Richard Jay Belzer was an American stand-up comedian, actor and author. He was best known for his role of Detective John Munch, the character he portrayed in the NBC series ‘Homicide: Life on the Street’, which ran for seven seasons and was succeeded by ‘Homicide: The Movie’. His character was also incorporated into the crime series ‘Law & Order: Special Victims Unit’ that ran for 15 more seasons. His witty nature proved as an asset and landed him in Channel One’s sketch-comedy group and also led to his on-screen debut in the film ‘The Groove Tube’. A regular at New York City comedy clubs, he eventually became a regular emcee at Catch a Rising Star. He then landed a role in the off-Broadway production of the National Lampoon stage show. During this period, he also appeared in several TV series and films. He appeared in the HBO comedy special ‘Richard Belzer: Another Lone Nut’ and in the horror film ‘Species II’. He was featured as himself in the biopic ‘Man on the Moon.’ He wrote novels like ‘I Am Not a Cop’ and ‘I Am Not a Psychic,’ and books based on conspiracy theories like ‘Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination’ and ‘Dead Wrong'.
