The beloved actor, Richard Moll, who starred as the heartfelt Aristotle Nostradamus “Bull” Shannon on the NBC sitcom, Night Court has passed away. A spokesperson from Knoll’s family announced that he died at his home peacefully in California in Big Bear Lake. He was 80 years old.
The series he was best known for, Night Court, has been nominated for three Emmy awards for Outstanding Comedy Series. Along with his work on the NBC sitcom, Knoll starred in various TV shows, and movies, and even did some voice acting. Some of his notable roles included an abominable snowman (which suits him as he is 6 foot, 8 inches tall) alongside Ringo Starr in the comedy feature Caveman and a spooky Vietnam War veteran in the horror movie House. He also voiced Harvey Dent in the Batman Cartoons and a bodyguard in the Mighty Max series.
Moll was the youngest of three children. He was born in Pasadena California in 1943. His mother, Violet Moll, was a nurse, and his father, Harry Moll, was a Lawyer. Knoll graduated from UC Berkeley in 1964 with a degree in history and psychology. After his studies, he then moved to LA to pursue acting in 1968 where he struggled a bit at first, as many an actor does, until he landed a role in the series Happy Days.
After that, his career started to go on the upswing with working on films such as Hard Country and American Pop. He then transitioned to television with shows such as Buck Rogers, T.J. Hooker, The Dukes of Hazzard, and The Misadventures of Sheriff Lobo. After gaining all this acting experience, he then rounded out his career by landing the role on Night Court.
Moll was married and divorced two times. Survivors include his children, Chloe and Mason, and his stepchildren, Cassandra and Morgan.