"I am NOT Montel Williams!"
February 19, 2023 5:06 PM Subscribe
Richard Belzer, who became one of American television’s most enduring police detectives as John Munch on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and several other shows, died on Sunday at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France. He was 78.
The "several other shows" included the classic Homicide: Life on the Streets and a parody on Sesame Street. In fact, he was one of the most long-running characters played by a single actor in the history of television.
A more colorful obit from Hollywood Reporter.
(Note: I would imagine that, as he did underground standup in NYC in the 1970s and early 1980s, you would not have to look hard to find him performing some offensive material back then. Nonetheless, a 90s pop culture icon.)
The "several other shows" included the classic Homicide: Life on the Streets and a parody on Sesame Street. In fact, he was one of the most long-running characters played by a single actor in the history of television.
A more colorful obit from Hollywood Reporter.
(Note: I would imagine that, as he did underground standup in NYC in the 1970s and early 1980s, you would not have to look hard to find him performing some offensive material back then. Nonetheless, a 90s pop culture icon.)
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posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:38 PM on February 19, 2023
posted by Mister Moofoo at 5:38 PM on February 19, 2023
“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘Fuck you, motherfucker,'”
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:39 PM on February 19, 2023 [34 favorites]
posted by Horace Rumpole at 5:39 PM on February 19, 2023 [34 favorites]
The other week, during one of the many, many times SVU was on, I started talking to my boyfriend about Belzer & decided to look him up on Wikipedia. And he was in actually on a segment on Sesame Street in '78. You can watch it here! (It also stars Brian Doyle-Murray.) It's more just a random oddity but it's super charming.
During Munch's retirement party on SVU, he looks at Olivia and Brian and says "I look at the two of you and can't help thinking you both could do better." I highly suspect that Belzer wrote that line himself.
I feel surprisingly sad about his passing because he was just always someone who was there.
posted by edencosmic at 5:58 PM on February 19, 2023 [10 favorites]
During Munch's retirement party on SVU, he looks at Olivia and Brian and says "I look at the two of you and can't help thinking you both could do better." I highly suspect that Belzer wrote that line himself.
I feel surprisingly sad about his passing because he was just always someone who was there.
posted by edencosmic at 5:58 PM on February 19, 2023 [10 favorites]
How does the Times manage to have an obit about Belzer without mentioning or getting a statement from his famous acting cousin?
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posted by hanov3r at 6:01 PM on February 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
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posted by hanov3r at 6:01 PM on February 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
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I immediately thought of this satirical The Onion bit about him. It's probably in bad taste to link it in an obit post, but he seemed like a dude who could take a joke.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 6:37 PM on February 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
I immediately thought of this satirical The Onion bit about him. It's probably in bad taste to link it in an obit post, but he seemed like a dude who could take a joke.
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 6:37 PM on February 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
I once saw Richard Belzer on the street in Manhattan. He was walking North on Broadway, talking to someone, and I was going South, talking to someone. Rather than play it cool, like you are supposed to, I spontaneously blurted out "Hey that's Richard Belzer!" practically in his face. He didn't seem to notice, or just tuned it out.
posted by anhedonic at 6:38 PM on February 19, 2023
posted by anhedonic at 6:38 PM on February 19, 2023
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posted by cupcakeninja at 6:38 PM on February 19, 2023
posted by cupcakeninja at 6:38 PM on February 19, 2023
Always liked him. Even as I came to detest the show, he was somehow immune.
He wrote a book on the JFK assassination which I’m still kind of curious about.
posted by jamjam at 7:02 PM on February 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
He wrote a book on the JFK assassination which I’m still kind of curious about.
posted by jamjam at 7:02 PM on February 19, 2023 [1 favorite]
Here's Richard Belzer on "The Green Room," a talk show about comedians, doing a great Mick Jagger impression. Jagger-off!
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:13 PM on February 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
posted by Harvey Kilobit at 7:13 PM on February 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
Let's not forget Munch's appearances on The Wire and X-Files
posted by mbo at 7:39 PM on February 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
posted by mbo at 7:39 PM on February 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
The St. Elsewhere was a figment of Tommy Westphall’s imagination grand TV connections theory!
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posted by Jacen at 7:55 PM on February 19, 2023
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posted by Jacen at 7:55 PM on February 19, 2023
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I watched SVU everyday for years. My ex had a hilarious SVU dance that he would do during the opening song. I always appreciated the cynical comments Munch dropped into the dialogue.
