John Munch
Encyclopedia
Sergeant John Munch is a fictional character played by actor Richard Belzer
. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street
. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise
. He made his 300th appearance on the SVU episode "Unorthodox".
in the Baltimore Police Department
's fictionalized homicide unit, which debuted January 31, 1993. The character was primarily based on Jay Landsman
, a central figure in David Simon's true crime
book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
, a documentary account of the homicide unit's operation over one year. However, Munch's storyline also touched on the book's depiction of the relationship between real-life detectives Donald Worden and David Brown, in which Worden was relentless in his tutelage/hazing of the younger detective but also genuinely wanted him to succeed and was impressed when the younger cop did excellent work. A storyline in the book involving Brown's cracking a very difficult hit-and-run homicide was included almost verbatim in the show's pilot
.
Barry Levinson
, co-creator and executive producer of Homicide, said Belzer was a "lousy actor" during his audition when he first read lines from the script for "Gone for Goode
", the first episode in the series. Levinson asked Belzer to take some time to reread and practice the material, then come back and read it again. During his second reading, Levinson said Belzer was "still terrible", but that the actor eventually found confidence in his performance.
Munch appeared as a regular character in every season, and in almost every episode, of Homicide. After Homicide: Life on the Street concluded its seventh season in May 1999, the character was transferred into the Law & Order universe as a regular character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (both Homicide and the original Law & Order had crossed-over numerous times before, and Munch had featured centrally in each crossover). It is explained that Munch had retired from the Baltimore Police Department, took his pension
, and moved to New York to join a sex crimes investigation unit, where he was eventually given a promotion to sergeant.
Munch joined the BPD's homicide unit in 1983. During the fourth-season premiere of Homicide: Life on the Street, he signed up to take a promotion exam in hopes of becoming a sergeant, but a "comedy of errors
" prevented him from showing up for it. In the first episode of the ninth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, it is revealed that he passed the NYPD sergeant's exam, having taken it on a bar bet, and earned his promotion. He is temporarily promoted to commanding officer of the Special Victims' Unit following Cragen's temporary reassignment but is depicted as happily relinquishing control back to Donald Cragen
, commenting upon Cragen's return, "This job sucks". He has, however, kept his rank, as he is still referred to as Sergeant in later episodes. He is temporarily put in charge again when Cragen gets suspended after the detectives mishandled the Nikki Sherman rape case.
Munch makes a cameo appearance on a fifth season episode of The Wire
. Munch can be seen at Kavanaugh's Bar arguing with the bartender over his tab. He also appears on a fifth season episode of The X-Files
, still a member of the Baltimore Police Department in episode 5x03, "Unusual Suspects
". Munch was also mentioned as a liaison with Britain "in New York's Special Victims Unit
" by main character DCI John Luther in a first series episode of BBC's TV programme Luther
.
", Munch talks about his high school years and looks at a yearbook from 1961. In episode 6.95 "Full Court Press
", Munch says: "Going to high school was no day at the beach for a teenage Jew in the '50s". Because first grade began at age six and high school ended in 12th grade in Maryland during this time, it is likely Munch was born in 1944, the same year as Belzer. Munch is described, however, as being 48 years old in SVU episode 1.18, "Chat Room
". To be 48 at the time this episode took place, Munch would have been born circa 1951, depending on when his birthday falls. Also noteworthy is a seventh season episode of Homicide
in which the ongoing conflict between Munch and Det. Stuart Gharty (played by Peter Gerety
) culminates. After a confrontation inside the Waterfront bar, Gharty asks Munch how old he was during that period of the war (1970), to which Munch responds "eighteen", putting the year of his birth circa 1951.
SVU and Homicide also have Munch growing up in different places. He is a native of Maryland on Homicide and attended high school in Pikesville
, which has a large Jewish community. Also, Munch said that he took many field trips to Ft. McHenry as a kid, which would likely only happen were he to live in the area. Munch tells Det. Olivia Benson
in SVU episode 2.4 (E1401), "Legacy
", that he grew up on the "Lower East Side
". Munch said to Det. Fin Tutuola
in that same season that he "came back from Baltimore" after his marriage broke up, suggesting that he is originally from New York. One possible scenario has Munch being born in New York and moving to Baltimore where he attended Pikesville High School
for four years.
When Munch was a teenager, his father committed suicide
, and Munch still regrets that he told his father he "hated his guts" just before the tragedy occurred; for years afterward, he believes that it was his fault. It is revealed that Munch also has an uncle, Andrew (played by Jerry Lewis
), who had been diagnosed with depressive pseudodementia. The elder Munch is found by Elliot Stabler
living as a transient
in Manhattan, and is subsequently reunited with his nephew. Andrew, however, reacts badly to his antidepressant
medication, which triggers a mania
that results in his taking a personal vendetta against a suspected rapist
/murderer SVU is investigating, eventually killing the man by pushing him in front of a subway train. Andrew refuses to plead insanity and take further medication, and says goodbye to his nephew one last time before being sent to prison. In a deleted scene from the 3rd season of Homicide, Munch mentions to both Meldrick Lewis
and Tim Bayliss
that he had an uncle who lived up north but was unsure of what became of him — this is presumably Andrew. Munch is also affected by the death of a young girl who lived near him when he was younger; he blames himself, at least partially, for not noticing that she was being abused by her mother, despite seeing her every day when he came home from school.
