Richard Belzer

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Richard Belzer
Richard Belzer.JPG
Belzer at the White House Correspondents Dinner in 2009
Birth name Richard Jay Belzer
Born (1944-08-04) August 4, 1944 (age 68)
Bridgeport, Connecticut, U.S.
Medium Stand-up, film, television, books, radio
Nationality American
Years active 1974–present
Genres Political satire, observational comedy, deadpan
Subject(s) American culture, American politics, current events, mass media
Spouse Gail Susan Ross (1966–72; divorced)
Dalia Danoch (1976–c. 1978; divorced)
Harlee McBride (1985–present)
Notable works and roles John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street
John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit

Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944)[1] is an American stand-up comedian, author,[2] and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, whom he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest appearances on a number of other series.

Contents

Early life and education [edit]

Belzer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut. He grew up in a Jewish[3] family. After high school, Belzer worked as a reporter for the Bridgeport Post. He attended what was then Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts.

Career [edit]

Stand-up [edit]

After his first divorce, Belzer relocated to New York City, moved in with singer Shelley Ackerman, and began working as a stand-up comic at Pips, The Improv, and Catch a Rising Star. He participated in the Channel One comedy group that satirized television and became the basis for the cult movie The Groove Tube, in which Belzer played the costar of the ersatz TV show "The Dealers."

Belzer was the audience warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live in its premiere season[citation needed] and made three guest appearances on the show in 1976 and 1978. He also opened for musician Warren Zevon during his tour supporting the release of his album Excitable Boy.[citation needed]

Film [edit]

In the late 1970s and early '80s, Belzer became an occasional film actor. He is noted for his small roles in Fame, Night Shift, and Scarface. He also appeared in the music videos for the Mike + The Mechanics song "Taken In" and for the Pat Benatar song "Le Bel Age",as well as the Kansas video "Can't Cry Anymore" . He had a movie role as an LAPD detective in A Very Brady Sequel.

Radio [edit]

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In addition to his film career, Belzer was a featured player on the National Lampoon Radio Hour with co-stars John Belushi, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray, Gilda Radner, and Harold Ramis, a half-hour comedy program aired on some 600 U.S. stations from 1973 to 1975. Several of his sketches were released on National Lampoon albums drawn from the Radio Hour, including several bits in which he portrayed a pithy call-in talk show host named "Dick Valentine".

In the late 1970s, he cohosted Brink & Belzer on 660AM WNBC radio in (New York City). He has also been a frequent guest on The Howard Stern Show.

Following the departure of Randi Rhodes from Air America Radio, Belzer guest-hosted the afternoon program on the network.

Television [edit]

In the 1990s, Belzer appeared frequently on television. He was a regular on The Flash television show. In several episodes of Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, he played Inspector William Henderson.

He followed that success with starring roles on the Baltimore-based Homicide: Life on the Street (1993–99) and the New York-based Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999–), portraying police detective John Munch in both series. Barry Levinson, executive director of Homicide, said Belzer was a "lousy actor" during his audition when he first read lines from the script for "Gone for Goode", the first episode in the series.[4] Levinson asked Belzer to take some time to reread and practice the material, then come back and read it again. During his second reading, Levinson said Belzer was "still terrible", but that the actor eventually found confidence in his performance.[5]

In addition, he has also played Munch in episodes of seven other series and in a sketch on one talk show, making Munch the only fictional character to appear on ten[citation needed] different television shows played by a single actor. These shows were on five different networks:

Belzer has portrayed Det. Munch for twenty-one consecutive seasons on Homicide (7 Seasons) and Law & Order: SVU (14 Seasons), which beat the record for most consecutive seasons set by Kelsey Grammer (who portrayed Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and Frasier from 1984–2004) and James Arness (who portrayed Marshal Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke from 1955–75) for the record of twenty consecutive seasons.

Belzer also appeared in several of Comedy Central's televised broadcasts of Friars Club roasts. At the December 1, 2002, roast of Chevy Chase, Belzer said, "The only time Chevy Chase has a funny bone in his body is when I fuck him in the ass."[6] On June 9, 2001, Belzer himself was honored by the New York Friars Club and the Toyota Comedy Festival as the honoree of the first-ever roast that was open to the public. Comedians and friends on the dais included Roastmaster Paul Shaffer; Christopher Walken; Danny Aiello; Barry Levinson; Robert Klein; Bill Maher; SVU costars Mariska Hargitay, Christopher Meloni, Ice-T, and Dann Florek; and Law & Order's Jerry Orbach.

