Richard Belzer

Richard Belzer is an actor, comedian and author best known for his work as detective Munch on “Law and Order: Special Victims Unit.” The author was born and brought up in Bridgeport, Connecticut to a middle class family until everything fell apart and his family lost everything. Growing up, he was close to his father who had made a very successful career as a salesman selling vending machines. But he never liked his mother who was often physically abusive. The family kitchen was always the toughest room in the house since he had to make his mother laugh to reduce the probability of getting hit. Since he usually acted as a smart ass he never lasted in the many schools he was sent to. This would persist throughout his teenage years as he got kicked out of Dean Junior College where he was the leader of a demonstration. But doing this, he laid the foundation for a very successful career. Nonetheless, he would be sidetracked into other careers such as jewelry salesman, census taker, dock worker and Bridgeport Post as a reporter.