Richard Belzer, 78
Since the early 1990s Richard Belzer was synonymous with the TV police procedural.
Playing the character detective John Munch, his sarcastic charm made him a fixture on shows like “Homicide: Life on the Street” and “Law & Order” for years. But he was so good at his character that Belzer’s Munch also found his way on other shows on other networks, which is unheard of.
Munch appeared on 11 different TV shows, which has never happened to a fictional character in the history of television. They include: “Homicide,” “Law & Order,” “The X-Files,” “The Beat,” “Law & Order: Trial By Jury,” “Arrested Development,” “The Wire,” “30 Rock,” “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,” “Jimmy Kimmel Live!,” and “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt.”
Before playing Munch, Belzer was known for his stand-up comedy. He was the warm-up act in the early days of “Saturday Night Live.” And if you look close enough you’ll see Belzer playing the MC at the Miami club in “Scarface” before the dramatic shootout happens.
Belzer died on February 19 at his home in the south of France after “an illness.”