HOLLYWOOD Q&A

Q: I swear I see a resemblance between the Fonz and Det. Munch from “Law & Order,” but I know it’s not the same guy. Are they brothers?

A: The timing of your question is sadly apt. Henry Winkler, who came to fame playing Arthur Fonzarelli on “Happy Days,” was among the celebrities leading tributes to his cousin Richard Belzer after he died on Feb. 19.

Belzer is, as you say, best known for playing John Munch on “Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” and several other shows. Indeed, his character created an unofficial “Munchiverse” that united several disparate shows, including “Homicide: Life on the Street” (where the character first appeared), sci-fi drama “The X-Files,” sitcom “Arrested Development” and three versions of “Law & Order.”

The longevity and recognizability of the character was helped by the fact that Belzer never seemed to age. If you see him on one of his early TV appearances, such as his few early turns on “Saturday Night Live” in the mid-’70s, and then see him again as recently as last year on “Law & Order: SVU,” you’d find it hard to believe nearly 50 years had passed in between.

Whereas Winkler had to age into his resemblance with his cousin. After largely going quiet in the ‘80s and ‘90s, he’s been enjoying a career resurgence in the 2000s, but doing so involved shedding his teen-heartthrob looks.

The now silver-haired Winkler has had a number of critically acclaimed roles in recent years, including on the aforementioned “Arrested Development,” though he and Belzer never shared a scene.

Q: I heard a casual reference recently about James Dean’s old car being cursed. What’s that about and, well, is it true?

A: Sadly, I’m not qualified to say if James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder is, in fact, cursed. I can only offer some facts and let you decide for yourself.

The central fact is, of course, that James Dean (“Rebel Without a Cause,” 1955) died in it. He crashed it in September 1955 on a treacherous stretch of California highway, en route to a race. It’s remembered as one of the most iconic gone-too-soon deaths in Hollywood history and a truelife tragedy.

Alas, Dean’s death wasn’t the only one tied to his car. Parts of it were used by two other racing drivers who crashed, one fatally. And there have been other stories of people being hurt or even killed in cars that used salvaged parts from Dean’s original.

But is that due to a curse on this particular vehicle? Or is it the fact that the Porsche 550 Spyder was a famously fragile and dangerous car, as a result of which very few were ever made?

It was an incredibly short, small and light car. These factors made it a very successful racer but also dangerous to drive. “When they crashed (which they did, often), their aluminum bodies would crumple up like candy wrappers,” SFGate journalist Andrew Pridgen wrote in an article on the history of the car and the curse.

These drawbacks meant that very few were actually manufactured. So the chances of the owner of another 550 Spyder coming across parts from Dean’s were higher than they would be for the owner of a more popular car (it’s why you’re unlikely to hear of a cursed Honda Civic, for example).

Despite these more logical explanations, belief in the curse persists. Just a few years ago, Zak Bagans, host of the Discovery Plus anthology series “The Haunted Museum,” bought a piece of Dean’s car for display in his Las Vegas-based museum. He paid a whopping US$382,000, a price driven largely by the rumors of the curse.

Q: Is Chris Isaak still acting?

A: After dabbling a little with acting in the ‘90s, it seems that rockabilly singer Chris Isaak has returned to his first love.

These days, he’s focusing on his music, touring extensively and recently releasing a new Christmas album.

Once upon a time, though, he seemed primed for screen stardom. He appeared in the cult classic 1992 film “Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me” (a followup to the even more beloved TV series), did a few other films, and in 2001 got his very own scripted TV show, aptly named “The Chris Isaak Show.”

But perhaps the show revealed the limitations of his range. Though it was a scripted sitcom, he was literally playing himself, yet critics still suggested he wasn’t up to the task.

Nonetheless, the show lasted three seasons. But after Showtime canceled it, his acting output diminished greatly. He had previously said he would pursue acting only as long as it didn’t interfere with his music career, so perhaps starring in a TV show violated that rule.

Whatever the reason, his music fans are benefiting from his renewed career focus.