Munch's partner at the start of Homicide is Stanley Bolander
(played by Ned Beatty
), an experienced police detective with more than 20 years under his belt. The two are partners through the show's first three seasons until Bolander is first suspended and then retires. Despite the tremendous amount of grief the two give each other, Munch respects him and counts him as a dear friend.
In SVU, Munch is first partnered with Brian Cassidy (played by Dean Winters
), whom he thinks of as a kind of younger brother, alternately poking fun at him and imparting (often questionable) advice on life and women. When Cassidy leaves the precinct in 2000, Munch is briefly partnered with Monique Jeffries
(played by Michelle Hurd
), and then with Odafin Tutuola
(played by rapper Ice-T). He and the gruff, uncompromising Tutuola get off to a rough start, but gradually come to like and respect each other. After
Munch is shot by a suspect during a trial; the dialogue he shares with Tutuola in the hospital demonstrates the regard and respect the characters have gained for one another. When Tutuola gets frustrated over a potential witness being unable to testify due to relapsing on heroin, Munch mentions a former partner who took cases that personally — and who eventually committed suicide as a result.
In Homicide, along with Tim Bayliss
(played by Kyle Secor
) and Meldrick Lewis
(played by Clark Johnson
), Munch is co-owner of "The Waterfront", a bar located across the street from their Baltimore police station. In the episode "Took" from the fifth and final season of The Wire
, Munch makes a small cameo in which he refers to having owned The Waterfront in the past-tense. Even during the severe recession of the late 2000s
, he talks about wanting to buy a bar again in New York.
. Homicide: The Movie, which features Munch's temporary return to the Baltimore Homicide Unit for one case (the shooting of his former lieutenant), briefly acknowledges that Munch is currently assigned to the Special Victims Unit in New York.
at the end of an episode of Homicide called "Kaddish" in memory of a Jewish murder victim.
He is also familiar with common Yiddish words and phrases. Munch interacts with an Orthodox Jewish
witness, using one Yiddish word, farshteyn ("understand"), and referring to the twelve Israelite tribes from the Bible
.
The man remarks that Munch must be Jewish and, consequently, agrees to help him out of a fraternal connection. After the interaction, Munch reciprocates by offering the man a ride back to the Riverdale neighborhood in The Bronx
. He identifies his ethnic background as Romanian
.
He has a younger brother named Bernie who owns a funeral parlor; he at one point jokes that he occasionally "throws him some business". He mentioned another brother who is in the drywall
business. His cousin, Lee, acts as his accountant—and the accountant for The Waterfront—when he lives in Baltimore.
Munch has been described as a stubborn man who can "smell a conspiracy at a five-year-old's lemonade stand." Munch can often be seen lecturing his co-workers on a variety of conspiracy theories, which he views as obvious truths. In his very first case with SVU, he rants about the government cover-up in the Kennedy Assassination
. However, Munch doesn't seem to believe all conspiracy theories; in The X-Files
episode "Unusual Suspects
" -- a cross-over episode with Homicide -- Munch vocally disbelieved the Lone Gunmen's claims of a government plot to expose Baltimore residents to a hallucinogenic gas.
Munch's most notable features are his sarcastic wit and dark humor. He is known to make jokes at crime scenes and insult witnesses and suspects in murder investigations. A very cultured, articulate individual, Munch has many interests in art, philosophy and other intellectual activities. This, contrasted with the working class officers he worked with, has often led him to be viewed as bizarre by others. He seems to view himself as more intelligent than many of his colleagues noting that in Baltimore he "was surrounded by intellectual insects". He is also known for his trademark dark glasses and his very thin appearance which he claimed was "from only having fifteen hundred calories a day".
At the onset of Homicide, he had been divorce
d twice, but by the seventh season he had had a total of three ex-wives, until marrying his fourth, Billie Lou; each one of the previous three is "beautiful, spoiled, and none of them matched John Munch intellectually". Before leaving Baltimore, Munch had divorced his fourth wife and never shies away from cracking sarcastic divorce jokes. Dr. Aubrey Jackson has noted however that despite his romantic troubles, Munch still believes in true love, and is crushed by the fact he has not found it.
He once stated that he and his first wife, Gwen, had sex once after their divorce. Her first on screen appearance is the season six episode of "Homicide" titled "All Is Bright" where she is played by Carol Kane
. Gwen shows up at 'The Waterfront' bar to inform Munch her mother has died. As the two catch up, he agrees to arrange for the funeral of Gwen's mother despite the fact that his ex-mother-in-law loathed him and did everything in her power to disrupt her daughter's marriage to him. Near the end of the episode, Munch performs a touching toast to his former mother in law in one of the few time his cynical facade slips. Carol Kane
next returns as Gwen in the season 10 finale of Law and Order: SVU and is portrayed as a paranoid schizophrenic. While working with Lennie Briscoe
(played by Jerry Orbach
) in the season four episode of "Homicide", 'For God and Country', a crossover with "Law and Order", Munch loses badly to Briscoe in a pool game and learns Briscoe had briefly dated, and had sex with, Gwen. He goes on to get quite drunk and proclaims that he forgives Gwen and still loves her. Despite this, it appears that he and Briscoe become quite good friends—their interaction in the two following crossovers between Homicide and Law & Order, as well as in a crossover between Law & Order and SVU, is generally friendly.
