Overview (4)

Born August 4, 1944 in Bridgeport, Connecticut, USA Birth Name Richard Jay Belzer Nickname The Belz Height 6' 1" (1.85 m)

Mini Bio (1)

A social misfit, was kicked out of every school he ever attended, due to his uncontrollable wit. His mother (Frances) died of breast cancer when Richard was 18. His father (Charles) committed suicide when he was 22. A dedication is written to him in Richard Belzer's "UFO's, JFK, and Elvis: Conspiracies You Don't Have To Be Crazy To Believe" (Ballantine Books, 1999).

- IMDb Mini Biography By: Tom Myers <myers_tom17@yahoo.com>

Spouse (3)

Harlee McBride (1985 - present) Dalia Danoch (1976 - 1978) ( divorced) Gail Susan Ross (9 January 1966 - 1972) ( divorced)

Trade Mark (2)

Often wears Sunglasses in his films and tv series



Big, floppy ears.



Trivia (35)



Wrestler Hulk Hogan hurt him while demonstrating a wrestling move on a television show called Hot Properties (1985). He was knocked unconscious and required stitches on his head. He sued Hogan for $5 million, but later settled out of court.



Has played himself in the musical drama movie Fame - Der Weg zum Ruhm (1980).



Auditioned for the role of Groucho Marx in the Tommy Tune production "A Day in Hollywood, a Night in the Ukraine". Belzer taught himself two songs from the 1930s ("Satin Doll" and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?"), but did not get the role.



Was going to appear in Chevy Chase 's movie, Modern Problems (1981), but scheduling conflicts could not be worked out. The date for the shooting of his scene was postponed twice and the day his scene was supposed to be shot, Belzer had a lucrative club date in New York, which was postponed at the last minute.



Testified on behalf of a low-level criminal who ran onto the set of Homicide (1993) while fleeing actual Baltimore police and surrendered to the actors; Belzer said the look on the guy's face was sufficient punishment.



His character Detective John Munch, whom he has played continuously on Homicide (1993) and Law & Order: New York (1999) since January 1993, is currently the longest-running character on U.S. prime-time drama television.



Was born on the same day that Anne Frank and her family were arrested by the Gestapo.



Stepfather of Bree Benton and Jessica Benton.



Was an assistant emcee for the Comedy Central Presents: The N.Y. Friars Club Roast of Rob Reiner



Appears on the cover of Billy Joel 's album "Turnstiles" (1976).



Was one of the original emcees at Rick Newman 's Catch a Rising Star, along with Elayne Boosler , in the mid to late 1970s.

He lives in France and speaks French fluently.





Was the audience warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live (1975) in its premiere season and made three guest appearances on the show in 1976 and 1978.

Survived testicular cancer in 1984.



A paper boy in his youth in Bridgeport, Connecticut, he later worked as a reporter for the Bridgeport Post and several other newspapers around the country. Other jobs included teacher, census-taker, jewelry salesman and dockworker.



Is a supporter of the North Shore Animal League. However his poodle fox terrier, Bebe, was adopted in France when he followed Belz home one day. Bebe is his near-constant companion, especially at public events.



Divides his time between New York City and his home in France.





Second husband of Harlee McBride

Is a huge fan of singer Shawn Colvin.



He is a lifelong Democrat.



Personal Quotes (9)



I've known Chevy Chase for so long, I actually knew him when he was funny!



Anybody who thinks there's not a vast right-wing conspiracy in this country must also think that Ken Starr should be our next ambassador to Luxembourg.

[on his long-running character, Detective John Munch] Munch is the guy who says what a lot of people wouldn't dare say.



It's this patronizing thing that people have about if you're against the war everyone's lumped together. You know, the soldiers are not scholars, they're not war experts.



[on United States soldiers serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom] You think everyone over there is a college graduate? They're 19- and 20-year-old kids who couldn't get a job.





[on landing his small role in Scarface (1983)] I was asked to audition. Oliver Stone wrote the screenplay and Brian De Palma directed. I went to audition for the producer, and the producer said "Okay, Richard, do your act." And I said, "No, I don't work in offices, I work at clubs. If you guys want to come down to one of the clubs and see me, then I'd be glad to." And then they gave me a script, like an MC script that they wanted me to ad-lib off of, and I refused to do that, and I could see that the producer was getting angry. I think Oliver was a bit amused, because I know 20 other comedians had gone in and done stuff for them, and I didn't. So I got the part. But the producer knew who I was and had seen me work, so he just said, "Make sure it's funny. We want the audience in the theater to laugh the way the audience in a club would." So, they let me write my own stuff, and I felt good about that. Let me make the coke jokes I wanted.

Tim Thomerson,

[2010 - on making Scout Academy (1988)] Richard Lewis Louie Anderson . We had more laughs on that movie than legally allowed. We were slowing the filming, just laughing hysterically. That's all I remember. Really having a great time. Of course, the movie wasn't considered the Citizen Kane of comedy, but I thought it was a sweet movie. More of a kids' movie, but marketed as an adult comedy, which was the problem. A lot of good memories, though, I'll tell ya that. Richard Lewis and I were very close friends. We started hanging out in the early '70s, Catch A Rising Star and Improv. We were very close. And Tim was a good friend. Louie was a friend, I didn't know him that well, but I knew him. It was wild. One day, we literally almost died, laughing so hard. We were working on the side of the mountain, we started rolling down the side of the mountain as we were laughing. I have to say Tim Thomerson is one of the funniest people I've ever met.



[on his reduced screen time in Law & Order: New York (1999)]: It's mystifying to me. And I have to admit my feelings are slightly hurt. But I do feel flattered my fans miss me!

If you tell a lie that's big enough, and you tell it often enough, people will believe you're telling the truth, even if what you're saying is total crap.

