‘Law & Order: SVU’: What Was Richard Belzer’s Net Worth at the Time of His Death?
Richard Belzer, best known for playing John Munch on Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: SVU, died at the age of 78. Here’s a look at Belzer’s net worth and career.
Richard Belzer’s death
Belzer reportedly died in southwest France. His friend, writer Bill Scheft, says the actor was in poor health. “He had lots of health issues, and his last words were, ‘F*** you, motherf*****,’” Scheft tells The Hollywood Reporter. According to the Associated Press, Belzer had “circulatory and respiratory issues.”
Richard Belzer’s net worth
At the time of his death, Belzer had an estimated net worth of $16 million, according to Celebrity Net Worth. Some of Belzer’s wealth came from his work as an author. He wrote many books focused on conspiracies surrounding the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
Some of his books include Hit List: An In-Depth Investigation into the Mysterious Deaths of Witnesses to the JFK Assassination; UFOs, JFKs and Elvis; and Dead Wrong: Straight Facts on the Country’s Most Controversial Cover-Ups. This book took a closer look at the death of Marilyn Monroe in addition to the deaths of Robert Kennedy, Martin Luther King, and John F. Kennedy.
Belzer also wrote books that are not focused on conspiracy theories. They include How to Be a Stand-Up Comic, I am Not a Psychic! and I Am Not a Cop!
Was Richard Belzer related to Henry Winkler?
Belzer and Happy Days star Henry Winkler were cousins. He posted a Twitter message honoring his late relative. “Rest in peace, Richard,” he wrote.
Former co-star Mariska Hargitay posted a message on Instagram, writing, “Goodbye my dear, dear friend. I will miss you, your unique light, and your singular take on this strange world. 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 can hear them laughing already. I love you so very much, now and forever.”
Richard Belzer’s movies and TV shows
One of Belzer’s early acting roles was an appearance in the 1974 movie The Groove Tube. From 1975 to 1980, Belzer appeared on Saturday Night Live for three episodes.
Belzer played John Munch for 23 years. His character was first introduced during Homicide: Life on the Street in 1993. He remained on the show for 122 episodes until 1999. From 1996 to 2000, Belzer played Munch on Law & Order. He continued to play the character on Law & Order: SVU from 1999 to 2016.
Belzer played John Munch on eight other television shows, including The Wire, Arrested Development, and The X-Files. According to The Hollywood Reporter, he played this character longer than James Arness played his character on Gunsmoke and Kelsey Grammer on Cheers and Frasier.
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