While Munch could never be accused of being sentimental, his cynical façade has occasionally slipped, revealing a deep compassion—especially for children—borne from his unhappy childhood. When Munch emerged unscathed from an ambush shooting during a third season episode of Homicide that left three of his colleagues in the hospital, he tried to maintain his cynical demeanor by complaining to his commanding officer (Al Giardello) that "they got blood on my shoes, Gee" but he breaks down in tears anyway. In the second season of SVU, after solving a case dealing with an abusive mother who put her daughter in a coma, Munch told Benson a story about how when he was in high school, he saw an abused girl on her porch every day. One day she wasn't there because her mother had thrown her through a window, killing her. He stated that it was the first time he saw a grown man cry (the girl's father) and that the mother didn't care at all.
Munch is a staunch believer in individual rights and occasionally finds that something he has to do in the line of duty goes against his sense of morality. A particularly disturbing experience for him was having to see patients on dialysis have their kidney transplants denied.
Munch enjoys fig milkshakes.
In the third season episode of "Homicide", 'Law and Disorder', Munch was suspected by Detective Tim Bayliss of having murdered Gordon Pratt (played by Steve Buscemi), a Baltimore man suspected of shooting four homicide detectives, including Munch. Munch had motive, opportunity, an unconfirmed alibi, and never actually denies killing Pratt, but Bayliss refuses to question Munch further or test his service weapon to determine if it had been fired recently. He closes the case, informing his shift commander that there is not enough evidence to charge anyone.
Munch is fluent in French, as shown when he chats with a victim in Law and Order: SVU's season 12 episode "Flight". He also has some conversational ability in Russian
., Hebrew, Spanish, Greek, and Hungarian.
Munch has become the only fictional character, played by a single actor, to appear on ten different television shows. These shows were on five different networks: NBC (Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, and 30 Rock); Fox (The X-Files; Arrested Development); UPN (The Beat); HBO
(The Wire) and ABC
(Jimmy Kimmel Live!). Munch has also been one of the few television characters to cross genres, appearing not only in crime drama series, but sitcom (Arrested Development), late night comedy (Jimmy Kimmel Live!) and horror and science fiction (The X-Files). He has also played a role in international television series, beginning with UK crime drama Luther
where he is mentioned as an American contact for the series' Serious Crime Unit (SCU). Notably Luther stars Idris Elba
, the actor who played Stringer Bell
in the HBO drama The Wire where Munch had cameoed previously.
Richard Belzer
Richard Jay Belzer is an American stand-up comedian, author, and actor. He is perhaps best known for his role as John Munch, which he has portrayed as a regular cast member on the NBC police drama series Homicide: Life on the Street and Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, as well as in guest...
. Munch first appeared on Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street
Homicide: Life on the Street is an American police procedural television series chronicling the work of a fictional version of the Baltimore Homicide Unit. It ran for seven seasons on NBC from 1993 to 1999, and was succeeded by a TV movie, which also acted as the de-facto series finale...
. Upon that series' cancellation, the character was transplanted to Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
, the first spin-off of the Law & Order franchise
Law & Order (franchise)
The Law & Order franchise is a number of related American television series created by Dick Wolf and originally broadcast on NBC, all of which deal with some aspect of the criminal justice system...
. He made his 300th appearance on the SVU episode "Unorthodox".
Character progression
Munch first appears as a central character in the TV series Homicide: Life on the Street, as a homicide detectiveDetective
A detective is an investigator, either a member of a police agency or a private person. The latter may be known as private investigators or "private eyes"...
in the Baltimore Police Department
Baltimore Police Department
The Baltimore Police Department provides police services to the city of Baltimore, Maryland and was officially established by the Maryland Legislature on March 16, 1853...
's fictionalized homicide unit, which debuted January 31, 1993. The character was primarily based on Jay Landsman
Jay Landsman
The book was later developed into the television series Homicide: Life on the Street. He was the inspiration for the fictional character John Munch on that show and a character named Jay Landsman on the television series The Wire, created by Simon. Landsman portrayed himself in a brief appearance...
, a central figure in David Simon's true crime
True crime
True crime is a non-fiction literary and film genre in which the author examines an actual crime and details the actions of real people.The crimes most commonly include murder, but true crime works have also touched on other legal cases. Depending on the writer, true crime can adhere strictly to...
book Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets
Homicide: A Year on the Killing Streets is a 1991 book written by Baltimore Sun reporter David Simon describing a year spent with detectives from the Baltimore Police Department homicide squad...
, a documentary account of the homicide unit's operation over one year. However, Munch's storyline also touched on the book's depiction of the relationship between real-life detectives Donald Worden and David Brown, in which Worden was relentless in his tutelage/hazing of the younger detective but also genuinely wanted him to succeed and was impressed when the younger cop did excellent work. A storyline in the book involving Brown's cracking a very difficult hit-and-run homicide was included almost verbatim in the show's pilot
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
.
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson
Barry Levinson is an American screenwriter, film director, actor, and producer of film and television. His films include Good Morning, Vietnam, Sleepers and Rain Man.-Early life:...
, co-creator and executive producer of Homicide, said Belzer was a "lousy actor" during his audition when he first read lines from the script for "Gone for Goode
Gone for Goode
"Gone for Goode" is the first episode of the first season of the American police drama television series Homicide: Life on the Street. It originally aired on NBC in the United States on January 31, 1993, immediately following Super Bowl XXVII. The episode was written by series creator Paul...
