Richard Belzer was born on August 4 1944 in Bridgeport, Connecticut. His mother was physically abusive, and his comedy grew out of trying to make his mother laugh so she would not hit him. He attended Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts, but was expelled because of organizing protests on campus. He worked a number of odd jobs, including census taker, dock worker, jewellery salesman, and even a reporter for The Bridgeport Post. It was his father's suicide attempt, three years after his mother had died of breast cancer, that spurred him to try his hand at stand-up comedy.
To that end, Richard Belzer answered an ad in The Village Voice for an audition for Channel One, a comedy troupe based out of East Village in New York City. His audition was successful and he became part of Channel One in 1971. Channel One's skits, which parodied television, would eventually lead to the movie The Groove Tube (1974), which marked Richard Belzer's movie debut. In the late Seventies Richard Belzer worked as the warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live and also appeared on the show three times. He also appeared on the TV shows Sesame Street and Fame.
In the Eighties Richard Belzer appeared in the movies Author! Author! (1982), Night Shift (1982), Café Flesh (1982),. Flicks (1983), Scarface (1983), Likely Stories, Vol. 3 (1983), America (1986), The Wrong Guys (1988), Freeway (1988), The Big Picture (1989), Fletch Lives (1989), and The Bonfire of the Vanities (1990). He guest starred on the shows Not Necessarily the News, Moonlighting, Miami Vice, D.C. Follies, and Tattingers. Richard Belzer had a recurring role as smarmy television reporter Joe Kline on the short-lived television show The Flash
In the Nineties he had a recurring role as the no-nonsense Inspector Henderson on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman. It was in 1993 that he began playing Detective John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Streets.John Munch was an acerbic, sceptical police officer who nonetheless believed in several conspiracy theories. Following the end of Homicide: Life on the Streets in 1999, Richard Belzer began appearing in a regular role as John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He would ultimately appear on other Law & Order series as well, including the original Law & Order, Law & Order: Trial By Jury as well. Not only did the character appear on other Law & Order shows, but also The X-Files, The Beat, Arrested Development, The Wire, 30 Rock, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and American Dad. In the end Richard Belzer played John Munch for 23 years and the character John Munch may well have appeared on more individual television series than any other character in the history of television.
In the Nineties, aside from his appearances as Detective Munch, Richard Belzer also guest starred on such television shows as Monsters, Good Sports, Human Target, Nurses, The Larry Sanders Show, Mad About You, South Park, and 3rd Rock from the Sun. He appeared in the movies Off and Running (1991), Missing Pieces (1991), Mad Dog and Glory (1993), Snake Eyes (1993), North (1994), The Puppet Masters (1994), Not of This Earth (1995), Girl 6 (1996), A Very Brady Sequel (1996), Species II (1998), Jump (1999), and Man on the Moon (1999).
In the Naughts Mr. Belzer continued to appear as Detective Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and other shows. He guest starred on the show Minding the Store. He appeared in the movie Polish Bar (2010). In the Teens he continued starring as John Munch on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and other shows. He guest starred on 30 Rock. He appeared in the movie Santorini Blue (2013). His final television guest appearance was on American Dad, where he played John Munch. His last movie appearance was in The Comedian in 2016, where he played himself. Richard Belzer retired from acting in 2017.
Richard Belzer was also the author of the books How to Be a Stand-Up Comic; UFOs, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have to Be Crazy to Believe; and I'm Not a Cop! A Novel.
As a comedian Richard Belzer was a genius. He was known for engaging with his audiences. His comedy act was a balance of friendliness and sarcasm. His humour was often edgy and irreverent. It is little wonder that Mr. Belzer often found himself playing stand-up comics and masters of ceremonies in movies and television shows. He was so perfect as a stand-up comic that it was natural for producers to want to cast him in those sorts of roles.
Of course, Richard Belzer played more roles than stand-up comics and Detective John Munch. On The Flash he played TV commentator and reporter Joe Kline. Unlike many of Mr. Belzer's other characters, Joe Kline is a bit sleazy and much more concerned with his television ratings than the truth. He often proved to be a thorn in The Flash's side just by doing sensationalistic stories about the hero. Inspector Henderson on Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman was about as far from Joe Kline as one could get. He was straight forward and honest, and dealt fairly with reporters Lois and Clark.
While Richard Belzer did play other roles, I think there can be no doubt that he will always be remembered as Detective John Munch. Not only did he play the character for decades, but he played him on multiple shows. And it is largely because of Richard Belzer that John Munch may be one of the greatest television characters of all time. Detective Munch was cynical and sarcastic. His politics veered towards the left and he had a tendency to believe in conspiracy theories. While John Munch might often doubt the overall honesty of the human race, he ultimately cared about his fellow human beings. If he was dogged in pursuing cases, it was because he cared about the victims of those crimes. It is little wonder that audiences loved and still love John Munch. Richard Belzer brought a humanity to the character that is not often seen in many long-running television characters.
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