Richard Moll
Encyclopedia
Charles Richard Moll is an American actor and voice artist,best known for playing Bull Shannon, the bailiff
on the NBC
sitcom
Night Court
from 1983 to 1992. Moll is also a voice expert, playing villain
s with his distinctive rough-sounding voice.
, the son of Violet Anita (née
Grill), a nurse, and Harry Findley Moll, a lawyer. He attended the University of California, Berkeley
and was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity.
and Kim Basinger
in the movie Hard Country
. In 1982, under layers of makeup, he played the sorcerer Xusia in The Sword and the Sorcerer
. He played the abominable snowman
in the 1981 film Caveman
. Later that year, he shaved his head for the role of Hurok in the science fiction
B movie
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn
, but the producers of Night Court
liked the look so much in his audition that they asked him to keep it. Moll also used the Bull persona in commercials for Washington's Lottery
. Moll played the role of "Big Ben" in the 1986 film House.
Moll made a guest appearance in the pilot episode
of Highlander: The Series
as "Slan Quince", the villain who reunites Connor MacLeod
with his kinsman and show's protagonist, Duncan MacLeod
. He also made a guest appearance on Babylon 5
in the episode "Hunter, Prey
" as a lurker
criminal who was holding a VIP hostage.
In 1999's But I'm a Cheerleader
, Moll went against type
and played a gay
man who, with his partner (Wesley Mann
), helps gay teenagers escape from a nearby "gay camp", where homophobic
parents send their teenage offspring to be "rehabilitated"
.
He can be heard in many animated film
and cartoon
productions, often as a villain with a deep, growling voice. Moll has voiced Two-Face
in Batman: The Animated Series
(as well as the voice of the Batcomputer
) and the Scorpion in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
. His first role in an animated film was as a beat poet in Ralph Bakshi
's American Pop
. He starred as the character of Norman in the animated series Mighty Max
. He played the drifter on the Nickelodeon
show 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd
. He also voiced Vorn the Unspeakable, a Cthulhu
-like character in Freakazoid.
Moll appeared in The Flintstones
and Casper Meets Wendy
, both TV spin-off
s. Moll also voiced the Devil Hulk in the 2005 video game Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and more recently Death in the 2010 game Dante's Inferno
.
Additional television credits include Family Affair
, The Rockford Files
, How the West Was Won
, Happy Days
, Laverne & Shirley
, Mork & Mindy, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
, The Fall Guy
, T. J. Hooker
, Fantasy Island
, Alice
, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team
, The Facts of Life
, My Two Dads
, 227
, Martin
, Due South
, Babylon 5
, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
, Double Dare 2000, Baywatch
, Married... with Children
, 7th Heaven
, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
, The Parent 'Hood
, Smallville
, Cold Case, and the straight to video Uh-Oh! directed by Jon Cope.
Bailiff
A bailiff is a governor or custodian ; a legal officer to whom some degree of authority, care or jurisdiction is committed...
on the NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
sitcom
Situation comedy
A situation comedy, often shortened to sitcom, is a genre of comedy that features characters sharing the same common environment, such as a home or workplace, accompanied with jokes as part of the dialogue...
Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
from 1983 to 1992. Moll is also a voice expert, playing villain
Villain
A villain is an "evil" character in a story, whether a historical narrative or, especially, a work of fiction. The villain usually is the antagonist, the character who tends to have a negative effect on other characters...
s with his distinctive rough-sounding voice.
Early life
Moll was born Charles Richard Moll in Pasadena, CaliforniaPasadena, California
Pasadena is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Although famous for hosting the annual Rose Bowl football game and Tournament of Roses Parade, Pasadena is the home to many scientific and cultural institutions, including the California Institute of Technology , the Jet...
, the son of Violet Anita (née
Married and maiden names
A married name is the family name adopted by a person upon marriage. When a person assumes the family name of her spouse, the new name replaces the maiden name....
