Richard Riehle, a prolific actor whose bushy mustache and talent for portraying struggling middlemen made him a favorite of Hollywood casting directors for decades, has died, his representatives announced Monday.
He was 78 years old. Representatives for Riehle said he died over the weekend, but did not provide details on the cause.
Riehle was best known for his supporting role in Mike Judge’s business satire “Office Space” as Tom Smykowski, an anxious product manager who resents the prospect of being fired. (“I have people skills! I’m good at dealing with people! Don’t you understand that?”).
He’s left an impression even with little screen time, whether it’s a racist steward in “Glory,” a guard who allows Harrison Ford to escape in “The Fugitive,” a mob banker who gets cursed by Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino,” or a kind auto mechanic who helps Kristen Wiig in “Bridesmaids.”
Riehle’s hundreds of credits include numerous television roles, such as director Ed Rooney on the short-lived sitcom “Ferris Bueller,” a gruff grandfather on “Grounded for Life” and a police officer on “The West Wing.” He recently appeared as a prison guard in HBO’s dark comedy “Barry.”
“Beyond his immense talent, he will be remembered for his genuine goodness, boundless kindness and unwavering generosity, particularly to emerging actors and filmmakers, whom he encouraged and supported at every opportunity,” his talent agency and management company said in a statement.
“Grounded for Life” star Donal Logue paid tribute to Riehle on Facebook, describing his co-star as “an incredible human being” and a “consummate professional.”
“He was an actor’s actor – humble, kind and incredible at his craft,” Logue wrote. “I had to apologize to him after his last network audition for ‘Grounded’ because he made me laugh so hard that I broke character and fell to the floor.”
Riehle made his film debut as an unnamed bartender in the 1977 road trip film “Joyride,” the first of more than 400 film and television credits.
Richard Mathias Riehle was born May 12, 1948 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. He attended the University of Notre Dame, where he joined the campus theater troupe and developed a passion for theater.
“I always wanted a role that would bring something out of me, that would force me to find something more,” Riehle told Notre Dame magazine for the winter 2011-2012 issue. “The leading role is not always the best role in a play or film.”
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