The death of NBC’s “Law & Order: SVU” legend Richard Belzer was met with mourning by his longtime co-stars, who shared memories of working with the man who played Det. John Munch along with other actors and writers who knew him from his days as a mainstay on the New York stand-up comedy circuit.
“Richard Belzer was always so kind to me,” tweeted Vincent D’Onofrio, former star of another long-running “Law and Order” spinoff, “Criminal Intent.” “We met at comedy club he was performing in years before ‘L&O.’ I was young with only one film into my career. He always remembered me. I had the pleasure of hang’n [sic] with him a couple of times. Sweet, sweet man and funny as hell. He will be missed.”
Christopher Meloni, who starred alongside Belzer on “SVU” for 12 seasons as Det. Elliot Stabler, posted pictures of the two of them together along with a picture of Belzer with their longtime co-star Mariska Hargitay. “Good bye, mon ami. I love you,” read his caption.
“Goodbye my dear, dear friend. I will miss you, your unique light, and your singular take on this strange world,” Hargitay wrote on Instagram. “I feel blessed to have known you and adored you and worked with you, side by side, for so many years. How lucky the angels are to have you. I love you so very much, now and forever.”
Decades before Belzer played Det. Munch on “SVU” and NBC’s “Homicide: Life on the Street,” he routinely did standup at NYC comedy clubs like The Improv and most notably served as the audience warmup act and occasional guest star during the early years of “Saturday Night Live.”
“Richard Belzer was as kind as he was funny,” tweeted original “SNL” writer Alan Zweibel. “I will miss his brand of comedy that was not confined to boundaries. And will always be grateful for a friendship that lasted almost 50 years.”
Read more memorials for Richard Belzer, including from “CODA” star and Oscar winner Marlee Matlin, below.