Grill), a nurse, and Harry Findley Moll, a lawyer. He attended the University of California, Berkeley
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley , is a teaching and research university established in 1868 and located in Berkeley, California, USA...
and was a member of Kappa Alpha fraternity.
Career
In 1981, Moll co-starred with Jan-Michael VincentJan-Michael Vincent
Jan-Michael Vincent is an American actor best known for his role as helicopter pilot Stringfellow Hawke on the 1980s U.S. television series Airwolf .-Early life:...
and Kim Basinger
Kim Basinger
Kimila Ann "Kim" Basinger is an American actress and former fashion model.She is known for her portrayals of Domino Petachi, the Bond girl in Never Say Never Again , and Vicki Vale, the female lead in Batman . Basinger received a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture...
in the movie Hard Country
Hard Country (1981 film)
Hard Country is a 1981 dramatic movie starring Jan-Michael Vincent and Kim Basinger, and co-starring country music star Tanya Tucker. It was directed by David Greene and is rated PG in the USA.-Main cast:*Jan-Michael Vincent ... Kyle...
. In 1982, under layers of makeup, he played the sorcerer Xusia in The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer
The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 fantasy film, starring Lee Horsley, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll, directed by Albert Pyun. A mercenary with a three-bladed sword rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant and a powerful...
. He played the abominable snowman
Yeti
The Yeti or Abominable Snowman is an ape-like cryptid said to inhabit the Himalayan region of Nepal, and Tibet. The names Yeti and Meh-Teh are commonly used by the people indigenous to the region, and are part of their history and mythology...
in the 1981 film Caveman
Caveman (film)
Caveman is a 1981 American slapstick comedy film written and directed by Carl Gottlieb and starring Ringo Starr, Dennis Quaid, Shelley Long and Barbara Bach.-Plot:...
. Later that year, he shaved his head for the role of Hurok in the science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
B movie
B movie
A B movie is a low-budget commercial motion picture that is not definitively an arthouse or pornographic film. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified a film intended for distribution as the less-publicized, bottom half of a double feature....
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn
Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn is a 1983 science fiction movie starring Jeffrey Byron, Michael Preston, Tim Thomerson, Kelly Preston and Richard Moll. It was directed and produced by Charles Band who is possibly better known for his other, rather low-budget science fiction and horror...
, but the producers of Night Court
Night Court
Night Court is an American television situation comedy that aired on NBC from January 4, 1984, to May 20, 1992. The setting was the night shift of a Manhattan court, presided over by the young, unorthodox Judge Harold T. "Harry" Stone...
liked the look so much in his audition that they asked him to keep it. Moll also used the Bull persona in commercials for Washington's Lottery
Washington's Lottery
Washington's Lottery is run by the government of Washington. Its games include Mega Millions, Powerball, Keno, Hit 5, and scratch games.-Games:Washington's Lottery offers several draw games, plus scratch ticket games...
. Moll played the role of "Big Ben" in the 1986 film House.
Moll made a guest appearance in the pilot episode
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...
of Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
as "Slan Quince", the villain who reunites Connor MacLeod
Connor MacLeod
Connor MacLeod, also known as The Highlander, is a fictional character in the Highlander film series, as well as the television programs Highlander: The Series, and Highlander: The Animated Series...
with his kinsman and show's protagonist, Duncan MacLeod
Duncan MacLeod
Duncan MacLeod is a fictional character from the Highlander multiverse. Duncan MacLeod serves as the protagonist for the TV continuation of the Highlander franchise, which comprises Highlander: The Series and its spin-off movies, Highlander: Endgame and Highlander: The Source...
. He also made a guest appearance on Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
in the episode "Hunter, Prey
Hunter, Prey
"Hunter, Prey" is an episode from the second season of the science fiction television series Babylon 5.-Synopsis:Out of curiosity, John Sheridan visits Docking Bay 13 to get a look at Kosh's ship, accompanied by a hesitant Susan Ivanova. As he reaches forward to touch the ship, a device forms on...
