Richard Belzer

Mariska Hargitay spoke about her special friendship with former "Law & Order: SVU" co-star and late comedian Richard Belzer, calling him "a beautiful and ...

[CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP](https://www.foxnews.com/apps-products?pid=AppArticleLink) [Christopher Meloni](https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/christopher-meloni-61-celebrates-zaddy-status-after-becoming-law-order-sex-symbol) as Odafin "Fin" Tutuola and Elliot Stabler, respectively. "He was family and taught me so much about taking risks and creativity and trust, and he brought so much joy to the set. In that time, the show also starred Ice-T and "How lucky the angels are to have you. Belzer's family announced Sunday the beloved actor and comedian died peacefully in his sleep at his home in Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France.

'Law & Order: SVU' star Richard Belzer died on Sunday, February 19, at age 78 — read more.

The Connecticut native then reprised Munch on SVU opposite Hargitay from 1999 to 2016, appearing [ in a total of 242 episodes](https://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/richard-belzer-returning-to-law-order-svu-as-munch-w199923/) of the NBC crime drama. [ The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-news/richard-belzer-dead-homicide-law-order-1235329813/) on Sunday, February 19. “He was family and [taught me so much about taking risks](https://www.today.com/video/mariska-hargitay-benson-and-stabler-love-each-other-deeply-163881541899) and creativity and trust, and he brought so much joy to the set.” Later in the day, the Oz alum posted a photo of himself via Twitter kissing the Fame star on the cheek. (Belzer married three times throughout his life: to Gail Susan Ross from 1966 to 1972 and to Dalia Danoch from 1976 to 1978. He was this acerbic, quick-witted, brilliant mind, and yet he would melt in the sight of a child.”

Mariska Hargitay, whose Law & Order: SVU character is the longest-running in TV history, sat for a wide-ranging chat with 'Today.'

As she revealed recently at the unveiling of his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, said she has managed to become the only one permitted to use the nickname “Icy.” The actor and rapper also has his own nickname for Hargitay, which she declined to reveal. “What a heart and soul,” she said. Hargitay paid tribute to her longtime colleague as a “beautiful and complex” person.

Mariska Hargitay speaks out about the passing of her "Law & Order: SVU" co-star Richard Belzer.

Go behind-the-scenes, stay on top of breaking news, hang with the stars, and much more. I will miss you, your unique light, and your singular take on this strange world," Hargitay captioned the thoughtful [Instagram post](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co2u7jQv18k/). ](https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/law-order-svu-season-24-episode-14-recap-all-about-fin) Fin (I [ce T](https://www.nbc.com/law-and-order-special-victims-unit/credits/character/sergeant-odafin-tutuola)) updated viewers about his former partner, and we learned Munch received a happy ending. Last I heard, he moved back to Baltimore, met a divorced female rabbi, and he bought back his old cop bar. "I guess he just ran out of gas. That skinny bastard had a punchline for every second of the day." While opening up about the delights of directing, the conversation led to another [longtime SVU cast member: Belzer.](https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/usa-network-will-air-a-marathon-of-munch-best-svu-episodes-how-to-watch) "I feel blessed to have known you and adored you and worked with you, side by side, for so many years. "What a heart and soul; he was family and taught me so much about taking risks and creativity and trust," Hargitay said. "See, I had a partner years ago, an old homicide detective… [tribute Hargitay posted the day](https://www.nbc.com/nbc-insider/mariska-hargitay-sweetly-hugs-ice-t-in-touching-birthday-post) following his passing. He was just such a beautiful and complex [person], and it was such a privilege to know him."

The late Richard Belzer was saluted at the end of tonight's 'Law and Order: SVU' by castmate Mariska Hargitay.

Belzer played Detective John Munch, a role which he originated in 1993. [Richard Belzer](https://deadline.com/tag/richard-belzer/) was remembered at the conclusion of tonight’s [Law and Order: SVU](https://deadline.com/tag/law-and-order-svu/) episode, directed by longtime castmate [Mariska Hargitay](https://deadline.com/tag/mariska-hargitay/). Belzer, who played against his comedian type as a tough New York cop on Law and Order: SVU and Homicide: Life of the Street, died this week at age 78.

Mariska Hargitay returned to the director's chair for tonight's emotional rollercoaster episode King of the Moon, and it ended with a tribute to the show's ...

Our thoughts are with Belzer's family and friends. His professionalism, talents and dedication to the craft made him a pillar in the industry, but it was his humor, compassion and loving heart that made him family. Ice-T wrote "After one of the most amazing weeks of my life. Ice-T also shared a tribute, and the two were partners on the show when Ice-T became a part of the cast as Detective Fin Tutuola. Hargitay was asked on The Today Show about Belzer, who she starred with for 20 seasons on SVU. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Law and Order star Mariska Hargitay, shares an emotional message as she mourns the loss of a dear friend and former cast member Richard Belzer.

This acerbic, quick-witted, brilliant mind and yet he would melt in the sight of a child. The Olivia Benson star told Savannah Guthrie: “What a heart and soul. "How lucky the angels are to have you. [Law and Order: SVU](%20https:/www.express.co.uk/latest/law-and-order). I will miss you, your unique light and your singular take on this strange world. I can hear them laughing already.

