Richard Moll, best known for his role as a bailiff in Night Court sitcom, passes away

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 died peacefully on Thursday at his home in Big Bear Lake, California, The Hollywood Reporter informed. He was 80. The news of his demise was confirmed by his publicist.

Moll was born in Pasadena, California. The youngest of two children, he graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a degree in History. He then pursued acting. He is best known for his portrayal of Bull Shannon, a bailiff, in Night Court from 1984 to 1992. His catchphrase "Ooo-kay," which he said after realising he made a mistake, soon became a fan favourite. 

Moll played an abominable snowman alongside Ringo Starr and Barbara Bach in the comedy feature Caveman (1981), and he was a scary, decomposing Vietnam veteran in the horror film House (1986).

Moll also did lots of voiceover work, with a regular gig as the immortal bodyguard Norman on the syndicated series Mighty Max and turns as Harvey Dent/Two-Face for three Batman cartoons.

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.

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

He filled out his resume with work in films including Hard Country (1981) and Ralph Bakshi’s American Pop (1981) and on such TV shows as The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo, B.J. and the Bear, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, T.J. Hooker, Alice and The Dukes of Hazzard before landing on Night Court. Moll was not involved with the Larroquette-toplined Night Court reboot that returned to NBC for the 2022-23 season.

Moll also played himself in 1987 on a two-part episode of NBC’s The Facts of Life and recurred as The Drifter on the 1999-2002 Nickelodeon comedy 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd.

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