BEAULIEU-SUR-MER, France (CelebrityAccess) — Richard Belzer, the stand-up comedian, actor, and author, best known for his portrayal of Detective John Munch on multiple successful television shows, has died. He was 78.
His passing was first revealed by former Saturday Night Live star Laraine Newman and later confirmed to the New York Times by Belzer’s longtime friend Bill Scheft. Scheft told the Times that Belzer died on Sunday at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France after years of suffering from circulatory and respiratory problems.
A Connecticut native, Belzer attended Dan College (then known as Dean Junior College) but was expelled. He then tried his hand at a variety of career paths, including jewelry salesman, dockworker, and a reporter for the Bridgeport post before finding his way to the stage as a stand-up comedian.
After relocating to New York City, Belzer made a name for himself on stage at noted comedy outlets such as Catch a Rising Star, the Improv, and Late Night with David Letterman and was a featured player on the National Lampoon Radio Hour, a half-hour weekly radio comedy show. The show, which aired between 1973 and 1975, was syndicated to more than 600 radio stations around the U.S. and featured comedy from artist such John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Harold Ramis, among others.
In 1993, Belzer secured a role as Detective John Munch on the David Simon series “Homicide: Life On The Streets” which fictionalized Simon’s experience as a reporter covering the Baltimore Police Department’s homicide divison.
Belzer would go on to portray Detective Munch on a record-setting 10 different television series, including “Law & Order,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Law and Order: Trial By Jury,” “The XW Files,” “The Beat,” “M.O.N.Y.,” “Sesame Street,” “The Wire” and “Arrested Development.”
His other film credits include “Species II,” “Get on the Bus,” “Girl 6,” “A Very Brady Sequel,” “North,” “The Bonfire of the Vanities” and “The Big Picture.”
He was also featured in his own HBO comedy special “Another Lone Nut” in 1997 and hosted the six-part showtime comedy series “The Richard Belzer Show.”
Along with his work on stage and screen, Belzer was the author of four books, including a crime fiction series that featured Belzer as the crime-solving protagonist.
Belzer was married three times with his first two marriages to Gail Susan Ross and Dalia Danoch, both ending in divorce. He married again to Harlee McBride. He is survived by McBride and two stepdaughters, Bree and Jessica Benton.
