| Richard Belzer |
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Richard Belzer (born August 4 , 1944 ) is an American stand up Comedian , Writer and Actor . Born in Bridgeport, Connecticut , he grew up with his parents and older brother. His mother was neglectful and physically abusive, but his father worked hard to move his family out of the poverty of the projects and into a better life. Richard worked as a paperboy and became known for his uncontrollable wit, which "caused him to be kicked out of every school he attended". Belzer's mother Frances died of breast cancer when he was 18. After high school, he worked as a reporter for the '' Bridgeport Post ''. He attended Dean Junior College in Franklin, MA for a year and a part of a semester before being asked to leave (for leading too many student demonstrations). According to one interview, he was majoring in Physical Education. After leaving college, Belzer was encouraged by his father to enlist in the Army. He soon realized it was a mistake and tried to get out, eventually he was successful at terminating his enlistment early. After the Army, Belzer moved to New York City and began working as a stand-up comic. He participated in the Channel One comedy group that satirized television and became the basis for the cult movie '' The Groove Tube ''. Belzer's father Charles attempted suicide when Richard was 22, but fortunately Richard found him in time to save his life; unfortunately his father's second attempt at suicide the following year was successful. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, Belzer became an occasional film actor. He is noted for his small roles in '' Fame '', '' Night Shift '', and '' Scarface ''. He also was a player on the '' National Lampoon Radio Hour'', a half-hour comedy program aired on some 600 U.S. stations from 1973 to 1975. Several of his sketches were released on National Lampoon albums drawn from the Radio Hour including several bits in which he portrayed a pithy call-in talk show host named Dick Valentine . In the late 1970's he co-hosted "Brink & Belzer" on 660AM WNBC RADIO (New York City). Belzer was the audience warm-up comedian for '' Saturday Night Live '' in its premiere season and made three guest appearances on SNL in 1976 and 1978. (However, despite appearing as such in the film Man On The Moon , Belzer was NOT the first host of the show.) in '''']] Richard Belzer survived Testicular Cancer in 1984, his HBO special and comedy CD ''Another Lone Nut'' {Link without Title} pokes fun at this, as well as his status as a well-known "Conspiracy Theorist". Belzer married actress Harlee McBride in 1985. In that same year on his cable TV talk show ''Hot Properties'' Belzer insisted Hulk Hogan put a wrestling move on him. Hulk Hogan put Belzer in a front chin lock or sleeper hold, which caused Belzer to pass out. When Hogan released him, Belzer hit his head on the floor, sustaining a laceration to his scalp which required him to be hospitalized briefly. Belzer sued Hogan for $5 million, they settled out of court and Belzer used the settlement (rumored to be $1.5 million) to purchase a cottage in France, where he and his wife Harlee live when he's not working in the US. In the 1990s, Belzer appeared frequently on television, including a movie role in which he appeared as an LAPD detective in '''' (1999 - ), playing the same character ( Detective John Munch ) in both series. In addition, he has also played Detective John Munch in episodes of five other series:
He also appeared in Comedy Central 's broadcast of the Friars Club roast of Chevy Chase . Belzer was honored by the New York Friars Club and the Toyota Comedy Festival June 9 , 2001 as the honoree of the first ever roast that was open to the public. Comedians and friends on the dais included Roast master Paul Shaffer , Christopher Walken , Danny Aiello , Barry Levinson , Robert Klein , Bill Maher , SVU co-stars Mariska Hargitay , Christopher Meloni , Ice-T , and Dann Florek , and Law & Order’s Jerry Orbach . BOOKS BY RICHARD BELZER
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QUOTES On the military (From appearance on Bill Maher 's ''Real Time''):
In his roast of Chevy Chase , Belzer said, "The only time Chevy Chase has a funny bone in his body is when I Fuck him in the ass." EXTERNAL LINKS |
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