Richard Belzer

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Richard Jay Belzer (born August 4, 1944 in Bridgeport , Connecticut ) is an American comedian and actor .

Richard Belzer (2009)

Life

Belzer was born in 1944, the second child of a Connecticut Jewish kiosk owner. Belzer's mother, Francis Belzer, died of cancer when the son was 18 years old. The father, Charles Belzer, committed suicide when the son was 22 years old. Richard Belzer's other relatives include his cousin, the actor Henry Winkler .

After being expelled from various schools several times, he eventually graduated from Andrew Warde High School in Fairfield . This was followed by a visit to the Dean Junior College in Franklin ( Massachusetts ), from which he was expelled after participating as a ringleader at student demonstrations. In the 1960s he worked as a journalist for the Bridgeport Post and briefly as a yoga teacher before joining the army.

In the late 1960s he moved to New York , where he lived with singer Shelley Ackerman and got his first engagements as a stand-up comedian in nightclubs such as Pips , The Improv and Catch a Rising Star . In addition to his focus on work as a comedian - Belzer was temporarily active as a warm-up comedian for the television program Saturday Night Live - he began to work as an actor in the 1970s. In the following years he had supporting roles in films such as Scarface , Night Shift and Fame - The Road to Fame . There was also moderation of humorous radio programs such as Brink & Belzer and guest appearances in programs such as The Howard Stern Show .

In the 1980s, he hosted the talk show Hot Properties for American cable television . On March 27, 1985, his guest, the wrestler Hulk Hogan , demonstrated his fighting technique during a show. Belzer fell unconscious to the ground and hit his head, which resulted in a skull injury. Belzer then received a seven-figure sum of compensation from Hogan, from which he bought a house in France. He lives there with his wife when he is not in the States for work.

In the 1990s, Belzer appeared in numerous television series and took over parts as a voice actor for cartoon series such as South Park . He also appeared in a supporting role as Inspector Henderson in Superman: The Adventures of Lois & Clark . He embodies in Homicide (1993-1999) and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (since 1999) each the role of the police officer Detective John Munch from 1993 to 2013 as the main character. In the series finale of the 15th season he has an appearance as a guest star and more are to follow. The detective he portrayed has become so popular that he was often hired as a guest star in this role for other series such as the X-Files . Belzer has now been portraying John Munch for 21 seasons and has thus set a new record for portraying a character.

Aside from his acting activities, Belzer is a frequent guest on political and humorous television shows such as Real Time with Bill Maher .

Private life and political engagement

In the 1980s, Belzer successfully survived testicular cancer. He has been married to actress Harlee McBride since 1985 . In two previous marriages he was married to Gail Susan Ross (1966–1972) and Dalia Danoch (1976–1978).

Politically, Belzer considers himself part of the left-wing intellectual spectrum. During the 2004 US presidential election , he made an election recommendation in favor of Democratic presidential candidate John Kerry . In the 2008 presidential election campaign , Belzer repeatedly expressed his support for the Democratic candidate Barack Obama .

Filmography (selection)

Works

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Richard Belzer returning for 'Law & Order: SVU' Season 15 finale. In: zap2it.com. April 29, 2014, accessed May 23, 2014 .
  2. ^ Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Is Coming Back. In: entertainmentwise.com. May 8, 2014, accessed May 23, 2014 .
personal data
SURNAME Belzer, Richard
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Belzer, Richard Jay
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American actor, comedian
DATE OF BIRTH 4th August 1944
PLACE OF BIRTH Bridgeport , Connecticut