" as a lurker
Lurker
In Internet culture, a lurker is a person who reads discussions on a message board, newsgroup, chatroom, file sharing, social networking site, listening to people in VOIP calls such as Skype and Ventrilo or other interactive system, but rarely or never participates actively...
criminal who was holding a VIP hostage.
In 1999's But I'm a Cheerleader
But I'm a Cheerleader
But I'm a Cheerleader is a 1999 satirical romantic comedy film directed by Jamie Babbit and written by Brian Wayne Peterson. Natasha Lyonne stars as Megan Bloomfield, an apparently happy heterosexual high school cheerleader...
, Moll went against type
Typecasting (acting)
In TV, film, and theatre, typecasting is the process by which a particular actor becomes strongly identified with a specific character; one or more particular roles; or, characters having the same traits or coming from the same social or ethnic groups...
and played a gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
man who, with his partner (Wesley Mann
Wesley Mann
Wesley Mann is an American character actor.Many of Mann's roles are minor and he frequently he delivers only a handful of lines, but he has a somewhat distinctive appearance, that of a long-suffering, vaguely glib demeanor that makes him easily recognizable whenever he shows up in a film or on...
), helps gay teenagers escape from a nearby "gay camp", where homophobic
Homophobia
Homophobia is a term used to refer to a range of negative attitudes and feelings towards lesbian, gay and in some cases bisexual, transgender people and behavior, although these are usually covered under other terms such as biphobia and transphobia. Definitions refer to irrational fear, with the...
parents send their teenage offspring to be "rehabilitated"
Ex-gay
The ex-gay movement consists of people and organizations that seek to get people to refrain from entering or pursuing same-sex relationships, to eliminate homosexual desires, to develop heterosexual desires, or to enter into a heterosexual relationship...
.
He can be heard in many animated film
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
and cartoon
Animated cartoon
An animated cartoon is a short, hand-drawn film for the cinema, television or computer screen, featuring some kind of story or plot...
productions, often as a villain with a deep, growling voice. Moll has voiced Two-Face
Two-Face
Two-Face is a fictional comic book supervillain who appears in comic books published by DC Comics. and is an enemy of Batman. The character first appeared in Detective Comics #66 , and was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger....
in Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series
Batman: The Animated Series is an American animated series based on the DC Comics character Batman. The series featured an ensemble cast of many voice-actors including Kevin Conroy, Mark Hamill, Efrem Zimbalist, Jr., Arleen Sorkin, and Loren Lester. The series won four Emmy Awards and was nominated...
(as well as the voice of the Batcomputer
Batcomputer
The Batcomputer is the fictional computer system used by comic book superhero Batman. It is located in the Batcave. The Batcomputer was first introduced in fiction in 1964.-Portrayal in fiction:...
) and the Scorpion in Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man: The Animated Series
Spider-Man, also known as Spider-Man: The Animated Series, is an American animated series starring the Marvel Comics superhero, Spider-Man. The show ran on Fox Kids from November 19, 1994, to January 31, 1998. The producer/story editor was John Semper, Jr. and production company was Marvel Films...
. His first role in an animated film was as a beat poet in Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi
Ralph Bakshi is an Israeli-American director of animated and live-action films. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote...
's American Pop
American Pop
American Pop is a 1981 American animated musical drama film produced and directed by Ralph Bakshi. The film tells the story of four generations of a Russian Jewish immigrant family of musicians whose careers parallel the history of American popular music....
. He starred as the character of Norman in the animated series Mighty Max
Mighty Max (TV series)
Mighty Max is an American animated action/sci-fi/horror television series that aired from 1993 to 1994 to promote the British Mighty Max toys, an offshoot of the Polly Pocket line, created by Bluebird Toys in 1992. It ran for two seasons, with a total of 40 episodes airing during the show's run...
