Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

‘Night Court’ actor Richard Moll dies at 80

Richard Moll, a character actor who found lasting fame as an eccentric but gentle giant bailiff on the original sitcom “Night Court,” has died

Mark Kennedy
Saturday 28 October 2023 18:58 BST
Obit Richard Moll
Obit Richard Moll (©2010 Kathy Hutchins / Hutchins Photo)

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Richard Moll, a character actor who found lasting fame as an eccentric but gentle giant bailiff on the original “Night Court” sitcom, has died. He was 80.

Moll died Thursday at his home in Big Bear Lake, California, according to Jeff Sanderson, a publicist at Chasen & Company.

Moll played "Bull” Shannon on NBC's “Night Court” from 1984-1992 alongside stars 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 world view.

After “Night Court” ended, Moll 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 like “Ghost Shark” (2013) and “Slay Belles” (2018).

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

The towering actor — he was 6-feet 8-inches tall — did not join the reboot of “Night Court” starring Larroquette. 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 is survived by his children, Chloe and Mason Moll; ex-wife, Susan Moll; and stepchildren Cassandra Card and Morgan Ostling.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in