Richard Riehle, prolific actor from 'Office Space', dies at 78

Richard Riehle, a prolific character actor with more than 400 credits, died Oct. 15 in Los Angeles at 78 of natural causes. His warm persona and signature mustache made him a recognizable, often scene-stealing presence across nearly five decades of film and television. He is widely remembered as Tom Smykowski, the hapless office worker in Office Space (1999), and also appeared in major films such as Casino, The Fugitive, Of Mice and Men, Glory and Fried Green Tomatoes, plus TV roles from Golden Girls to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Riehle continued working into the 2020s, demonstrating a range that let him move easily between comedies, dramas, horror and even anime.

Raised in a small Wisconsin farming town, he discovered acting at the University of Notre Dame and earned a master’s degree at the University of Minnesota before landing his first film work in the 1975 western Rooster Cogburn. His career ethos was practical and generous: he described himself as someone who says “yes” to opportunities and who could find value in almost any project, and friends praised his talent and kindness. Colleagues point to his versatility and steady professionalism as the reasons for a longevity that turned small parts into a lasting, widely admired body of work.