‘Night Court’ actor Richard Moll dead at 80

Richard Moll portrayed Bull Shannon on ‘Night Court’ from 1984 until 1992

Richard Moll, the actor best known for the role of bailiff Bull Shannon in “Night Court,” has died He was 80.

A representative for Moll confirmed to Fox News Digital that the actor passed away earlier this week at his home in Big Bear Lake in California. A cause of death was not revealed.

“The Studio Talent Group mourns the passing of our longtime acting client, the indomitable Richard Moll. A gifted actor and humanitarian he was a caring, loving father with an unmistakably unique persona,” the statement read.

“Immensely talented, sometimes misunderstood… He was literally and figuratively a larger-than-life character. He was a wonderful member of the Studio Talent Group family.”

Moll portrayed Bull Shannon on the hit television series “Night Court” from 1984 until 1992. He starred alongside Harry Anderson and John Larroquette.

His character formed a close friendship with the court’s other bailiff, Roz Russell, played by Marsha Warfield. Bull was known for his catchphrase, “Ohh-kay,” and a dim but sweet worldview.

Richard Moll died Thursday, Oct. 26, 2023, at his home in Big Bear Lake, California. (AP Images)

However, the towering 6-foot 8-inch tall actor did not join the reboot of “Night Court.” The original “Night Court” finale ended with his character being abducted by aliens who needed someone tall to reach the things on their highest shelves.

Moll moved to Los Angeles in 1968 to pursue his acting career in Hollywood. The veteran actor’s remarkable accomplishments spanned nearly sixty years.

Pictured: (top l-r) Richard Moll as Nostradamus “Bull” Shannon, Harry Anderson as Judge Harold “Harry” T. Stone, Charles Robinson as Macintosh “Mac” Robinson, (bottom l-r) Marsha Warfield as Rosalind ‘Roz’ Russell, Markie Post as Christine Sullivan, John Larroquette as Daniel R. “Dan” Fielding. (Getty Images)

He got to play a cannibal in a Hertz commercial opposite Don Adams and then Joseph Smith in a 1977 biopic about Brigham Young before landing parts in episodes of “Welcome Back, Kotter” and “The Rockford Files.”

In 1979, Moll was cast as a gangster in the two-part “Happy Days” episode “Fonzie’s Funeral,” which led to appearances on two other Garry Marshall-created shows, “Laverne & Shirley” and “Mork & Mindy.”

Moll was additionally featured on a two-part episode of “The Facts of Life” in 1987 and recurred as “The Drifter” on the 1999-2002 Nickelodeon comedy “100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd.”

He contributed his trademark gravelly voice to various video games and comic book projects like “Batman: The Animated Series” as Harvey Dent and appeared in horror films including “Ghost Shark” in 2013 and “Slay Belles” in 2018.

He voiced Scorpion in the 1990s’ “Spider-Man: The Animated Series” and had minor parts in 1994’s “The Flintstones,” the Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy “Jingle All the Way” and “Scary Movie 2.”

When Moll wasn’t on television and movie sets, he was an avid bird watcher and loved nature.

Moll is survived by his children, Chloe and Mason Moll; ex-wife, Susan Moll; and stepchildren Cassandra Card and Morgan Ostling. source