Richard Belzer, the actor and stand-up comedian best known for his portrayal of detective John Munch in “Law & Order: SVU,” has died at the age of 78. Belzer died Sunday at his home in Bozouls in southern France, his longtime friend Bill Scheft told The Hollywood Reporter.
TV audiences knew Belzer as Detective John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, after first portraying Munch on NBC’s critically acclaimed drama series Homicide: Life on the Street.
Belzer has made television history by portraying Detective Munch in ten different television series, including Law & Order, The Wire, and Arrested Development.
A veteran stand-up comic, actor, and talk-show host, he appeared in such films as Fame and Scarface; starred in The Richard Belzer Show on Cinemax, his own HBO special, Another Lone Nut; and The Belzer Connection for the SciFi Channel.
Belzer was the author of I Am Not A Cop!, UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to Be Crazy to Believe, and coauthor of How to Be a Stand-Up Comic.
