(WRIC) — Richard Belzer, an actor best known for playing NYPD Detective John Munch in the long-running TV drama Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, has died at the age of 78.
According to a report from Forbes, Belzer passed away on Sunday, Feb. 19. The cause of his death is currently unknown.
Belzer was born on Aug. 4, 1944 in Bridgeport, Connecticut and started his career performing stand-up comedy at clubs around New York City. He made three appearances on Saturday Night Live in the 1970’s as a warm-up comedian and had small roles in films during the 1980’s, including Scarface.
In 1993, Belzer began playing Baltimore homicide detective John Munch in Homicide: Life on the Streets, a television drama based on a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon after spending a year with homicide detectives in the city.
In 1999, the character was adapted for the Law and Order spinoff Special Victims Unit. Belzer continued playing the role of Det. Munch until his final appearance on the series in 2016. In addition to acting and comedy, Belzer wrote several books.
Actress Laraine Newman, who appeared alongside Belzer on the early seasons of Saturday Night Live, posted a tweet in response to Belzer’s passing, saying “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.”