Belzer also voiced the character of Loogie for most of the episode of South Park entitled "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000".[citation needed] He and Brian Doyle-Murray were featured in the tenth-season premiere of Sesame Street.[citation needed]

In August 2012, Belzer appeared as a political commentator on MSNBC's Up with Chris Hayes.[citation needed]

Personal life [edit]

Belzer's first two marriages were to Gail Susan Ross (1966–72)[7] and boutique manager Dalia Danoch (1976– c. 1978),[7] both of which ended in divorce. In 1981 in Los Angeles he met 31-year-old Harlee McBride, a divorcee with two daughters,[8] Bree and Jessica.[9] McBride, who had been seen in Playboy magazine four years earlier as part of that year's sex-in-cinema feature, in conjunction with Young Lady Chatterley,[10] was appearing in TV commercials for the auto maker Ford and acting in free theater, when she met Belzer at the suggestion of a friend.[8] The two married in 1985.[7] He owns property in the south of France, where he and his wife live when Belzer is not working in the United States.[citation needed]

Belzer survived testicular cancer in 1983.[8] His HBO special and comedy CD Another Lone Nut pokes fun at this as well as his status as a well-known conspiracy theorist.

On March 27, 1985, just days prior to the inaugural WrestleMania, Belzer requested on his cable TV talk show Hot Properties that Hulk Hogan demonstrate one of his signature wrestling moves. After being asked by Belzer, Hogan put Belzer in a front chin-lock, which caused Belzer to pass out.[11] When Hogan released him, Belzer hit his head on the floor, sustaining a laceration to the scalp that required a brief hospitalization.[12]

Belzer sued Hogan for $5 million and later settled out of court. On October 20, 2006, on Bubba the Love Sponge, it was claimed[by whom?] (with Hogan in the studio) that the settlement totaled $5 million, half from Hogan and half from Vince McMahon. During his June 23, 2008 appearance on Sirius Satellite Radio's The Howard Stern Show, Belzer suggested that the real settlement amount was actually closer to $400,000.[13] He used the incident in his HBO special Another Lone Nut as part of his stand-up routine.

Filmography [edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1974 The Groove Tube Rodriguez
Leo Batfish
The President
The Hooker		 Independent film
1980 Fame M.C.
1982 Café Flesh Loud-mouthed audience member (uncredited)
Author! Author! Seth Shapiro
Night Shift Pig
1983 Scarface M.C. at Babylon Club
1984 Pat Benatar: Hit Videos Arty/Funny Man (song "Le Bel Age") Direct-to-video
1986 Pat Benatar: The Visual Music Collection Collection (1986) (V) Artie the comic ("Le Bel Age") Direct-to-video
America Gypsy Beam aka Moonbeam
Charlie Barnett's Terms of Enrollment Man Reading Paper
1987 Flicks Stoner (segment 'New Adventures of the Great Galaxy'
1988 The Wrong Guys Richard 'Belz' Belzer
Freeway Dr. David Lazarus
1989 Mike + The Mechanics: A Closer Lookl Log Cabin Father (video 'Taken In') Direct-to-video
The Big Picture Video Show Host Direct-to-video
Fletch Lives Phil
1990 The Bonfire of the Vanities Television Producer
1991 The Flash II: Revenge of the Trickster Joe Kline
Missing Pieces Baldesari
Off and Running Milt Zoloth
1992 Flash III: Deadly Nightshade Joe Kline Direct-to-video
1993 Mad Dog and Glory M.C./Comic
Dangerous Game Cameo appearance
1994 North Barker
The Puppet Masters Jarvis
1995 Not of This Earth Jeremy Pallin
1996 Girl 6 Caller #4 - Beach
A Very Brady Sequel LAPD Detective
Get on the Bus Rick
1998 The Bar Channel
Species II U.S. President
1999 Jump Jerry
2003 Pat Benatar: Choice Cuts - The Complete Video Collection Artie (segment "Le Bel Age") (uncredited)
2006 Copy That Richard
2007 BelzerVizion Richard Belzer also executive producer
2009 Polish Bar Hershel
2010 Santorini Blue Richard also executive producer

Television [edit]

