Richard Belzer, the stand-up known for his lanky frame and dark glasses who became a one-man cinematic universe (or whatever the equivalent TV terminology would be) thanks to his many appearances as John Munch, has died. Belzer introduced the iconic cop on NBC’s Homicide: Life On The Street, but he became an iconic pop culture figure when he transitioned over to Law & Order spin-off Special Victims Unit—opening the door for Munch to appear on several other shows, plus the times Belzer played overtly Munch-like characters without literally playing the same guy. Belzer was 78.
Belzer was born in Connecticut in 1944 and worked various jobs before moving to New York in the ‘70s to start working as a stand-up. He became part of comedy group Channel One and starred in the cult indie comedy The Groove Tube alongside Chevy Chase. He also became close friends with Lorne Michaels and was Saturday Night Live’s warm-up comic (though he never joined the cast, he did make many appearances on the show over the years). In the ‘80s, Belzer appeared on Moonlighting and Miami Vice, and he had a regular role on The Flash.
In 1993, he was cast as Detective John Munch on Homicide: Life On The Street, based on a book by David Simon (who later went on to create The Wire, which featured an appearance from Munch). The quirky cop with a fondness for conspiracy theories (a trait the real Belzer shared) stuck around for the show’s entire run, popping up for cameos on Law & Order and The X-Files at the same time as the same character (and as a Munch-like cop on Mad About You).
As soon as Homicide ended, Belzer and Munch moved over to Law & Order: SVU, becoming a sort of comic relief character on the otherwise grim show (especially when eventually paired with frequent partner Fin Tutuola, played by Ice-T). He appeared in 325 episodes of the show, plus a crossover with Law & Order: Trial By Jury and a cameo on Arrested Development as Munch (and, again, a Munch-like character on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt). When he retired from acting in 2016, Munch had appeared regularly on TV for a record-breaking 22 years, on nine shows and five different networks.
Belzer also wrote several books, including four about conspiracy theories (primarily centering around the assassination of John F. Kennedy, a favorite topic of Belzer’s and Munch’s). Belzer is survived by wife Harlee McBride, who appeared on Homicide with him, and two stepdaughters.