LOS ANGELES: Actor Richard Riehle, best known for playing Tom Smykowski in “Office Space”, has died at 78. His death on October 15 became public on Monday.
Wright Entertainment Inc. confirmed the death in a statement carried by the Associated Press, without disclosing a cause. Friends told TMZ he died of natural causes at home.
Riehle accumulated more than 400 film and television credits across a career that began in regional theatre. His work ranged from dramas such as “The Fugitive” and “Casino” to comedies including “Bridesmaids” and “Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo”.
In Mike Judge’s 1999 comedy, he portrayed an Initech employee whose business idea became the Jump to Conclusions mat. The role remained among his most recognisable screen appearances.
Television gave him another recurring role as Walt Finnerty in “Grounded for Life”, which ran from 2001 to 2005.
He appeared in “The Golden Girls”, “Roseanne”, “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “The West Wing”. Later credits included “The Legend of Korra” and “Barry”.
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Born in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, on May 12, 1948, Riehle studied at the University of Notre Dame before earning a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Minnesota.
His early stage work included Meadow Brook Theatre in Michigan. While working in the Pacific Northwest, he appeared in the John Wayne film “Rooster Cogburn”.
During the 1980s, his screen credits included the television soap “One Life to Live” and the film “Black Rain”. He subsequently became a regular guest performer on television while continuing to take film roles.
Other credits included “Fried Green Tomatoes” and “Of Mice and Men”. Across separate productions, he portrayed Santa Claus eight times.