Year Film Role Notes
1975-80 Saturday Night Live Juror
Chevy Chase
Himself
Museum Visitor		 Season 1 episode 1
Season 2 episode 27
Season 3 episode 61
Season 5 episode 106 (uncredited)
1978 Sesame Street Man in Row Boat #1 Episode: "(#10.1)"
1985 Moonlighting Leonard Episode: "Twas the Episode Before Christmas"
1986 Miami Vice Captain Hook Episode: "Trust Fund Pirates"
1989 Tattingers Episode: "Ex-Appeal"
aka Nick & Hillary
1990-91 The Flash Joe Kline 10 episodes
1991 Monsters Buzz Hunkle Episode: "Werewolf of Hollywood"
1992 Human Target Greene Episode: "Pilot"
1993-99 Homicide: Life on the Street Det. John Munch 122 episodes, regular cast
1994 Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman Inspector Henderson Episode: "All Shook Up"
Episode: "Witness"
Episode: "Foundling"
Episode: "The House of Luthor"
Nurses Jesse Wilner Episode: "Fly the Friendly Skies"
Bandit: Bandit Bandit Big Bob TV film
Hart to Hart: Crimes of the Hart Det. Frank Giordano TV film
1995 Prince for a Day Bernie Silver TV film
aka The Prince and the Pizza Boy
The Invaders Randy Stein TV film
1996 Pursuits Mariano TV film
1996-00 Law & Order Det. John Munch Episode: "Charm City"
Episode: "Baby, It's You"
Episode: "Sideshow"
Episode: "Entitled"
1997 The X-Files Det. John Munch Episode: "Unusual Suspects"
1997 Richard Belzer: Another Lone Nut Himself HBO comedy special
1997-98 E! True Hollywood Story Himself Episode: "Gilda Radner"
Episode: "John Belushi
1999 Mad About You Detective Sharp Episode: "Stealing Burt's Car"
1999-present Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Det./Sgt. John Munch regular cast
2000 Homicide: The Movie Det. John Munch (NYPD) TV film based on the television series
The Beat Det. John Munch Episode: "They Say It's Your Birthday"
South Park Loogie Voice
Episode: "The Tooth Fairy Tats 2000"
3rd Rock from the Sun Himself Episode: "Dick'll Take Manhattan: Part 1"
2005 Law & Order: Trial by Jury Det. John Munch Episode: "Skeleton"
This is a crossover sequel to the episode "Tombstone" from season 15 of the series Law & Order.
2006 Arrested Development Himself/Det. John Munch Episode: "S.O.B.s" (uncredited as himself)
Episode: "Exit Strategy"
2008 The Wire Det. John Munch Episode: "Took"
2009 Jimmy Kimmel Live! Det. John Munch Episode dated October 7, 2009
Comedy Central Roast of Joan Rivers Himself

Books [edit]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "Richard Belzer Biography (1944-)". FilmReference.com. Retrieved October 7, 2012. 
  2. ^ "Richard Belzer's Books". www.simonandschuster.com. 
  3. ^ Steinberg, Jacques (14 January 2009). "Two Funny Guys With the Same Name, but Not the Same Jokes". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 March 2011. 
  4. ^ Mendoza, Manuel (2003-06-11). "Revisit "Life on the Street"". The Dallas Morning News (Dallas, Texas). p. 1E. 
  5. ^ Levinson, Barry (2003). Homicide Life on the Street - The Seasons 1 & 2 (Audio commentary) (DVD). A&E Home Video. 
  6. ^ "The Meanest Roast". Slate. Retrieved 2 December 2002. 
  7. ^ a b c Castro, Peter (March 29, 1993). "Richard Belzer: His Wit Honed by Anger, He's a Comic Who Has Gone from Stand-Up to Homicide". People 39 (12).  RE Ross: "In 1971, a year before the end of his six-year marriage to Gail Susan Ross...." RE Danoch: "In 1976. Belzer worked himself into a second marriage with Dalia Danoch, a boutique manager, but it ended in divorce less than two years later."
  8. ^ a b c Hiaasen, Rob (February 20, 1997). "Detective Mensch: A dark comic with a sweetheart of a soul, Richard Belzer has found a new life with 'Homicide'". The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on October 7, 2012. Retrieved October 7, 2012. 
  9. ^ Hiaasen, p/ 3
  10. ^ "Sex Stars of 1977". Playboy. December 1977. 
  11. ^ http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXCYfpJbaRQ
  12. ^ Corliss, Richard (June 24, 2001). "Hype! Hell Raising! Hulk Hogan!". Time. Archived from the original on June 29, 2011. Retrieved 2008-07-08. 
  13. ^ HowardStern.com

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