Comedian and actor Richard Belzer has passed away at the age of 78, his longtime manager shared on Sunday. Belzer was best known for his role as Detective John Munch in the crime series, “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.”
Belzer’s manager Eric Gardner confirmed with CNN that the actor “passed away peacefully” early Sunday Morning at his home in France.
For more than two decades, Belzer portrayed the character of Detective Munch throughout the Law & Order universe. He is credited with appearing in 326 episodes from 1999 to 2016.
The actor was recently interviewed by The Boomer Tube and shared that if he had to choose a life as a detective, he would have been much like his TV counterpart.
“The character is very close to how I would be. They write to all my paranoia and anti-establishment dissidence, and conspiracy theories, so it’s been a lot of fun for me. It’s been a dream actually,” Belzer said.
But Belzer’s career spanned beyond the tough and gritty, crime-ridden streets of New York City, as he appeared in dozens of shows and movies throughout his career. He even wrote a couple of books about how to be a comedian and UFOs.
According to a report from The Hollywood Reporter, Belzer’s longtime Bill Scheft told the publication that the actor had been fighting “lots of health issues.”
Belzer is survived by his third wife, actress Harlee McBride, who he married in 1985, and his stepdaughters, Jessica and Bree.
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