The American actor and comedian Richard Belzer, best known for his role as John Munch in the series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Homicide: Life on the Street, has died. He was 78.
It is reported that Belzer passed away peacefully at his home in southwest France.
Anyone who had the pleasure of watching Richard Belzer portray Det. John Munch will never forget how much he inhabited that beloved character to make it his own. Our condolences go out to his loved ones as we join them in mourning his loss, but also in celebrating his memory. pic.twitter.com/ZhygF6ODhE
— 𝐋𝐀𝐖 & 𝐎𝐑𝐃𝐄𝐑 (@lawandordertv) February 19, 2023
Paying tribute, Dick Wolf, Law & Order: SVU creator and executive producer, said: "Richard Belzer's detective John Munch is one of television's iconic characters.
"I first worked with Richard on the Law & Order/Homicide crossover and loved the character so much, I told Tom (Fontana, Homicide: Life on the Street writer-executive producer) 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."
Connecticut-born Belzer's key role as idiosyncratic detective Munch began on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1993. The series ran until 1999 and spawned a spin-off movie in 2000.
He reprised his role as Munch in a number of television series, most notably Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, appearing in 326 episodes from 1999 to 2016.
Belzer was a cast member on the US comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live from 1975 to 1980. He was celebrated for his stand-up and also wrote a number of books focusing on conspiracy theories.
Belzer's other big-screen credits included the films Fame, Scarface and Species II. On television, his other credits included Miami Vice, Law & Order, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, The X-Files, The Wire and Arrested Development.
He retired from acting in 2018.
