Longtime actor Richard Riehle, known for roles in “Office Space,” “Casino,” and “The Fugitive,” has died at 78.
TMZ was the first to report his death.
Wright Entertainment Inc. said Monday that Riehle had died Oct. 15 but disclosed no cause or details. “Our industry has lost an exceptional talent, and our community has lost a truly wonderful man,” said a statement.
In “Office Space,” Riehle appeared as Tom Smykowski, an Initech staffer whose job was to communicate with clients and relay their concerns to the company’s technical team.
Riehle had over 400 credits as an actor, per his IMDB page. Notably, he portrayed Santa Claus in eight different projects.
During his career, Riehle became a prolific character actor in TV and film, often playing authority figures but equally skilled at comedy.
“If a casting director has found themselves in need of a burly, blustery, mustachioed man for their project, Richard Riehle has likely been near the top of their list,” The AV Club said in 2017.
He fell into acting as a senior at the University of Notre Dame. He couldn’t really afford to stay another year but was told he could take all the credits he needed in speech and drama in one semester. He stayed.
“I spent a semester doing anything and everything that you do in the theater — acting, directing, building sets, etc. — and then for some reason they liked what I did enough that they got me a teaching assistantship at the University of Minnesota. So I went on and got my MFA (Masters of Fine Arts). I figured, ‘What the heck? If they’re gonna pay me to do it, I’m gonna do it!'” he told the AV Club.
He had his first lines in the 1977 movie “Joyride” alongside Desi Arnaz Jr., Anne Lockhart, Robert Carradine and Melanie Griffith. He’d go on to appear in the broad comedy “Bridesmaids,” the comedy-mystery “Shadows and Fog” for Woody Allen, “Black Rain” with Michael Douglas and the sitcom “Grounded For Life.”
Riehle’s almost five-decade career also included playing a quartermaster in the Civil War drama “Glory,” a prison guard in “The Fugitive,” an air marshal in “Executive Decision,” a police officer in a guest spot on “The West Wing” and a principal on the TV adaptation of “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.”
He had an affinity for the “Star Trek” world, landing parts in three franchises — “Star Trek: The Next Generation” in 1992, “Star Trek: Voyager” in 2000 and “Star Trek: Enterprise” in 2004. He was on Broadway three times, including with Paul Giamatti in a 1999 revival of “The Iceman Cometh.”
“Beyond his immense talent, he will be remembered for his genuine goodness, boundless kindness, and unwavering generosity, particularly toward emerging actors and filmmakers, whom he encouraged and supported at every opportunity,” Wright Entertainment said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
