Richard Belzer, a key figure in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in the first 14 seasons of the series, is said to have passed away at the age of 78.
Longtime family friend Bill Scheft confirmed the news of his passing to The Daily Beast on Monday, adding that the actor “died at home with this family around” around him.”
“I was very sad to hear the news of Richard Belzer’s passing. I love this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I went to New York to do SNL,” said actress Laraine Newman, who has worked with Belzer on his Saturday Night Live appearances, in a statement. interview. tweet Sunday morning. “We used to go out for dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay to eat lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. Dearest RIP.
Belzer’s cousin, co-star Henry Winkler, tweeted “Rest in Peace Richard” in response to Newman’s post.
He died at his home in southwestern France early Sunday morning after struggling with “a lot of health problems,” Scheft told the newspaper. hollywood reporter. “His last words were, ‘Fuck, you son of a bitch.’”
Actor, who began his career as a stand-up comedian in New York City in the 1960s before landing the iconic role of Detective John Munch in Murder: Life on the Streets And Law & Order: Special Victims Unitis said to have lived in France since “temporarily retiring” from acting in 2016.
Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, Belzer has spoken extensively about the physical abuse he endured during his childhood and how comedy helped him deal with violence at home.
Belzer said in a 1997 interview with Fresh Air: “My intelligence has saved me many times. “I was kicked out of every school I attended for my uncontrollable wit. I think comedy chose me.”
The beloved actor rose to fame with his main character, Munch, in 1993—a character who has appeared in 11 different shows across multiple networks, from File X ARRIVE Development caught, and even Wire.
Munch first traverses the TV universes when switching to Law & Order: SVU for the show’s premiere in 1999. He called Dick Wolf and initially pitched the idea for Munch to join the main series following the departure of Benjamin Bratt, but Wolf suggested him instead. starred in the series’ first spin-off, where he remained until 2013, as Belzer shared in his 2009 book “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Unofficial Campaign.”
“I love this character. Writers already know me. The character of Munch is really close to the way I do things,” he told Smashing Interviews in a 2017 interview. “It’s been a dream come true for me and it’s so much fun to watch. played this character for many years. I’m very lucky.”
Prior to her breakout role, Belzer appeared in small roles in films including Scar face, Night shiftAnd Grooved Pipe.
Belzer is also passionate about conspiracy theories, having written four books, including “UFOs, JFKs, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to Be Crazy to Believe” and “Deadly Wrong: The Straight Truth About Coverups most controversial in the country”.
He began his radio career in the early 1970s as a featured star on Lampoon National Radio Time. Belzer continues to be a regular guest on Howard Stern . Programand in the last years of his life he appeared regularly on Alex Jones’ far-right news program,
In addition to his fascination with the assassination plots of John F. Kennedy, he was also involved in modern conspiracies, seeing the Boston Marathon bombing as a false flag.
Bezler married his third wife, actress Harlee McBride, in 1985, an actress who appeared in television commercials and films in 1977. Lady Chatterley and have two daughters.
