Richard Belzer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Richard Belzer |
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Belzer at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2009
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| Birth name | Richard Jay Belzer |
| Born | August 4, 1944 Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Died | February 19, 2023 (aged 78) Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France |
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| Spouse |
Gail Susan Ross
(m. 1966; div. 1972)Dalia Danoch
(m. 1976; div. 1978)Harlee McBride
(m. 1985) |
| Relative(s) | Henry Winkler (cousin) |
| Notable works and roles | John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit |
Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944 – died February 19, 2023) was an American actor, comedian, and writer. He was most famous for playing Detective John Munch. He played this character on two popular TV shows: Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Richard Belzer played John Munch for 23 years, from 1993 until he retired in 2016. He even appeared as Munch on several other TV series, making the character very well-known.
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Early Life and Education
Richard Belzer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on August 4, 1944. He grew up in a Jewish family. After finishing high school at Fairfield Warde High School, he worked as a reporter for the Bridgeport Post newspaper.
Belzer went to Dean College in Franklin, Massachusetts. At that time, it was called Dean Junior College. However, he was later asked to leave the college.
Career Highlights
Starting in Comedy
After his first marriage ended, Richard Belzer moved to New York City. He started performing as a stand-up comedian. He worked at famous comedy clubs like Pips, The Improv, and Catch a Rising Star.
He was part of a comedy group called Channel One. This group made fun of television shows. Their comedy led to a movie called The Groove Tube, where Belzer played a TV show co-star. He also warmed up the audience for Saturday Night Live and appeared on the show a few times.
Acting in Movies
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Belzer started acting in movies. He had small roles in films like Fame, Night Shift, and Scarface. He also appeared in music videos for bands like Mike + The Mechanics and Pat Benatar.
A fun fact is that a short skit of a younger Belzer appeared on Sesame Street in 1978. In this skit, he was one of two young men trying to have a picnic and boat ride, but a dog kept eating their food!
Radio Work
Richard Belzer was also active in radio. He was a featured performer on the National Lampoon Radio Hour. This was a comedy show that aired on many U.S. radio stations from 1973 to 1975. He played a talk show host named "Dick Ballantine" in some sketches.
Later, in the late 1970s, he co-hosted a radio show called Brink & Belzer in New York City. He was also a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show.
Television Roles
The 1990s brought Richard Belzer many television roles. He was a regular on The Flash as a news reporter. He also played Inspector William Henderson in several episodes of Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman.
His most famous role was Detective John Munch. He played Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–2013). The producer of Homicide, Barry Levinson, initially thought Belzer was not a good actor. But Belzer worked hard and eventually found his confidence in the role.
What's amazing is that Belzer played John Munch on eleven different TV shows! This makes Munch the only fictional character played by one actor to appear on so many different series. These shows were on six different TV networks:
- Homicide: Life on the Street (NBC)
- Law & Order (NBC)
- The X-Files (Fox)
- The Beat (UPN)
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury (NBC)
- Arrested Development (Fox)
- The Wire (HBO)
- 30 Rock (NBC)
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (NBC)
- Jimmy Kimmel Live! (ABC)
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)
In 2016, Belzer returned to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit for a special episode. He played Detective Munch for 22 seasons in a row across Homicide and Law & Order: SVU. This was a record for a live-action primetime character played by the same actor for so long.
Belzer also appeared in several roasts for the New York Friars' Club. A roast is a comedy event where friends and colleagues make fun of an honored guest. In 2001, Richard Belzer himself was the guest of honor at a public roast.
As an Author
Richard Belzer also wrote several books. He was interested in conspiracy theories. He wrote five books about these ideas, including:
- UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe (2000)
- Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups
- Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination
- Someone Is Hiding Something: What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?
Two of his books, Dead Wrong and Hit List, became The New York Times bestsellers. His character, John Munch, was also known for believing in conspiracy theories. In 2008, Belzer wrote a novel called I Am Not a Cop!, which was about a fictional version of himself solving a murder.
Personal Life
Richard Belzer was married three times. His first two marriages ended in divorce. In 1981, he met Harlee McBride, who had two daughters. They got married in 1985.
Belzer survived cancer in 1983. He even joked about this experience in his comedy special called Another Lone Nut.
In 1985, before the first WrestleMania event, Belzer had a talk show. He asked wrestler Hulk Hogan to show him a wrestling move. Hogan put Belzer in a hold, and Belzer passed out and hit his head. Belzer later used the money from a settlement related to this incident to help buy a home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France. He and his wife jokingly called it "Chez Hogan."
Death
Richard Belzer passed away at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France, on February 19, 2023. He was 78 years old. He died from complications related to his circulatory and respiratory health.
Filmography
Richard Belzer appeared in many films and television shows throughout his career. Here are some of his notable roles:
Film Appearances
- The Groove Tube (1974)
- Fame (1980)
- Night Shift (1982)
- Scarface (1983)
- The Wrong Guys (1988)
- Fletch Lives (1989)
- A Very Brady Sequel (1996)
- Species II (1998)
- The Comedian (2016)
Television Appearances
- Saturday Night Live (1975–1980)
- Sesame Street (1978)
- Miami Vice (1986)
- The Flash (1990–1991)
- Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–1999) as Det. John Munch
- Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman (1994) as Inspector William Henderson
- Law & Order (1996–2000) as Det. John Munch
- The X-Files (1997) as Det. John Munch
- Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–2016) as Det./Sgt. John Munch
- South Park (2000) (voice)
- Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005) as Det. John Munch
- Arrested Development (2006) as Det. John Munch
- The Wire (2008) as Sgt. John Munch
- Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (2015) as a John Munch-like character
Books Written by Richard Belzer
- UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe
- How to Be a Stand-Up Comic
- I Am Not a Cop!: A Novel
- I Am Not a Psychic!
- Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups
- Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination
- Someone Is Hiding Something: What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?
See also
In Spanish: Richard Belzer para niños