. He played the drifter on the Nickelodeon
Nickelodeon (TV channel)
Nickelodeon, often simply called Nick and originally named Pinwheel, is an American children's channel owned by MTV Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom International. The channel is primarily aimed at children ages 7–17, with the exception of their weekday morning program block aimed at preschoolers...
show 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd
100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd
100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd is an American family comedy series that ran from 1999 to 2002 produced by Fireworks Entertainment and Lynch Entertainment for the Nickelodeon TV channel...
. He also voiced Vorn the Unspeakable, a Cthulhu
Cthulhu
Cthulhu is a fictional character that first appeared in the short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published in the pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928. The character was created by writer H. P...
-like character in Freakazoid.
Moll appeared in The Flintstones
The Flintstones (film)
The Flintstones is a 1994 American live-action comedy film based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon television series of the same name about a Stone-Age man, his family and his best friend. The film was directed by Brian Levant, written by Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein and Steven E...
and Casper Meets Wendy
Casper Meets Wendy
Casper Meets Wendy is a direct-to-video and second spin-off to the 1995 film Casper. It was released by 20th Century Fox in 1998. The film is a sequel to Casper: A Spirited Beginning...
, both TV spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s. Moll also voiced the Devil Hulk in the 2005 video game Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction, and more recently Death in the 2010 game Dante's Inferno
Dante's Inferno (video game)
Dante's Inferno is a 2010 action-adventure video game developed by Visceral Games and published by Electronic Arts for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 consoles. The game was also released on the PlayStation Portable and was developed by Artificial Mind and Movement...
.
Additional television credits include Family Affair
Family Affair
Family Affair is an American sitcom that aired on CBS from September 12, 1966 to September 9, 1971. The series explored the trials of well-to-do civil engineer and bachelor Bill Davis as he attempted to raise his brother's orphaned children in his luxury New York City apartment. Davis' traditional...
, The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files
The Rockford Files is an American television drama series which aired on the NBC network between September 13, 1974 and January 10, 1980. It has remained in regular syndication to the present day. The show stars James Garner as Los Angeles-based private investigator Jim Rockford and features Noah...
, How the West Was Won
How the West Was Won (TV series)
How the West Was Won is an American western television series that featured an all star cast that included: James Arness, Eva Marie Saint, Fionnula Flanagan, Bruce Boxleitner, G. W. Bailey, Trisha Noble, William Shatner, Jack Elam, Woody Strode, Anthony Zerbe, Richard Kiley, Lloyd Bridges,...
, Happy Days
Happy Days
Happy Days is an American television sitcom that originally aired from January 15, 1974, to September 24, 1984, on ABC. Created by Garry Marshall, the series presents an idealized vision of life in mid-1950s to mid-1960s America....
, Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley
Laverne & Shirley is an American television situation comedy that ran on ABC from January 26, 1976, to May 10, 1983...
, Mork & Mindy, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American science fiction adventure television series produced by Universal Studios. The series ran for two seasons between 1979–1981, and the feature-length pilot episode for the series was released as a theatrical film several months before the series aired....
, The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy
The Fall Guy is an American action/adventure television program produced for ABC and originally broadcast from November 4, 1981 to May 2, 1986. It starred Lee Majors, Douglas Barr, and Heather Thomas. Majors and Barr are the only two actors to appear in all 112 episodes of the series...
, T. J. Hooker
T. J. Hooker
T.J. Hooker is an American police drama television program starring William Shatner in the title role as a 15-year veteran police sergeant. The series premiered as a mid-season replacement on March 13, 1982 on ABC and ran on the network until May 4, 1985...
, Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island
Fantasy Island is the title of two separate but related American fantasy television series, both originally airing on the ABC television network.-Original series:...
, Alice
Alice (TV series)
Alice is an American sitcom television series that ran from August 31, 1976 to July 2, 1985 on CBS. The series was based on the 1974 film Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore. The show stars Linda Lavin in the title role, a widow who moves with her young son to start her life over again, and finds a job...
