Charles Richard Moll (born January 13, 1943) is an American actor and voice artist, best known for playing Bull Shannon, the bailiff on the NBC sitcom Night Court from 1984 to 1992. Moll has also done extensive work as a voice actor, typically using his deep voice to portray villainous characters in animation and video games.
Early life
Moll was born in Pasadena, California, U.S., the son of Violet Anita (née Grill), a nurse, and Harry Findley Moll, a lawyer. He was remarkably tall early in his life, reaching 6 ft (1.8 m) by age 12; he kept growing until about 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m). He attended the University of California, Berkeley, and was a member of Kappa Alpha Order fraternity.
Career
In the 1977 film Brigham, Moll (credited as Charles Moll) appeared as Joseph Smith Jr., founder of the Latter Day Saint movement. Moll would go on to often portray hulking or imposing characters due to his height and deep voice. In 1979 Moll played the part of Eugene, a gangster on the TV series "Happy Days" in the episode titled "Fonzies Funeral". In 1981, Moll co-starred with Jan-Michael Vincent and Kim Basinger in the movie Hard Country, and also played the abominable snowman in the film Caveman. In 1982, he played the sorcerer Xusia in The Sword and the Sorcerer.
In 1983, he shaved his head for the role of Hurok in the science fiction B movie Metalstorm: The Destruction of Jared-Syn. The producers of the TV sitcom Night Court liked the look so much in his audition that they asked him to keep it. Moll also used the Bull persona in commercials for Washington's Lottery.
Moll played the role of Big Ben in the 1986 horror film House. He earned a Saturn Award nomination for the role. Moll made a guest appearance in the pilot episode of Highlander: The Series as Slan Quince, the villain who reunites Connor MacLeod with his kinsman and show's protagonist, Duncan MacLeod. Moll made a guest appearance on Babylon 5 in the episode "Hunter, Prey" as a lurker criminal who was holding a VIP hostage, and as a gangster on Married... with Children. Moll made another guest appearance in the tv series Hercules. He played the cyclops in episode two "Eye of the Beholder".
In Super Password, he appeared with Judy Norton Taylor, Nancy Lane, Markie Post, Gloria Loring, Florence Halop, Debra Maffett, and Kim Morgan Greene, with Bert Convy as the game show's host, back in 1984, 1985, 1986 and 1987.
In season 9, episode 1/2 ("Down and Out in Malibu": Part 1/2) of The Facts of Life, Moll plays himself.
Moll appeared in The Flintstones and Casper Meets Wendy, both TV spin-offs.
In 1999's But I'm a Cheerleader, Moll went against type and played a gay man who, with his partner (Wesley Mann), helps gay teenagers escape from a nearby camp where parents send their teenage offspring to be helped.
In 2001 he played Hugh Kane, the ghost haunting a mansion in Scary Movie 2.
He played the drifter on the Nickelodeon show 100 Deeds for Eddie McDowd. Also, in 2007, he played (along with M. Steven Felty) Kolchak Jefferson Stillwall in Anthony C. Ferrante horror movie Headless Horseman.
In 2014, Moll did a cameo as a security guard on an episode of Anger Management with Charlie Sheen.
Voiceover work
He can be heard in many animated film and cartoon productions, often as a villain with a deep, growling voice. Moll has voiced Two-Face in Batman: The Animated Series, the Scorpion in later episodes of Spider-Man: The Animated Series (he also voiced Rhino in one episode) and the Abomination in most episodes of The Incredible Hulk. Moll also reprised his role as Two-Face for the episode "Chill of the Night!" of Batman: The Brave and the Bold. His first role in an animated film was as a beat poet in Ralph Bakshi's American Pop. He starred as Norman in the animated series Mighty Max. He also voiced Vorn the Unspeakable, a Cthulhu-like character in Freakazoid.
Moll also voiced the Devil Hulk in the 2005 video game Incredible Hulk: Ultimate Destruction and King Minos in the 2010 game Dante's Inferno.
Selected filmography
References
External links
- Richard Moll on Internet Movie Database
- Richard Moll at AllMovie
