Bridgeport native, Law & Order actor Richard Belzer dead at 78
BRIDGEPORT — Hometown actor and comedian Richard Belzer, perhaps best known for his long-time portrayal as Detective John Munch on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” has died at the age of 78, according to Variety.
Belzer, a Bridgeport native and Fairfield Warde High School graduate, worked as a paperboy and later a reporter for the Bridgeport Post.
His career in comedy and acting spanned decades and included stints on Saturday Night Live with the original case in the 1970s.
Tributes to Belzer began pouring in on Twitter when word that the lanky actor had passed away while living in France.
“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing,” said SNL original cast member Laraine Newman in a tweet. “I loved this guy so much. He was one of my first friends when I got to New York to do SNL. We used to go out to dinner every week at Sheepshead Bay for lobster. One of the funniest people ever. A master at crowd work. RIP dearest.”
His portrayal of the acerbic Munch, a cop who often investigated the sexual assault of children, made the character one of the most memorable cops in TV history, said Chris Koseluk in a piece in The Hollywood Reporter that was posted after word of Belzer’s death got out.
“Certainly one of the most memorable cops in TV history, Munch — based on a real-life Baltimore detective — was a highly intelligent, doggedly diligent investigator who believed in conspiracy theories, distrusted the system and pursued justice through a jaded eye,”
Koseluk said. “He’d often resort to dry, acerbic wisecracks to make his point: “I’m aho micide detective. The only time I wonder why is when they tell me the truth,” went a typical Munch retort.”
Belzer portrayed Munch from 1999 to 2016 and a host of other television cops, but he was also well-known as a stand-up comedian who Comedy Central, called a trailblazer
in a tribute posted on Twitter.
“Richard Belzer was a trailblazing comedian who influenced generations of stand-ups,” the tweet said. “His voice will be missed.”
Comedian and actor Billy Crystal also honored Belzer on Twitter saying he was “simply hilarious.” “A genius at handling a crowd,” Crystal said. “So sad he’s passed away.”
He was also increasingly known as a conspiracy theorist who wrote or cowrote three books on various conspiracies including the death of John F. Kennedy Jr. and Elvis, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.
“We are in silence,” said a tweet from NBC’s Law & Order SUV. “Heartbreaking news for today. Rest in peace beloved Richard Belzer.”