Office Space, Bridesmaids Actor Richard Riehle Dead at 78 After Nearly 50 Years on Screen
Comedy alongside dramatic roles
Riehle played Tom Smykowski in Mike Judge’s 1999 comedy Office Space. The character is a “people person” whose job is eliminated by corporate consultants, and later uses a settlement to finance his “Jump to Conclusions” Mat.
He also appeared as mechanic Bill Cozbi in Bridesmaids. His film work included projects with Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese and Rob Reiner, including Shadows and Fog, Casino and Ghosts of Mississippi.
A familiar television presence
On television, Riehle took over from Jeffrey Jones as Principal Ed Rooney in the short-lived sitcom adaptation of Ferris Bueller’s Day Off. He guest-starred in Quantum Leap, Roseanne, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, The West Wing and Modern Family.
He was a regular on Grounded for Life, playing the cantankerous father of Donal Logue’s character. Riehle also voiced Bumi on The Legend of Korra and starred in “The Inner Light,” an episode considered among Star Trek’s finest.
Work continued until recently
Earlier this year, Riehle starred in the Western Cowboy Killer with Robert Carradine, his Joyride co-star. Several other projects featuring Riehle are in post-production. He reportedly died of natural causes.
Key points
- Richard Riehle died at 78, reportedly of natural causes.
- He had hundreds of screen credits over nearly 50 years.
- His roles included Tom Smykowski in Office Space and Bill Cozbi in Bridesmaids.
- Riehle starred in Cowboy Killer earlier this year.