, The Dukes of Hazzard, The A-Team
The A-Team
The A-Team is an American action adventure television series about a fictional group of ex-United States Army Special Forces personnel who work as soldiers of fortune, while on the run from the Army after being branded as war criminals for a "crime they didn't commit". The A-Team was created by...
, The Facts of Life
The Facts of Life (TV series)
The Facts of Life is an American sitcom that originally ran on the NBC television network from August 24, 1979 to May 7, 1988. A spin-off of the sitcom Diff'rent Strokes, the series' premise focused on Edna Garrett as she becomes a housemother at the fictional Eastland School, a prestigious...
, My Two Dads
My Two Dads
My Two Dads is an American sitcom that starred Staci Keanan, Paul Reiser and Greg Evigan. It aired on NBC from 1987 to 1990 and was produced by Michael Jacobs Productions in association with TriStar Television and distributed by TeleVentures.-Show synopsis:The show begins when Marcy Bradford , the...
, 227
227 (TV series)
227 is an American situation comedy that originally aired on NBC from September 14, 1985, until May 6, 1990. The series starred Marla Gibbs as a sharp-tongued, inner-city resident gossip and housewife, Mary Jenkins...
, Martin
Martin (TV series)
Martin is an American sitcom produced by HBO Independent Productions that aired for five seasons, from August 27, 1992 to May 1, 1997 on Fox...
, Due South
Due South
Due South is a Canadian crime drama series with elements of comedy. The series was created by Paul Haggis, produced by Alliance Communications, and stars Paul Gross, David Marciano, and latterly Callum Keith Rennie...
, Babylon 5
Babylon 5
Babylon 5 is an American science fiction television series created, produced and largely written by J. Michael Straczynski. The show centers on a space station named Babylon 5: a focal point for politics, diplomacy, and conflict during the years 2257–2262...
, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
Hercules: The Legendary Journeys is a television series, filmed in New Zealand and the United States. It was produced from 1995, and was very loosely based on the tales of the classical Greek culture hero Heracles...
, Double Dare 2000, Baywatch
Baywatch
Baywatch is an American action drama series about the Los Angeles County Lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, starring David Hasselhoff. The show ran in its original title and format from 1989 to 1999, sans the 1990-1991 season, of which it was not in production...
, Married... with Children
Married... with Children
Married... with Children is an American surrealistic sitcom that aired for 11 seasons that featured a dysfunctional family living in Chicago, Illinois. The show, notable for being the first prime time television series to air on Fox, ran from April 5, 1987, to June 9, 1997. The series was created...
, 7th Heaven
7th Heaven
7th Heaven is an American family drama television series, created and produced by Brenda Hampton. The series premiered on August 26, 1996, on the WB, the first time that the network aired Monday night programming, and was originally broadcast from August 26, 1996 to May 13, 2007...
, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman
Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman is an American post-Civil War western/drama series created by Beth Sullivan. Dr. Michaela "Mike" Quinn, played by Jane Seymour, left Boston in search of adventure. She goes to Colorado Springs, Colorado where she establishes herself as doctor/adviser.The show ran on CBS...
, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch (TV series)
Sabrina, the Teenage Witch is an American sitcom based on the Archie comic book series of the same name.The show stars Melissa Joan Hart as Sabrina Spellman, a teenager with magical powers, who lives with her aunts Hilda and Zelda , and their magical talking cat Salem...
, The Parent 'Hood
The Parent 'Hood
The Parent 'Hood is an American sitcom that aired on The WB airing from January 18, 1995 to July 25, 1999. The series starred Robert Townsend and Suzzanne Douglas....
, Smallville
Smallville
Smallville is the hometown of Superman in comic books published by DC Comics. While growing up in Smallville, the young Clark Kent attended Smallville High with best friends Lana Lang, Chloe Sullivan and Pete Ross...
, Cold Case, and the straight to video Uh-Oh! directed by Jon Cope.