Richard Riehle, the versatile character actor best known for his roles in "Office Space" and "Grounded for Life," has died. He was 78.
"We are deeply saddened to confirm the passing of our beloved client, Richard Riehle, this past weekend," a joint statement by his agency and management, shared with USA TODAY on Monday, Oct. 19, read.
"A remarkable actor whose career in theater, film, and television spanned nearly five decades and more than 400 projects, Richard leaves behind an extraordinary legacy," the statement continued. "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.
"Our industry has lost an exceptional talent, and our community has lost a truly wonderful man. We ask that his family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time."
TMZ was first to report the news.
As Tom Smykowski in the 1999 workplace satire "Office Space," Riehle played a software company product manager who wins a settlement from a hit-and-run after he's laid off. pursues his dream of making a "jump to conclusions" floor mat game. He also had a memorable role in "Bridesmaids," in which he played a mechanic, Bill Cozbi, who dealt with Annie's (Kristen Wiig) broken-down car.
'Grounded for Life' costar speaks out on Richard Riehle's health challenges
Riehle also played Walt Finnerty on all five seasons of the 2000s sitcom "Grounded for Life," though his character was largely phased out after Season 2. Donal Logue, the show's lead and Riehle's onscreen son Sean Finnerty, paid tribute to the actor in an Oct. 19 Instagram post that remembered him as "an amazing human being" and "consummate professional."
"He played my dad for five years on 'Grounded for Life' and I loved every minute I got to spend with him. We all loved Richard," Logue wrote. "I had to apologize to him after his final network audition for Grounded because he made me laugh so hard, I broke character and fell to the floor."
Logue also shared his gratitude to "Grounded" producer Tyrone Finch "for being there for Richard through all his health challenges in the last few years of his life," as well as co-creators Mike Schiff and Bill Martin "for bringing us all together for those five wonderful years."
A five-decade Hollywood career came 'totally by chance'
Riehle, who earned a bachelor of arts degree from the University of Notre Dame and a master of fine arts degree from the University of Minnesota, racked up hundreds of film and TV credits across his five-decade career in Hollywood. The character actor's talents spanned genres, with Riehle working in horror films, comedies, holiday movies and crime thrillers.
He was the oldest of six siblings who helped support his family following his father's death when he was 13, according to his 2011 interview with Notre Dame Magazine. He worked at his local grocery store as a teenager in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, and early on thought that he might become a priest. But upon his arrival at the Saint Francis de Sales seminary, "it became clear pretty fast it wasn't for me," he said.
His career came "totally by chance," Riehle told The A.V. Club in 2017. As a senior at Notre Dame, he "couldn’t really afford to stay another year in school." But after an acquaintance told him he could "take all the credits you need in speech and drama in one semester," he spent a semester doing "anything and everything that you do in the theater."
"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," Riehle said. "I figured, 'What the heck? If they’re gonna pay me to do it, I'm gonna do it!'"
He spent 15 years performing in local theater plays before moving out to New York City when he was cast in the Broadway production of "Execution of Justice." The relocation proved to be pivotal for his career, and he started landing parts in films and TV shows, including soaps such as "One Life to Live," in the '80s.
A breakout in 1989's 'Glory' and the move that changed 'everything'
The actor was in New York when he landed what would ultimately be his breakout role – and "a highlight of my career," as he told Notre Dame Magazine – as the racist quartermaster in Edward Zwick's 1989 Civil War epic "Glory," which starred Denzel Washington, Matthew Broderick, Cary Elwes and Morgan Freeman.
After the film's release, Riehle moved to Los Angeles upon his agent's advice. As he described to The A.V. Club, "Everything sort of changed from there."
"I was older when I really got started, and it did limit things," he admitted to Notre Dame Magazine. "But a character actor, you come in to make a little diversion, be the comic relief or add a little bit of intensity to what’s going on. You’re also liable to have a longer career."
Some of Riehle's most prominent film work included roles in "The Man from Earth," "Joe Dirt," "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo," "Free Willy" and "Casino."
But Riehle also collected a number of credits in Christmas films, making appearances in 2024's "Holiday Touchdown: A Chiefs Love Story," 2018's "A Very Nutty Christmas" and "Puppy Star Christmas," 2014's "All I Want for Christmas," 2011's "A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas," 2008's "Our First Christmas" and 2004's "The 12 Dogs of Christmas."
On television, he had a two-episode arc in Season 4 of "Barry" and performed on "The Young and the Restless," "NCIS," "Two and a Half Men," "Modern Family," "Psych," "Married to the Kellys," "ER," "The West Wing," "The Golden Girls" and several classic "Star Trek" series.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Richard Riehle, 'Office Space' actor with iconic mustache, dies at 78
