Richard Belzer, the renowned comedian and actor famous for his portrayal of Detective John Munch in multiple television shows, has sadly passed away at the age of 78.
Guy amazing pretty a was He … Radio good that’s and opinions definite had and well-read so was He.” “Belz the of remembered Howard “the of “the and theories conspiracy offer and news the on rip just would he [and] … On come’d He. “Great was He appearances 50 than more his from Belzer remember will listeners Show Stern, few a name the to, Wire,” “The and Unit,” Victims Special Order: & “Law,” Street on Life: “Homicide as Munch as work his Despite.Output: He was an incredibly impressive individual, both in terms of his appearance and his talent on the radio. He possessed a vast knowledge on various subjects, including conspiracy theories and current events. He had a knack for entertaining and captivating his audience. Howard Belz, in particular, will always be remembered as one of his biggest fans. Despite his extensive body of work, which includes over 50 notable appearances, listeners will forever associate him with shows such as “The Wire,” “Special Victims Unit,” “Law & Order: SVU
One of those appearances would forever change the comedian’s life when “Homicide” executive producer Barry Levinson happened to be listening to the Stern Show. “He heard the Belz, [and] he goes, ‘That’s the guy who should play Detective John Munch on TV,'” Howard remembered. “The studios all thought they should hire this handsome pretty boy to play Detective John Munch, but Barry Levinson’s driving around in his car listening to the Belz on our show, and sure enough… He got the job.”
Howard is most fond of Belzer, but it was an off-air moment with Gilbert Gottfried visiting the comedian in the hospital that happened. Without saying a word to anyone, Howard sat down and read the newspaper, including the surprise of Gilbert’s visit to the star of “Law & Order.” It was the funniest thing, but Howard remembered, “We just sat there, left and got up when Belzer was done reading the paper.”
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Howard also paid tribute to Raquel Welch, the renowned actress and symbol of sex, who recently died at the age of 82. He said she was “One of the greatest beauties to ever grace this planet,” as the winner of the Golden Globe award.
When Welch appeared on The Howard Stern Show in 1987 to promote her album, she had a memorable interaction with executive producer Abate Dell’Gary. As she walked into the green room at K-Rock, she remembered adjusting her bra and grabbing her boobs. She started adjusting her bra because she definitely knew that we, young guys that we were, liked it when she looked like she was popping her eyes out of her head. In fact, she looked so sexual that the guy who told us he liked her, the record producer, said it was very memorable.
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