", the first episode in the series. Levinson asked Belzer to take some time to reread and practice the material, then come back and read it again. During his second reading, Levinson said Belzer was "still terrible", but that the actor eventually found confidence in his performance.
Munch appeared as a regular character in every season, and in almost every episode, of Homicide. After Homicide: Life on the Street concluded its seventh season in May 1999, the character was transferred into the Law & Order universe as a regular character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (both Homicide and the original Law & Order had crossed-over numerous times before, and Munch had featured centrally in each crossover). It is explained that Munch had retired from the Baltimore Police Department, took his pension
Pension
In general, a pension is an arrangement to provide people with an income when they are no longer earning a regular income from employment. Pensions should not be confused with severance pay; the former is paid in regular installments, while the latter is paid in one lump sum.The terms retirement...
, and moved to New York to join a sex crimes investigation unit, where he was eventually given a promotion to sergeant.
Munch joined the BPD's homicide unit in 1983. During the fourth-season premiere of Homicide: Life on the Street, he signed up to take a promotion exam in hopes of becoming a sergeant, but a "comedy of errors
Comedy of errors
A comedy of errors is a narrative work that is light and often humorous or satirical in tone, in which the action usually features a series of comic instances of mistaken identity, and which typically culminates in a happy resolution of the thematic conflict.-Satire and farce:A slight variation of...
" prevented him from showing up for it. In the first episode of the ninth season of Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, it is revealed that he passed the NYPD sergeant's exam, having taken it on a bar bet, and earned his promotion. He is temporarily promoted to commanding officer of the Special Victims' Unit following Cragen's temporary reassignment but is depicted as happily relinquishing control back to Donald Cragen
Donald Cragen
Donald "Don" Cragen is a fictional character in the police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order and its spinoff Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Dann Florek.-Character appearances:...
, commenting upon Cragen's return, "This job sucks". He has, however, kept his rank, as he is still referred to as Sergeant in later episodes. He is temporarily put in charge again when Cragen gets suspended after the detectives mishandled the Nikki Sherman rape case.
Munch makes a cameo appearance on a fifth season episode of The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
. Munch can be seen at Kavanaugh's Bar arguing with the bartender over his tab. He also appears on a fifth season episode of The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
, still a member of the Baltimore Police Department in episode 5x03, "Unusual Suspects
Unusual Suspects
"Unusual Suspects" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Kim Manners and aired in the United States on November 16, 1997 on the Fox network...
". Munch was also mentioned as a liaison with Britain "in New York's Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced...
" by main character DCI John Luther in a first series episode of BBC's TV programme Luther
Luther (TV series)
Luther is a British psychological crime drama television series starring Idris Elba as the title character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. A first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC One from 4 May to 8 June 2010. The second series of four episodes was shown on BBC One in summer 2011...
.
Character biography
Though his age is never directly stated on Homicide, a few clues are presented pointing to it. In episode 5.17, "KaddishHomicide: Life on the Street (season 5)
The fifth season of Homicide: Life on the Street aired in the United States on the NBC television network from 1996-09-20 to 1997-05-16 and contained 22 episodes. A new opening sequence debuted with the start of this season, including elements of a police investigation and a growing chatter of...
", Munch talks about his high school years and looks at a yearbook from 1961. In episode 6.95 "Full Court Press
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 6)
The sixth season of Homicide: Life on the Street aired in the United States on the NBC television network from 1997-10-17 to 1998-05-08 and contained 23 episodes....
", Munch says: "Going to high school was no day at the beach for a teenage Jew in the '50s". Because first grade began at age six and high school ended in 12th grade in Maryland during this time, it is likely Munch was born in 1944, the same year as Belzer. Munch is described, however, as being 48 years old in SVU episode 1.18, "Chat Room
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 1)
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, an American police procedural television series, premiered on September 20, 1999 on NBC. Created by Dick Wolf, it is the first spin-off of Law & Order and follows the detectives of a fictionalized version of the New York City Police Department's Special Victims...
". To be 48 at the time this episode took place, Munch would have been born circa 1951, depending on when his birthday falls. Also noteworthy is a seventh season episode of Homicide
Homicide: Life on the Street (season 7)
The seventh season of Homicide: Life on the Street aired in the United States on the NBC television network from 1998-09-25 to 1999-05-21 and contained 22 episodes....
in which the ongoing conflict between Munch and Det. Stuart Gharty (played by Peter Gerety
Peter Gerety
Peter Gerety is an American actor.Gerety began acting while a student at Boston University, participating in productions at the Charles Playhouse. In 1965, he joined the Trinity Square Repertory Company, a resident theater company in Providence, Rhode Island where he appeared in over 125...
) culminates. After a confrontation inside the Waterfront bar, Gharty asks Munch how old he was during that period of the war (1970), to which Munch responds "eighteen", putting the year of his birth circa 1951.
SVU and Homicide also have Munch growing up in different places. He is a native of Maryland on Homicide and attended high school in Pikesville
Pikesville, Maryland
Pikesville is a census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. Pikesville is just northwest of the Baltimore city limits. It is the northwestern suburb closest to Baltimore.The population was 29,123 at the 2000 census...
