Richard Belzer Dies: ‘Law & Order: SVU’ Actor And Comedian Was 78

Richard Belzer, who played against type as a tough New York cop on Law and Order: SVU after playing the same character on Homicide: Life of the Street and a long career in comedy, has died at 78.

His death was first reported on social media by his friend, the actor Laraine Newman, of Saturday Night Live fame.

“I’m so sad to hear of Richard Belzer’s passing,” she wrote Sunday. “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,” added Newman.

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In the 1970s, Belzer was the warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live, and appeared multiple times on its early seasons in bit parts. He also made memorable appearances in films like Fame and Author! Author! In the 1980s.

Belzer moved into the role of host of the cable TV show Hot Properties, where he memorably was choked out by wrestler Hulk Hogan. Belzer sued the wrestler, the parties settled. He also made appearances on The X-Files and Mad About You.

In 1992, Belzer was cast as Detective John Munch in Homicide: Life on the Street, an acclaimed cop drama that debuted after the 1993 Super Bowl and would on NBC until 1998. He was one of four actors who remained in the cast throughout its seven seasons and 2000 follow-up telefilm.

After Homicide wrapped, he began to play Munch on Law and Order: SVU, a role that lasted 20 seasons.

“Richard Belzer’s Detective John Munch is one of television’s iconic characters,” said a statement from show creator and producer Dick Wolf. ” I first worked with Richard on the Law & Order/Homicide crossover and loved the character so much, I told Tom (Fontana) that I wanted to make him one of the original characters on ‘SVU.’ The rest is history.  Richard brought humor and joy into all our lives, was the consummate professional and we will all miss him very much.”

A statement from NBC and Universal Television praised Belzer’s work.

“Anyone who ever had the pleasure of watching Richard Belzer portray Det. John Munch — whether on Homicide or Law & Order: SVU – over four decades will never forget how much he inhabited that beloved character to make it his own. His professionalism, talents and dedication to the craft made him a pillar in the industry, but it was his humor, compassion and loving heart that made him family. Our condolences go out to his loved ones as we join them in mourning his loss, but also in celebrating his memory.”

In 2016, Belzer released the book Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination.

His other books include UFOs, JFK and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don’t Have to be Crazy to Believe and Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country’s Most Controversial Cover-Ups.