{"id":2529,"date":"2023-02-21T14:50:43","date_gmt":"2023-02-21T14:50:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/?p=2529"},"modified":"2023-03-16T20:06:06","modified_gmt":"2023-03-16T20:06:06","slug":"remebering-law-order-actor-richard-belzer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2023\/02\/remebering-law-order-actor-richard-belzer.html","title":{"rendered":"Remebering “Law & Order: SVU” Actor Richard Belzer"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"richard<\/a>
lev radin\/Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Richard Belzer, the actor and comedian best known for his role as Detective Munch across numerous NBC crime shows, including \u201cLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit,\u201d for over 20 years, died at 78. According to his longtime manager, Eric Gardner, Belzer \u201cpassed away peacefully\u201d at his home in France.<\/p>\n

Belzer\u2019s longtime friend, writer Bill Scheft, told The Hollywood Reporter <\/em>that Belzer had numerous health issues. Belzer became famous for his role as Detective Munch, making his first appearance on NBC\u2019s \u201cHomicide: Life on the Street\u201d from 1993 to 1999. In 2000, he reprised that role in the television movie \u201cHomicide: The Movie\u201d and appeared as the beloved detective in four \u201cLaw & Order\u201d episodes.<\/p>\n

He appeared as Munch again in \u201cLaw & Order: SVU,\u201d where he became a series regular, appearing in 326 episodes between 1999 and 2016. His character retired in 2013 but returned in two more episodes after his departure. Like Belzer, Detective Munch had a dry sense of humor, a Jewish background, and a conspiratorial mindset. Over time, his skinny, wisecracking, glasses-wearing investigator became one of the most recognizable cops in TV crime show history.<\/p>\n

In a recent interview with The Boomer Tube, Belzer said, \u201cI would never be a detective, but if I were, that\u2019s how I\u2019d be. The character is very close to how I would be. They write to all my paranoia and anti-establishment dissidence and conspiracy theories, so it\u2019s been a lot of fun for me. It\u2019s been a dream, actually.\u201d Throughout his career, Belzer played a detective in 11 TV shows, like \u201cThe X-Files\u201d and \u201cThe Wire.\u201d He made crossover appearances in character in comedies like \u201cArrested Development,\u201d \u201c30 Rock,\u201d and \u201cUnbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.\u201d Detective Much was even turned into a muppet for a \u201cSesame Street\u201d skit \u201cSpecial Letters Unit.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Conneticut-born actor\u2019s early focus was on comedy and rooted in New York City, despite his crime-solving career. He appeared in the city\u2019s comedy clubs, like The Improv and Catch a Rising Star, and was known for his insensitive comments on social and political events of the time. His breakout came in 1974 when he joined Chevy Chase in the film \u201cThe Groove Tube,\u201d which featured a collection of skits that included social commentary on TV shows of the 70s. He also worked as the warm-up act for \u201cSaturday Night Live,\u201d appearing in some sketches in the early seasons.<\/p>\n

Belzer appeared in the hit 1980 film \u201cFame\u201d as M.C. Other film roles include 1982\u2019s \u201cNight Shift,\u201d followed by \u201cScarface\u201d in 1983. In the 1990s, he appeared on the superhero shows \u201cLoise & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman\u201d and \u201cThe Flash.\u201d<\/p>\n

His colleagues, among them\u00a0Chris Meloni<\/a>\u00a0and Mariska Hargitay, offered praise of their co-star. \u201cGoodbye, my dear, dear friend,\u201d\u00a0Hargitay wrote on Instagram<\/a>. \u201cI will miss you, your unique light, and your singular take on this strange world. I feel blessed to have known you and adored you and worked with you, side by side, for so many years.\u201d Other fond memories came from comedians\u00a0Billy Crystal<\/a>,\u00a0Richard Lewis<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Laraine Newman<\/a>, who singled out his comedic crowd work.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Richard Belzer, the actor and comedian best known for his role as Detective Munch across numerous NBC crime shows, including \u201cLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit,\u201d for over 20 years, died at 78. According to his longtime manager, Eric Gardner, Belzer \u201cpassed away peacefully\u201d at his home in France. Belzer\u2019s longtime friend, writer Bill Scheft,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":657,"featured_media":2553,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[127],"tags":[604,726],"class_list":["post-2529","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-actor","tag-law-order","tag-richard-belzer"],"yoast_head":"\nRemebering "Law & Order: SVU" Actor Richard Belzer<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Richard Belzer, the actor best known for his role as Detective Munch in the "Law & Order" franchise, passed away at his home in France.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/foreverinourhearts\/2023\/02\/remebering-law-order-actor-richard-belzer.html\" \/>\n<meta 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