A Special Event: Richard Belzer

  Legendary actor, brilliant comedian and bestselling author Richard Belzer is known for his portrayal of Detective John Munch, one of the longest-running roles in television history. Born in Connecticut in 1944, Richard Belzer wound his way toward New York City, and by the early 1970s had established himself on the comedy scene with his biting wit. After two decades’ worth of appearances onstage, in television and in film, in 1993 he landed the role for which he is best known, as Detective John Munch in the hit NBC series Homicide: Life on the Street. Belzer’s Munch was then incorporated into the crime series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, a role that has lasted for more than 15 seasons. During this period, Belzer has also appeared in numerous other TV series and films and has also authored several conspiracy-theory themed books. Unruly Richard Belzer was born in Bridgeport, Connecticut, on August 4, 1944, and displayed a penchant for mischief early on. Though these tendencies would serve him well in his later career, as a youth they led to expulsions from numerous schools, including Dean College, which he attended briefly before being asked to leave following his participation in several student demonstrations. The early deaths of his parents—his mother from breast cancer when he was 18 and his father’s suicide when he was 22—only contributed to the chaos that neither a stint in the army, numerous day jobs nor his first marriage could tame. However, by the early 1970s, Belzer’s wanderings took him to New York City, where his rabble-rousing finally proved an asset, earning him a spot in the Channel One sketch-comedy group, which included rising comedic star Chevy Chase and resulted in Belzer’s screen debut in its 1974 film The Groove Tube. Meanwhile, Belzer was becoming a regular at New York City comedy clubs, sharpening his biting, sarcastic wit, eventually becoming the regular emcee at Catch a Rising Star and landing a role in the 1975 off-Broadway production