The Sesame Street parody was brilliant except they called the sound, “chung chung.” Everyone knows it’s “dun dun.”
posted by bendy at 8:02 PM on February 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
I watched SVU everyday for years. My ex had a hilarious SVU dance that he would do during the opening song. I always appreciated the cynical comments Munch dropped into the dialogue.
The Sesame Street parody was brilliant except they called the sound, “chung chung.” Everyone knows it’s “dun dun.”
posted by bendy at 8:02 PM on February 19, 2023 [3 favorites]
“He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘Fuck you, motherfucker,'”
Respect.
posted by bendy at 8:04 PM on February 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
Respect.
posted by bendy at 8:04 PM on February 19, 2023 [4 favorites]
The "several other shows" included the classic Homicide: Life on the Streets and a parody on Sesame Street .
And The X-Files, believe it or not.
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:07 PM on February 19, 2023
And The X-Files, believe it or not.
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posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:07 PM on February 19, 2023
And he even made a real arrest - sort of; he was filming a scene from Homicide on location back in 1996 along with costar Clark Johnson, preparing to film a scene where they arrested a murder suspect, when suddenly a guy who'd actually just robbed a drug store and was trying to make his escape blundered onto the set, took one look at all the cop cars and Belzer and Johnson with prop guns drawn, and simply muttered "oh, no" and dropped his loot and held his hands up.
Belzer and Johnson apparently just looked at each other, then said something like, "okay, uh....let's have you put your hands on the car here, and...someone should be by with cuffs in a second?" And indeed, some actual cops who'd been in pursuit came along and took over.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:16 PM on February 19, 2023 [28 favorites]
Belzer and Johnson apparently just looked at each other, then said something like, "okay, uh....let's have you put your hands on the car here, and...someone should be by with cuffs in a second?" And indeed, some actual cops who'd been in pursuit came along and took over.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:16 PM on February 19, 2023 [28 favorites]
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posted by EatTheWeek at 8:20 PM on February 19, 2023
posted by EatTheWeek at 8:20 PM on February 19, 2023
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posted by dannyboybell at 8:37 PM on February 19, 2023
posted by dannyboybell at 8:37 PM on February 19, 2023
And he was in actually on a segment on Sesame Street in '78.
Please please please let it be as Munch
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:44 PM on February 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
Please please please let it be as Munch
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:44 PM on February 19, 2023 [6 favorites]
I loved him on Homicide. I always thought Law & Order was weaksauce comparatively, and much more copaganda. Well, Belzer was great regardless. I'll miss him.
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posted by evilDoug at 8:47 PM on February 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
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posted by evilDoug at 8:47 PM on February 19, 2023 [7 favorites]
That explains his standup in my YT feed. Bizarre to me, I always knew him as "that 70s / early 80s comic" and had no idea he went on to an iconic acting career. Huh, good for him!
posted by Meatbomb at 12:07 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by Meatbomb at 12:07 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by Joey Michaels at 1:14 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by Joey Michaels at 1:14 AM on February 20, 2023
I feel like any obit is incomplete without mentioning his character John Munch being, as Mental Floss puts it, "the patient zero of ... the Tommy Westphall Universe theory."
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posted by solotoro at 4:13 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by solotoro at 4:13 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by pangolin party at 5:33 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by pangolin party at 5:33 AM on February 20, 2023
I’m a little surprised to learn that I am not the only person with a highly choreographed SVU opening dance.
posted by misterpatrick at 5:45 AM on February 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
posted by misterpatrick at 5:45 AM on February 20, 2023 [6 favorites]
Are you sure you're not bendy's ex?
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:55 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Larry David Syndrome at 5:55 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 6:55 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by Ten Cold Hot Dogs at 6:55 AM on February 20, 2023
There was a brief time when I confused Richard Belzer with Richard Meltzer. I blame D. Boon for this.
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posted by stannate at 7:52 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
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posted by stannate at 7:52 AM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
[MUNCH is attempting to type a report on his typewriter. BOLANDER, opposite, is fiddling with a file on his desk.]
BOLANDER: De-tec-tive Munch. You like the sound of that, don't you? [BOLANDER looks up at MUNCH.] Detective John Munch.
MUNCH: Quit staring at me.
BOLANDER: I'm not staring at you. It's your conscience. Reminding you the Jenny Goode case remains unsolved.
MUNCH: Didn't I solve Nina Como? Didn't I get the [?] for the week on my man Clayvon? [MUNCH turns his attention back to the typewriter.]
