“Iconic”, “simply hilarious”: Richard Belzer became known in the 1990s as the sharp-tongued detective John Munch. But much earlier he was involved in the sketch show “Saturday Night Live”.
The American actor Richard Belzer, best known as the cynical detective in the series “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit”, is dead. Belzer died “peacefully” on Sunday at his home in France, with his wife and his stepdaughter at his side, Belzer’s manager Eric Gardner told the German Press Agency. He was 78 years old.
Numerous filmmakers paid tribute to the comedian. Belzer was “just hilarious” and a genius in dealing with his audience, wrote Billy Crystal on Twitter. With his role as detective John Munch, Belzer created one of TV’s “iconic” characters, wrote TV producer Dick Wolf. She will miss her longtime series partner very much, mourned “Law & Order” actress Mariska Hargitay on Instagram. “Rest in peace Richard,” said a tweet from actor and director Henry Winkler (77), a cousin of the deceased.
Belzer, who was a comedian on the Saturday Night Live sketch show in the 1970s, also had supporting roles in films such as Fame, Scarface and Purgatory. He is best known for playing detective John Munch in over 300 episodes of the hit series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the 1990s. Until 2016, he played the sharp-tongued cop at a sex crimes squad in New York.
Source: Stern
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