, which has a large Jewish community. Also, Munch said that he took many field trips to Ft. McHenry as a kid, which would likely only happen were he to live in the area. Munch tells Det. Olivia Benson
Olivia Benson
Det. Olivia "Liv" Benson is a fictional character on the NBC police procedural drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Mariska Hargitay. She is the former partner of Elliot Stabler. In Season 13, her partner will be Nick Amaro...
in SVU episode 2.4 (E1401), "Legacy
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (season 2)
This article contains a list of episodes for season 2 of the television series, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.David J. Burke and Neal Baer served as chief executive producers; Baer took over in the season finale.-Cast:...
", that he grew up on the "Lower East Side
Lower East Side
The Lower East Side, LES, is a neighborhood in the southeastern part of the New York City borough of Manhattan. It is roughly bounded by Allen Street, East Houston Street, Essex Street, Canal Street, Eldridge Street, East Broadway, and Grand Street....
". Munch said to Det. Fin Tutuola
Fin Tutuola
Det. Odafin "Fin" Tutuola is a fictional character and protagonist on the TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Ice-T.The character's name is taken from the book The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola, a member of the Yoruba people of Nigeria...
in that same season that he "came back from Baltimore" after his marriage broke up, suggesting that he is originally from New York. One possible scenario has Munch being born in New York and moving to Baltimore where he attended Pikesville High School
Pikesville High School
Pikesville High School is a four-year public high school in Baltimore County, Maryland, United States. It is part of the Baltimore County Public Schools consolidated school district...
for four years.
When Munch was a teenager, his father committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, and Munch still regrets that he told his father he "hated his guts" just before the tragedy occurred; for years afterward, he believes that it was his fault. It is revealed that Munch also has an uncle, Andrew (played by Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis
Jerry Lewis is an American comedian, actor, singer, film producer, screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his slapstick humor in film, television, stage and radio. He was originally paired up with Dean Martin in 1946, forming the famed comedy team of Martin and Lewis...
), who had been diagnosed with depressive pseudodementia. The elder Munch is found by Elliot Stabler
Elliot Stabler
Det. Elliot "El" Stabler is a fictional character on the TV crime drama series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, portrayed by Christopher Meloni. He was the partner of Olivia Benson before retiring, following a shooting.-Character overview:...
living as a transient
Homelessness
Homelessness describes the condition of people without a regular dwelling. People who are homeless are unable or unwilling to acquire and maintain regular, safe, and adequate housing, or lack "fixed, regular, and adequate night-time residence." The legal definition of "homeless" varies from country...
in Manhattan, and is subsequently reunited with his nephew. Andrew, however, reacts badly to his antidepressant
Antidepressant
An antidepressant is a psychiatric medication used to alleviate mood disorders, such as major depression and dysthymia and anxiety disorders such as social anxiety disorder. According to Gelder, Mayou &*Geddes people with a depressive illness will experience a therapeutic effect to their mood;...
medication, which triggers a mania
Mania
Mania, the presence of which is a criterion for certain psychiatric diagnoses, is a state of abnormally elevated or irritable mood, arousal, and/ or energy levels. In a sense, it is the opposite of depression...
that results in his taking a personal vendetta against a suspected rapist
Rape
Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse, which is initiated by one or more persons against another person without that person's consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority or with a person who is incapable of valid consent. The...
/murderer SVU is investigating, eventually killing the man by pushing him in front of a subway train. Andrew refuses to plead insanity and take further medication, and says goodbye to his nephew one last time before being sent to prison. In a deleted scene from the 3rd season of Homicide, Munch mentions to both Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis is a fictional character on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street played by Clark Johnson. The character was in the series for its full run and had the very first and last lines of the series...
and Tim Bayliss
Tim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
that he had an uncle who lived up north but was unsure of what became of him — this is presumably Andrew. Munch is also affected by the death of a young girl who lived near him when he was younger; he blames himself, at least partially, for not noticing that she was being abused by her mother, despite seeing her every day when he came home from school.
Munch's partner at the start of Homicide is Stanley Bolander
Stanley Bolander
Stanley Bolander is a fictional character in the American crime drama / police procedural Homicide: Life on the Street. He is portrayed by Ned Beatty and appears in the first three seasons and Homicide: The Movie.-Character overview:...
(played by Ned Beatty
Ned Beatty
Ned Thomas Beatty is an American actor who has appeared in more than 100 films and has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Emmy Awards, an MTV Movie Award for Best Villain and a Golden Globe Award; won a Drama Desk Award....
), an experienced police detective with more than 20 years under his belt. The two are partners through the show's first three seasons until Bolander is first suspended and then retires. Despite the tremendous amount of grief the two give each other, Munch respects him and counts him as a dear friend.
In SVU, Munch is first partnered with Brian Cassidy (played by Dean Winters
Dean Winters
Dean Winters is an American actor, who has portrayed Ryan O'Reily on HBO's Oz, Johnny Gavin on FX Network's Rescue Me, and Dennis Duffy on NBC's 30 Rock...
), whom he thinks of as a kind of younger brother, alternately poking fun at him and imparting (often questionable) advice on life and women. When Cassidy leaves the precinct in 2000, Munch is briefly partnered with Monique Jeffries
Monique Jeffries
Det. Monique Jeffries is a fictional character played by Michelle Hurd in the American crime drama television series Law & Order: Special Victims Unit on NBC. A regular cast member during the first two seasons, Jeffries is a tough and street-wise detective with the New York Police Department's...
