Richard Moll, who rose to fame as the towering bailiff Aristotle Nostradamus “Bull” Shannon on the NBC sitcom Night Court, died Thursday at his home in Big Bear Lake, California. He was 80. The cause of death was not revealed.
Born January 13, 1943 in Pasadena, California, Richard Moll got his start on television with guest appearances on series like Welcome Back, Kotter, The Rockford Files, Happy Days, B.J. and the Bear and The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. After shaving his head for the role of Hurok in the science fiction film Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn, the producers of Night Court took notice and Moll got his signature role.
Moll appeared on Night Court for its entire nine seasons, from 1984 to 1992, and through various cast changes. As Bull, his catchphrase was “Ooo-kay,” and he was known for clapping a hand loudly to his scalp when he realized he had made a mistake.
NBC revived Night Court last season, with John Larroquette reprising his role from the original show. But Moll never appeared on the reboot.
In 1988, Moll appeared as himself in the two-part ninth season premiere of the comedy The Facts of Life.
After Night Court ended, Moll made the guest-star rounds in TV series like Martin and Highlander and landed a recurring role on the sitcom Getting By opposite Cindy Williams and Telma Hopkins in 1993. Moll and Williams previously appeared together in an episode of Laverne & Shirley in 1981.
As a voice actor, Moll was heard on video games and comic book projects like Batman: The Animated Series, Mighty Max and Spider-Man: The Animated Series. On the big screen, he had small parts in the comedy Caveman, the horror-themed House, The Flintstones, the Arnold Schwarzenegger comedy Jingle All the Way, Ghost Shark, and Scary Movie 2, among others.
Moll’s other television appearances included episodes of Mork & Mindy, The Fall Guy, T.J. Hooker, Fantasy Island, Alice, The Dukes of Hazzard, Baywatch, Married With Children, Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, 7th Heaven, Smallville and Cold Case.
His final onscreen appearance was in the horror-themed Slay Belles in 2018.
Moll is survived by his children Chloe and Mason Moll, his ex-wife Susan Moll and his stepchildren Cassandra Card and Morgan Ostling.
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