What Richard Belzer Did After Law And Order
Richard Belzer was an icon in the Law & Order television universe. He played the famous character detective John Munch. He began his career as the character in 1993 on Homicide: Life on the Street before moving over to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 1999. The actor, comedian, and author remained a part of the television show until his departure in 2013. Belzer did return to the iconic character in 2016 for one episode of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
Belzer sadly passed away at the age of 78 on February 19th, 2023. He had retired from acting in 2016 and died while in France. Though he had not been involved in the Law & Order television universe for many years, he is remembered by fans, friends, and family. Here is what Richard Belzer did after Law & Order.
8 Who Was Richard Belzer?
Richard Belzer was the actor behind the iconic character of detective John Munch in the Law & Order television universe. Before first landing the role in Homicide: Life on the Street in 1993, Belzer made his living as a stand-up comedian. He performed comedy as some very popular comedy clubs in New York City before joining Saturday Night Live!
Though Belzer was never a regular cast member of the hit comedy-skit show, he was the audience warm-up comedian for the show. He did appear on Saturday Night Live! three times as a guest role. He continued to work in the entertainment industry, in both film and radio, before landing the role of John Munch. He was a star in the Law & Order universe, which launched many careers.
7 Richard Belzer Played Detective John Munch On Law & Order
Detective John Munch is one of the most famous characters in television history, which is partly due to how long the character was seen on the small screen. Richard Belzer first appeared as the detective in 1993 on Homicide: Life on the Street. He and the character moved over to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 1999. He remained on the show until saying his goodbye in 2013. Many other actors have also left Law & Order after being on the show for long periods of time.
Before leaving, however, Belzer portrayed the famous character of John Munch in many other television shows. Belzer made appearances in Law & Order, The X-Files, The Beat, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, Arrested Development, The Wire and 30 Rock. He also appeared on Jimmy Kimmel Live! and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as Munch. Belzer is the only actor to appear in 11 different television shows as the same character, and he at one time held the record for live-action consecutive seasons as one character.
6 Richard Belzer Did Voice Acting
Richard Belzer did not do a lot of acting after exiting Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. Though he did not formally retire from acting until late 2016, he chose to take long breaks in between roles since he had never had that opportunity while playing detective John Munch. The actor also chose to take on more laid-back roles. He chose to do voice acting, which many actors nowadays have been dabbling in.
Belzer previously had worked as a voice actor. He played Loogie in one episode of South Park in 2000. He returned to voice acting in 2016 in the animated show American Dad! He voiced a detective on the television show, which was meant to be a nod to his previous role on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
5 Richard Belzer Was An Author
When fans think of Richard Belzer, they immediately think of the rational detective they saw on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. In real life, however, Belzer was a big conspiracy theorist. The actor believed very strongly that there was a conspiracy behind the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and he wrote five books about his beliefs.
Belzer’s first book, UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe, was published in 2000. He then proceeded to publish more books about the conspiracy, including Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country's Most Controversial Cover-Ups, Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination, and Corporate Conspiracies: How Wall Street Took Over Washington. His final book, Someone Is Hiding Something: What Happened to Malaysia Airlines Flight 370?, was published in 2015.
4 When Richard Belzer Returned To Law & Order
Though Richard Belzer left Law & Order: Special Victims Unit in 2013, his formal goodbye to the character did not come until 2016. The executive producer of the show, Warren Leight, announced in March 2016 that Belzer would return to appear for one episode of the hit television show.
The episode aired in May 2016 and way titled “Fashionable Crimes.” It was the 20th episode in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’s 17th season. Fans of the hit show loved to see Belzer return to the character, and the reviews for the episode were very positive. Fans were particularly glad that the other characters did not make a big deal about his return. This would be natural of people who see each other regularly, which is the case of the characters in regards to John Munch.
3 Richard Belzer’s Last Role Was In The Comedian
As previously mentioned, Richard Belzer formally retired from acting in late 2016. He had a long career in the entertainment industry as a comedian and actor, and he will forever be known for the role of John Munch. Belzer felt it was finally time to step away from his career and enjoy the later years of his life.
His final role in the entertainment industry was in the 2016 film The Comedian. The film starred Robert De Niro, Leslie Mann, and Danny DeVito. The movie tells the story of a comic icon attempting to reinvent himself after always being known for a role he played early in his career. Belzer played a version of himself in the film and had more of a cameo role.
2 A Documentary On Richard Belzer Is In The Works
Richard Belzer was friends with Bill Scheft for years. Scheft is a comedy writer and novelist. He is best known for being a staff writer for David Letterman from 1991 to 2015. He has been nominated for 15 Emmy Awards for his work. He has published four novels, including The Ringer, Time Won’t Let Me, Everything Hurts, and Shrink Thyself.
For the past several years, Scheft has been working on a documentary about Belzer’s life and career. He spoke about the documentary on The Third Of Never podcast in January 2022. Exact plans for this documentary are still unclear. Belzer’s death may expedite the process.
1 How Did Richard Belzer Die?
Sadly, the Law & Order: Special Victims Unit icon Richard Belzer passed away on February 19th, 2023. After retiring from the entertainment industry, Belzer had moved to France. He died in his home in Bozouls in southwest France. He reportedly died from complications involving circulatory and respiratory issues he had suffered from for years.
His friend Bill Scheft, who said in 2022 that he was working on a documentary of Belzer’s life, confirmed the news to The Hollywood Reporter. “He had lots of health issues,” Scheft told the outlet. “His last words were, ‘F*ck you, motherf*cker.’”
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