(played by Michelle Hurd
Michelle Hurd
Michelle Hurd is an American stage, film, and television actress. She is married to actor Garret Dillahunt.-Early life:...
), and then with Odafin Tutuola
Fin Tutuola
Det. Odafin "Fin" Tutuola is a fictional character and protagonist on the TV drama Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, played by Ice-T.The character's name is taken from the book The Palm Wine Drinkard by Amos Tutuola, a member of the Yoruba people of Nigeria...
(played by rapper Ice-T). He and the gruff, uncompromising Tutuola get off to a rough start, but gradually come to like and respect each other. After
Munch is shot by a suspect during a trial; the dialogue he shares with Tutuola in the hospital demonstrates the regard and respect the characters have gained for one another. When Tutuola gets frustrated over a potential witness being unable to testify due to relapsing on heroin, Munch mentions a former partner who took cases that personally — and who eventually committed suicide as a result.
In Homicide, along with Tim Bayliss
Tim Bayliss
Timothy Bayliss is a fictional detective on Homicide: Life on the Street. He was a primary character, and was played by Kyle Secor. He was loosely based on the real-life Det...
(played by Kyle Secor
Kyle Secor
Kyle Ivan Secor is an American television and movie actor, best known for his role as Detective Tim Bayliss on the crime drama Homicide: Life on the Street.-Early years:...
) and Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis
Meldrick Lewis is a fictional character on the television series Homicide: Life on the Street played by Clark Johnson. The character was in the series for its full run and had the very first and last lines of the series...
(played by Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson
Clark Johnson , sometimes credited as Clark 'Slappy' Jackson, Clarque Johnson, and J. Clark Johnson, is an American actor and director who has worked in both television and film.-Early years:...
), Munch is co-owner of "The Waterfront", a bar located across the street from their Baltimore police station. In the episode "Took" from the fifth and final season of The Wire
The WIRE
the WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
, Munch makes a small cameo in which he refers to having owned The Waterfront in the past-tense. Even during the severe recession of the late 2000s
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
, he talks about wanting to buy a bar again in New York.
Continuity
Although Homicide and Law & Order SVU officially share the same continuity, they provide conflicting accounts of Munch's childhood, and SVU very rarely mentions Munch's past as a Baltimore detective. Several regular actors from Homicide (Peter Gerety, Zeljko Ivanek, Andre Braugher, etc.) whose characters regularly interacted with Munch on that series, have appeared as different, unrelated characters on SVU, sometimes sharing scenes with Munch. A rare example of consistent continuity between the two shows is Munch's amicable divorce from Gwen, who has appeared in episodes of both Homicide and SVU as portrayed by actress Carol KaneCarol Kane
Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
. Homicide: The Movie, which features Munch's temporary return to the Baltimore Homicide Unit for one case (the shooting of his former lieutenant), briefly acknowledges that Munch is currently assigned to the Special Victims Unit in New York.
Characteristics
Munch is Jewish, but once commented that the only thing he and Judaism had in common was that he "didn't like to work on Saturdays." However, he is sensitive to anti-Semitic jokes, though conversely, he also occasionally makes comments that play on Jewish stereotypes, usually in an ironic fashion. He indicates that he is familiar with Jewish prayers, and eventually says the titular oneKaddish
Kaddish is a prayer found in the Jewish prayer service. The central theme of the Kaddish is the magnification and sanctification of God's name. In the liturgy different versions of the Kaddish are used functionally as separators between sections of the service...
at the end of an episode of Homicide called "Kaddish" in memory of a Jewish murder victim.
He is also familiar with common Yiddish words and phrases. Munch interacts with an Orthodox Jewish
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...
witness, using one Yiddish word, farshteyn ("understand"), and referring to the twelve Israelite tribes from the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
.
The man remarks that Munch must be Jewish and, consequently, agrees to help him out of a fraternal connection. After the interaction, Munch reciprocates by offering the man a ride back to the Riverdale neighborhood in The Bronx
The Bronx
The Bronx is the northernmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is also known as Bronx County, the last of the 62 counties of New York State to be incorporated...
. He identifies his ethnic background as Romanian
Romanians
The Romanians are an ethnic group native to Romania, who speak Romanian; they are the majority inhabitants of Romania....
.
He has a younger brother named Bernie who owns a funeral parlor; he at one point jokes that he occasionally "throws him some business". He mentioned another brother who is in the drywall
Drywall
Drywall, also known as plasterboard, wallboard or gypsum board is a panel made of gypsum plaster pressed between two thick sheets of paper...
business. His cousin, Lee, acts as his accountant—and the accountant for The Waterfront—when he lives in Baltimore.
Munch has been described as a stubborn man who can "smell a conspiracy at a five-year-old's lemonade stand." Munch can often be seen lecturing his co-workers on a variety of conspiracy theories, which he views as obvious truths. In his very first case with SVU, he rants about the government cover-up in the Kennedy Assassination
John F. Kennedy assassination
John Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
. However, Munch doesn't seem to believe all conspiracy theories; in The X-Files
The X-Files
The X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
episode "Unusual Suspects
Unusual Suspects
"Unusual Suspects" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Kim Manners and aired in the United States on November 16, 1997 on the Fox network...
