Richard Moll, Night Court Star And Voice Of Harvey Dent, Has Died At 80
A prolific TV character actor, voiceover artist, and one of the tallest performers in Hollywood has passed away. As confirmed by The Hollywood Reporter, Richard Moll, known by most as the tall, bald bailiff Aristotle Nostradamus "Bull" Shannon on "Night Court" and the voice of Harvey Dent/Two-Face on "Batman: The Animated Series," died at his home in Big Bear Lake, California. He was 80.
At a towering 6-foot-8-inches tall, Moll often played intimidating figures, like his first television role of "Big Thug" on "Welcome Back, Kotter," Harold the Monster on "Here's Boomer," the abominable snowman in the film "Caveman," the gigantic zombie soldier in "House," Hoagie in "The Flintstones," Mestema in "The Dungeon Master," Hugh Kane in "Scary Movie 2," and even one of the Dementors in "Jingle All the Way."
Born in Pasadena, California as Charles Richard Moll, he attended the University of California at Berkeley where he studied history and psychology and was a member of the Kappa Alpha Order fraternity. After graduation, Moll worked as a deputy probation officer in Alameda County, California, and as THR reports, "in ladies' hosiery at a store in San Francisco." A few years later he moved to Los Angeles to pursue acting, landing parts in commercials and a biopic about Brigham Young before nabbing small roles on shows like "The Rockford Files," "Happy Days," "Laverne & Shirley," "Mork & Mindy," and "T.J. Hooker."
But everything changed once he landed the role that would make him a household name on "Night Court."
'Ooooookay!'
When he was initially cast as Bailiff Bull, the character was supposed to be a tough-as-nails official, but Moll's naturally exuding warmth completely transformed the character. His catchphrase of "Ooooookay!" is embedded in the pop culture consciousness, with many people quoting it without even realize the origins with Moll's performance. He would eventually play himself on "The Facts of Life," and had a healthy career as a character actor, boasting over 180 roles to his resume. But for this writer, he'll always have a special place in my heart as Larry in "But I'm a Cheerleader," where he played against type as one of two gay men (along with Wesley Mann) who help gay teenagers escape from conversion therapy camp.
While Moll did not return for the "Night Court" revival, he never stopped acting. He is slated to posthumously appear in a film called "Whispers and Shadows" which is in post-production, as well as a documentary called "Celluloid Wizards in the Video Wasteland: The Saga of Empire Pictures." In addition to his voiceover work on "Batman: The Animated Series," he also voiced the beat poet in Ralph Bakshi's "American Pop," Norman on "Mighty Max," Vorn the Unspeakable on "Freakazoid!," and the Devil Hulk in the video game "Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction," in addition to Death and King Minos in "Dante's Inferno."
Moll is survived by his children, Chloe and Mason, and his stepchildren, Cassandra and Morgan. May he rest in peace.