor retired from acting in 2016 and had been living in the South of France in recent years. Belzer was preceded in death by his mother, father, and brother.
»Law and Order: Special Victims Unit star Richard Belzer has died at the age of 78«