" -- a cross-over episode with Homicide -- Munch vocally disbelieved the Lone Gunmen's claims of a government plot to expose Baltimore residents to a hallucinogenic gas.
Munch's most notable features are his sarcastic wit and dark humor. He is known to make jokes at crime scenes and insult witnesses and suspects in murder investigations. A very cultured, articulate individual, Munch has many interests in art, philosophy and other intellectual activities. This, contrasted with the working class officers he worked with, has often led him to be viewed as bizarre by others. He seems to view himself as more intelligent than many of his colleagues noting that in Baltimore he "was surrounded by intellectual insects". He is also known for his trademark dark glasses and his very thin appearance which he claimed was "from only having fifteen hundred calories a day".
At the onset of Homicide, he had been divorce
Divorce
Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...
d twice, but by the seventh season he had had a total of three ex-wives, until marrying his fourth, Billie Lou; each one of the previous three is "beautiful, spoiled, and none of them matched John Munch intellectually". Before leaving Baltimore, Munch had divorced his fourth wife and never shies away from cracking sarcastic divorce jokes. Dr. Aubrey Jackson has noted however that despite his romantic troubles, Munch still believes in true love, and is crushed by the fact he has not found it.
He once stated that he and his first wife, Gwen, had sex once after their divorce. Her first on screen appearance is the season six episode of "Homicide" titled "All Is Bright" where she is played by Carol Kane
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
. Gwen shows up at 'The Waterfront' bar to inform Munch her mother has died. As the two catch up, he agrees to arrange for the funeral of Gwen's mother despite the fact that his ex-mother-in-law loathed him and did everything in her power to disrupt her daughter's marriage to him. Near the end of the episode, Munch performs a touching toast to his former mother in law in one of the few time his cynical facade slips. Carol Kane
Carol Kane
Carolyn Laurie "Carol" Kane is an American actress. Kane has worked on the stage, on the screen and in television. She appeared on the television series Taxi in the early 1980s, as the wife of the character played by Andy Kaufman. She received two Emmy Awards for her work...
next returns as Gwen in the season 10 finale of Law and Order: SVU and is portrayed as a paranoid schizophrenic. While working with Lennie Briscoe
Lennie Briscoe
Leonard W. "Lennie" Briscoe is a fictional character on NBC's long running police procedural and legal drama television series Law & Order. He was featured on the show for 12 seasons, from 1992 to 2004. He was created by Walon Green and René Balcer, and was portrayed by Jerry Orbach...
(played by Jerry Orbach
Jerry Orbach
Jerome Bernard "Jerry" Orbach was an American actor and singer. He was well known for his starring role as Detective Lennie Briscoe in the Law & Order television series and as the voice of Lumière in Disney's Beauty and the Beast. As well, Orbach was a noted musical theatre star...
) in the season four episode of "Homicide", 'For God and Country', a crossover with "Law and Order", Munch loses badly to Briscoe in a pool game and learns Briscoe had briefly dated, and had sex with, Gwen. He goes on to get quite drunk and proclaims that he forgives Gwen and still loves her. Despite this, it appears that he and Briscoe become quite good friends—their interaction in the two following crossovers between Homicide and Law & Order, as well as in a crossover between Law & Order and SVU, is generally friendly.
While Munch could never be accused of being sentimental, his cynical façade has occasionally slipped, revealing a deep compassion—especially for children—borne from his unhappy childhood. When Munch emerged unscathed from an ambush shooting during a third season episode of Homicide that left three of his colleagues in the hospital, he tried to maintain his cynical demeanor by complaining to his commanding officer (Al Giardello) that "they got blood on my shoes, Gee" but he breaks down in tears anyway. In the second season of SVU, after solving a case dealing with an abusive mother who put her daughter in a coma, Munch told Benson a story about how when he was in high school, he saw an abused girl on her porch every day. One day she wasn't there because her mother had thrown her through a window, killing her. He stated that it was the first time he saw a grown man cry (the girl's father) and that the mother didn't care at all.
Munch is a staunch believer in individual rights and occasionally finds that something he has to do in the line of duty goes against his sense of morality. A particularly disturbing experience for him was having to see patients on dialysis have their kidney transplants denied.
Munch enjoys fig milkshakes.
In the third season episode of "Homicide", 'Law and Disorder', Munch was suspected by Detective Tim Bayliss of having murdered Gordon Pratt (played by Steve Buscemi), a Baltimore man suspected of shooting four homicide detectives, including Munch. Munch had motive, opportunity, an unconfirmed alibi, and never actually denies killing Pratt, but Bayliss refuses to question Munch further or test his service weapon to determine if it had been fired recently. He closes the case, informing his shift commander that there is not enough evidence to charge anyone.
Munch is fluent in French, as shown when he chats with a victim in Law and Order: SVU's season 12 episode "Flight". He also has some conversational ability in Russian
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
., Hebrew, Spanish, Greek, and Hungarian.
Appearances and crossovers
The character has spanned over 17 years and 18 seasons. Along with 122 episodes and 1 TV movie of Homicide and 272 episodes of SVU (of which he has not appeared in 3 episodes of Homicide and 52 of SVU), Munch has also appeared as a character in other TV series, movies and albums:- Law & OrderLaw & OrderLaw & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
—four episodes: "Charm City", "Baby, It's You" (part 1), "Sideshow (Part 1)", and "Entitled (Part 2)" - The X-FilesThe X-FilesThe X-Files is an American science fiction television series and a part of The X-Files franchise, created by screenwriter Chris Carter. The program originally aired from to . The show was a hit for the Fox network, and its characters and slogans became popular culture touchstones in the 1990s...
