Richard Moll dead at 80: Actor best known for role in Night Court passes away at his home in Big Bear Lake
Actor Richard Moll, who was beloved for his role in the original version of the sitcom Night Court, has died at the age of 80.
He died Thursday at home in Big Bear Lake, the mountain resort in California where he retired after a five-decade career on stage and screen. Variety.
With his baritone voice and his towering figure of 1.80 meters, he captured the hearts of fans from 1984 to 1992 as Bull, the bailiff at Night Court.
His memorable roles include that of a former ‘ex-gay’ man in the 1999 lesbian comedy But I’m A Cheerleader, starring Natasha Lyonne, RuPaul and Michelle Williams.
Moll also enjoyed a career as a voice actor in children’s entertainment, including as Harvey Dent, aka Two-Face, in a number of Batman TV shows.
Bull the bailiff: Actor Richard Moll, who was beloved for his role in the original version of the sitcom Night Court (pictured), has died aged 80
Dearly Departed: He died Thursday at home in Big Bear Lake, the idyllic California mountain resort where he retired after a five-decade career; in the photo in 2020
Born in Pasadena in 1943, Charles Richard Moll did not seem destined for acting early on, and in fact studied history and psychology at UC Berkeley.
After college, he bounced around from job to job, including ten months as a deputy probation officer and a stint in a store as “head of women’s stocking stock.”
He knew he was “in the wrong place,” he said Peopleand finally he asked himself, ‘What do you want to do?’
Moll explained, “Not, ‘What should you do?’ or “What should you do?” And then I started studying acting.’
He went to Los Angeles, performed Shakespeare on the stage of the Will Geer Theater and tried to pursue a career in Hollywood.
However, his career did not get off the ground for more than ten years and he floated from piece to piece in shows such as The Dukes Of Hazzard and Mork & Mindy.
In 1983, he starred in a 3D sci-fi film called Metalstorm: The Destruction Of Jared-Syn – for which he adopted the shaved head look that won him Night Court.
During an interview with the New Jersey Courier-Post, he recalled how baldness helped him land the role of Bull Shannon in 1984.
Memorable: With his baritone voice and his towering figure of 1.80 meters, he won the hearts of fans from 1984 to 1992 as Bull, the bailiff at Night Court.
Throwback: Moll is pictured in front of Night Court with (from top left to right) Harry Anderson, Charles Robinson, (from bottom left to right) Marsha Warfield, Markie Post and John Larroquette
“I was just filming a low-budget horror movie where I played some sort of bald mutant, and I walked into an interview for the Night Court role,” he said.
‘They said, ‘Richard, the shaved head looks good. Do you want to shave your head for this part?’ I said, ‘Are you kidding me? I’ll shave my legs for the role.'”
Starring Harry Anderson, John Larroquette, Karen Austin and Paula Kelly, the sitcom revolved around the graveyard shift at a Manhattan criminal court.
Bull became a fan favorite in the series, played by Moll as a somewhat deviant personality who is nevertheless extremely pure of heart.
Moll later revealed that the writers initially intended Bull to be “very hard by nature,” until they “saw something in me that softened him a lot.”
After finding TV stardom on Night Court, Moll continued to appear in top series of the era such as Married… With Children and The Facts Of Life.
After Night Court ended, with Bull being abducted by aliens who needed him to reach the top shelves of their spacecraft, his career continued quickly.
He made guest appearances in popular programs, including Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman and Baywatch.
Flashback: After Night Court, he made several guest appearances on popular programs, including Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman (photo) and Baywatch
As they were: Moll tied the knot with Milton Berle’s stepdaughter Susan Brown in 1993 and stayed with her until 2005; the couple is pictured in 1992
His film appearances include not only But I’m A Cheerleader, but also titles such as Scary Movie 2, Jingle All The Way and Headless Horseman.
Moll used his booming voice as a variety of often villainous characters in children’s animated superhero programs.
The roles he took on include Scorpion in Spider-Man, Two-Face in Batman: The Animated Series, and the Abomination in The Incredible Hulk.
After a brief first marriage to a certain Laura Class, he tied the knot with Milton Berle’s stepdaughter Susan Brown in 1993 and remained with her until 2005.
He is survived by his ex-wife, as well as two children named Chloe and Mason Moll, plus two stepchildren, Cassandra Card and Morgan Ostling.