Richard Moll, Night Court Star And Prolific Horror Movie Actor, Dead At 80
Richard Moll, the actor behind the lovable goofy bailiff, Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon, on the long-running NBC sitcom "Night Court," has died at the age of 80. His publicist confirmed his passing and shared that he died peacefully in his Big Bear Lake, California home (via The Hollywood Reporter). Moll is survived by his two children, Chloe and Mason, and his two stepchildren, Cassandra and Morgan.
Throughout his decades-long career, Moll made waves in various acting mediums. Aside from his work on the original "Night Court," he became a TV regular through such titles as "100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd" and "Getting By." As far as feature-length credits go, Moll became a frequent face in the horror realm through movies like "Night Train to Terror," "House," and "Headless Horseman." He also became quite the prolific voice actor, with his most well-known role being that of Harvey "Two-Face" Dent on the widely-acclaimed "Batman: The Animated Series" and its sequel program, "The New Batman Adventures."
Moll embarked on a remarkable tenure in the entertainment world, which he felt truly kicked into another gear once he landed "Night Court."
A shaved head put Moll on the path to stardom
Richard Moll landed his first professional screen acting gig in 1977, appearing in director Tom McGowan's "Brigham" in the role of Joseph Smith. In the following years of that decade and into the next, he continued to find steady work on screens big and small, but not quite anything career-defining. Then, in the early '80s, the actor auditioned for "Night Court," and series creator Reinhold Weege was happy with what Moll brought to the table acting-wise. He also felt that the shaved hairstyle he had at the time for the film "Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn" fit the Bull Shannon character perfectly.
"I had to shave my head for it, so that's how I happened to have, fortuitously, the shaved head when they interviewed me for 'Night Court.' It worked well. They said, 'Richard, the shaved head looks good. Will you shave your head for the part?' I said, 'Are you kidding? I'll shave my legs for the part. I'll shave my armpits, I don't care,'" Moll shared with MaximoTV at the 2010 TV Land Awards. Thus, he had to keep his head shaved from 1984 to 1992 as he racked up an astonishing 193 episodes on the show and dramatically increased his stock in Hollywood.
Thanks primarily to a set of hair clippers and a solid audition, Richard Moll became a TV icon on "Night Court." He took the success of that series and the popularity of his character and used it to create a solid body of work that fans will enjoy for many more years to come.