—one episode: "Unusual SuspectsUnusual Suspects"Unusual Suspects" is the third episode of the fifth season of the American science fiction television series The X-Files. It was written by Vince Gilligan and directed by Kim Manners and aired in the United States on November 16, 1997 on the Fox network...
" - The Beat—one episode: "They Say It's Your Birthday"
- Law & Order: Trial by JuryLaw & Order: Trial by JuryLaw & Order: Trial by Jury is an American television drama about criminal trials set in New York City. It was the third spin-off from the long-running Law & Order. The show's almost exclusive focus was on the criminal trial of the accused, showing both the prosecution's and defense's preparation...
—one episode: "Skeleton (Part 2)" - Arrested Development—one episode: "Exit Strategy"
- The WireThe WIREthe WIRE is the student-run College radio station at the University of Oklahoma, broadcasting in a freeform format. The WIRE serves the University of Oklahoma and surrounding communities, and is staffed by student DJs. The WIRE broadcasts at 1710 kHz AM in Norman, Oklahoma...
—one episode: "TookTook (The Wire episode)"Took" is the seventh episode of the fifth season of the HBO original series, The Wire. The episode was written by Richard Price from a story by David Simon & Richard Price and was directed by cast member Dominic West. It aired on February 17, 2008....
" - 30 Rock30 Rock30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
—one episode: "¡Qué Sorpresa!¡Qué Sorpresa!"¡Qué Sorpresa!" is the thirteenth episode of the fifth season of the American television comedy series 30 Rock, and the 93rd overall episode of the series. It was directed by John Riggi, and written by Matt Hubbard. The episode originally aired on the National Broadcasting Company network in the...
", the characters are watching a SVU episode, with dialogue written and action shot specifically for 30 Rock. - Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- A MuppetThe MuppetsThe Muppets are a group of puppet characters created by Jim Henson starting in 1954–55. Although the term is often used to refer to any puppet that resembles the distinctive style of The Muppet Show, the term is both an informal name and legal trademark owned by the Walt Disney Company in reference...
representation of Detective Munch appeared in the Sesame StreetSesame StreetSesame Street has undergone significant changes in its history. According to writer Michael Davis, by the mid-1970s the show had become "an American institution". The cast and crew expanded during this time, including the hiring of women in the crew and additional minorities in the cast. The...
sketch "Law & Order: Special Letters Unit" where he was portrayed by David RudmanDavid RudmanDavid Rudman is a puppeteer, voice actor and producer, best known as a performer of many of Sesame Street's Muppets. He originated the role of Baby Bear, and has been nominated for two Emmy Awards for his work replacing Frank Oz in the role of Cookie Monster...
. - Munch also makes a cameo appearance on the 1993 Paul ShafferPaul ShafferPaul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM is a Canadian musician, actor, voice actor, author, comedian, and composer who has been David Letterman's sidekick since 1982.-Early years:...
album The World's Most Dangerous PartyThe World's Most Dangerous PartyThe World's Most Dangerous Party was Paul Shaffer's second album, released as a double CD in July 1993. Assembled as if Paul and his band were playing live at a house party, the album features the voices, but not necessarily singing, of many celebrities and recording artists like David Letterman,...
.
Munch has become the only fictional character, played by a single actor, to appear on ten different television shows. These shows were on five different networks: NBC (Homicide: Life on the Street, Law & Order, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Law & Order: Trial by Jury, and 30 Rock); Fox (The X-Files; Arrested Development); UPN (The Beat); HBO
Home Box Office
HBO, short for Home Box Office, is an American premium cable television network, owned by Time Warner. , HBO's programming reaches 28.2 million subscribers in the United States, making it the second largest premium network in America . In addition to its U.S...
(The Wire) and ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
(Jimmy Kimmel Live!). Munch has also been one of the few television characters to cross genres, appearing not only in crime drama series, but sitcom (Arrested Development), late night comedy (Jimmy Kimmel Live!) and horror and science fiction (The X-Files). He has also played a role in international television series, beginning with UK crime drama Luther
Luther (TV series)
Luther is a British psychological crime drama television series starring Idris Elba as the title character Detective Chief Inspector John Luther. A first series of six episodes was broadcast on BBC One from 4 May to 8 June 2010. The second series of four episodes was shown on BBC One in summer 2011...
where he is mentioned as an American contact for the series' Serious Crime Unit (SCU). Notably Luther stars Idris Elba
Idris Elba
Idrissa Akuna "Idris" Elba is a British television, theatre, and film actor. He has starred in both British and American productions. Elba grew up in Canning Town, East London. One of his first acting roles was in the soap opera Family Affairs. He has worked in a variety of TV roles including ...
, the actor who played Stringer Bell
Stringer Bell
Russell "Stringer" Bell is a fictional character on the HBO drama The Wire, played by English actor Idris Elba. Bell served as drug kingpin Avon Barksdale's second in command, assuming direct control of the Barksdale Organization during Avon's imprisonment...
in the HBO drama The Wire where Munch had cameoed previously.
External links
- Detective John Munch at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
.