Hargitay directed Thursday's episode of the long-running NBC procedural, which ended with a simple but sweet “In Memory of Richard Belzer” title card. Belzer, ...

I wake up to the news I lost my friend today. He was just such a beautiful and complex man, and it was such a privilege to know him.” ENJOY it to the fullest! And he brought so much joy to the set.” After one of the most amazing weeks of my life. [Ice-T](https://www.tvinsider.com/people/ice-t/) also honored Belzer earlier this week, [writing](https://www.instagram.com/p/Co3BQbkykGd/), “Highs and Lows…

Comedian Richard Belzer, who died last week at the age of 78, played the iconic character of John Munch, moving seamlessly between the two series. Belzer died ...

Outside of comedy and acting, Belzer was also a well-known conspiracy theorist at a time when it wasn’t considered “dangerous” for people to believe in conspiracy theories. He appeared regularly on Alex Jones’s radio show before the host became embroiled in the “false flag” conspiracy theory about the Sandy Hook shooting massacre, resulting in a bankruptcy filing after a judge ordered him to pay $1.5 billion damages for defaming eight families of shooting victims. Besides Homicide and Law and Order: SVU, the character of John Munch appeared on six other television series, including Law and Order, Law and Order: Trial By Jury, The X-Files, Arrested Development, The Wire, and the short-lived crime drama The Beat. He performed as the warm-up comedian for Saturday Night Live and made several guest appearances on the show between 1975 and 1980. He performed at classic comedy clubs such as The Improv and Catch A Rising Star. Belzer died at his home in France that he and his wife, Harlee McBride of Young Lady Chatterley fame, jokingly referred to as “Chez Hogan.”

The late star, who played Detective John Munch across various shows for over 20 years, was remembered in an "SVU" episode directed by Mariska Hargitay.

"And he brought so much joy to the set." Belzer also played the same character on the series "Homicide: Life on the Street" from 1993-99. Belzer played Detective John Munch in 326 episodes of the show, making his final appearance in 2016.

Belzer's proud Jewish heritage was mysteriously absent from the author's obituaries.

“Belz and Gilbert Gottfried would always do Jewish shtick and saw themselves in a long line of Jewish comics,” said author Ratso Sloman. “And one time I was at Catch [A Rising Star], probably in the mid ’80s and at the end of the night, Belz and Gilbert went on stage and did dueling old Jewish weather forecasters. Many hotels denied them entry, a fact that led to the creation of hundreds of Jewish hotels in New York’s Catskill Mountains. Alan Zweibel, a comedy writer who worked with Belzer beginning in the mid-1970s on “Saturday Night Live,” added, “Belz made no bones about being Jewish in his act or in his life.” Zweibel once took Belzer to his parents’ Long Island home for a Friday night dinner, over which the comedian bonded with Mr. Although he wasn’t at all religious, he was proud to be Jewish and embraced that identity.” However, the one minority they initially left out was the one that was instrumental in building that very industry. To call Burt Bacharach an “American composer” or Barbara Walters a “pioneering woman newscaster” is accurate, but misses a significant ethno-cultural aspect of these people, one that was integrally responsible for making them who they are and influencing their creative choices. Belzer, after all, appears to have been an atheist, so what is meant here is Jew as an ethnic category, one that apparently confounds a lot of people and which results in many Jewish artists being described as anything but Jewish. The duo learned the Yiddish lines and performed the tune, which, in veiled Yiddish tones, talks about masturbation and going to a prostitute named “Cock-eyed Jenny.” It was so well-received and the two enjoyed it so much, they began to do it in other venues. To be sure, there were bits and pieces of Jewish material that can be found scattered about his comedic oeuvre, though to have the broad appeal he achieved, he understood that he had to deal in comic generalities. It eventually wound up on a 2008 album titled “The Jewish Songbook,” together with songs sung by Neil Sedaka and Barbra Streisand. Around 2003, after he’d snagged a contract to do a special on a cable network, he approached Letterman’s legendary bandleader, Paul Schaffer, and told him he wanted to do something “Jewish” for the show.

The actor, who played Detective John Munch on the show for 23 years before his departure in 2016, passed away over the weekend aged 78. At the end of last ...

[NBC](https://go.redirectingat.com/?id=127X991730&xs=1&url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.peacocktv.com%2F&sref=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.digitalspy.com%2Ftv%2Fustv%2Fa42985457%2Flaw-and-order-richard-belzer-death%2F&xcust=%5Butm_source%7C%5Butm_campaign%7C%5Butm_medium%7C%5Bgclid%7C%5Bmsclkid%7C%5Bfbclid%7C%5Brefdomain%7C%5Bcontent_id%7C41c69fb9-27e2-4f67-ac43-cff2d90ada09%5Bcontent_product_id%7C17f441c4-67ff-402e-b3d8-81561f368687%5Bproduct_retailer_id%7C) in the US. [Christopher Meloni](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42547122/law-order-ice-t-christopher-meloni-feud-denied/) (Elliot Stabler) saying: "Richard 'The Belz' Belzer. The rest is history. I love you so very much, now and forever." "Goodbye my dear, dear friend. [Law & Order: SVU](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42520504/law-and-order-svu-24-benson-stabler-almost-kiss/) has aired a touching dedication to [late star Richard Belzer](https://www.digitalspy.com/tv/ustv/a42985457/law-and-order-richard-belzer-death/) following his death.