BAYLISS: Excuse me. Hi. Where can I get a cup of coffee?
MUNCH: There's a machine on the first floor.
BAYLISS: First floor, all right, thank you very much.
MUNCH: Yeah, you're welcome.
BOLANDER: [puzzled] There's coffee right in there. [He points to the nearby break room.]
MUNCH: [indignant] That's our coffee. [beat] Look, forget Jenny Goode. It's been three months, there's nothing new, it's over!
BOLANDER: Detective Munch.
MUNCH: Jenny Goode is pended. Shiner put her death down as a roadkill. It's over!
BOLANDER: Shiner is a coroner. His job is cause of death. What does he know from murder or not murder?
MUNCH: She's not even on the board. Don't we have enough to worry about that is on the board, I have to worry about Jenny Goode?
BOLANDER: [whispering] De-tec-tive Munch.
MUNCH: [looks away from BOLANDER and stares down at his typewriter, hits a single key]
BOLANDER: De-tec-tive Munch.
[MUNCH looks simultaneously exasperated and defeated.]
posted by kjh at 10:43 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
BOLANDER: De-tec-tive Munch. You like the sound of that, don't you? [BOLANDER looks up at MUNCH.] Detective John Munch.
MUNCH: Quit staring at me.
BOLANDER: I'm not staring at you. It's your conscience. Reminding you the Jenny Goode case remains unsolved.
MUNCH: Didn't I solve Nina Como? Didn't I get the [?] for the week on my man Clayvon? [MUNCH turns his attention back to the typewriter.]
BAYLISS: Excuse me. Hi. Where can I get a cup of coffee?
MUNCH: There's a machine on the first floor.
BAYLISS: First floor, all right, thank you very much.
MUNCH: Yeah, you're welcome.
BOLANDER: [puzzled] There's coffee right in there. [He points to the nearby break room.]
MUNCH: [indignant] That's our coffee. [beat] Look, forget Jenny Goode. It's been three months, there's nothing new, it's over!
BOLANDER: Detective Munch.
MUNCH: Jenny Goode is pended. Shiner put her death down as a roadkill. It's over!
BOLANDER: Shiner is a coroner. His job is cause of death. What does he know from murder or not murder?
MUNCH: She's not even on the board. Don't we have enough to worry about that is on the board, I have to worry about Jenny Goode?
BOLANDER: [whispering] De-tec-tive Munch.
MUNCH: [looks away from BOLANDER and stares down at his typewriter, hits a single key]
BOLANDER: De-tec-tive Munch.
[MUNCH looks simultaneously exasperated and defeated.]
posted by kjh at 10:43 AM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 11:55 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by The Ardship of Cambry at 11:55 AM on February 20, 2023
And let us not forget his brief cameo as a police detective in "A Very Brady Sequel."
posted by davidmsc at 11:56 AM on February 20, 2023
posted by davidmsc at 11:56 AM on February 20, 2023
Munch was also on Arrested Development!
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:50 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 12:50 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
BOLANDER: De-tec-tive Munch. You like the sound of that, don't you? [BOLANDER looks up at MUNCH.] Detective John Munch.
I was trying to find this scene online to link...no joy.
posted by praemunire at 1:12 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
I was trying to find this scene online to link...no joy.
posted by praemunire at 1:12 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
My favorite Belzer mind-blow was his appearance on The Wire in the character of John Munch, a character was inspired by a real Baltimore detective. This real detective also also showed up on The Wire but playing somebody completely different. At one point everything collides in a bar scene.
posted by jquinby at 3:48 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
posted by jquinby at 3:48 PM on February 20, 2023 [2 favorites]
Just to add confusion that character (Jay Landsman) also showed up in The Wire played by someone else, the real Jay Landsman played a different detective, and of course Munch ....
posted by mbo at 8:07 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
posted by mbo at 8:07 PM on February 20, 2023 [1 favorite]
He had a great sense of humor. His show "Hot Properties" was always entertaining. I can't remember what the hell it was about though.
posted by DJZouke at 5:37 AM on February 21, 2023
posted by DJZouke at 5:37 AM on February 21, 2023
Never met the man myself, but several friends worked with him here in Baltimore on Homicide. Reading their remembrances confirms that he was indeed an exceptionally good guy.
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posted by zoinks at 5:11 PM on February 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
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posted by zoinks at 5:11 PM on February 21, 2023 [2 favorites]
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I always enjoyed his acting. What a shame, may he RIP.
posted by annieb at 5:14 PM on February 19, 2023 [2 favorites]