10 Actors You Didn’t Know Played The Same Character In More Than One TV Show
4. Richard Belzer - Detective John Munch (A Whole Bunch Of Stuff)
The history of Richard Belzer's most famous character - or the "Beltzer-verse" if you will - is long and complicated, so strap yourselves in.
The actor first appeared as Detective John Munch in 1993, on the crime show Homicide: Life on the Street. After that show was cancelled in 1999, Belzer then joined the cast of Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, still in character as Munch.
Belzer appeared in 15 seasons of SVU and became one of the show's most popular characters. So popular in fact, that the show couldn't contain him!
Alongside the regular Law and Order show, Belzer has appeared in The Wire, 30 Rock, Arrested Development, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, American Dad, The X-Files, and more, all as the character of Detective John Munch.
Furthermore, Belzer also appeared on an episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live, where he, Kimmel, and Joel McHale performed a new scene with Belzer playing Munch. He also gets mentioned by Idris Elba's character in Luther (presumably as a nod to the actor's time on The Wire).
Detective John Munch is a true television anomaly whose history is as delightful as it is utterly confusing.