Richard Riehle, the veteran character actor known for Office Space and Star Trek, has died at the age of 78. According to friends, he died of natural causes in Los Angeles on Thursday, October 15, as reported by TMZ.
Career spanning decades
Riehle's career began in the 1970s and included roles in shows such as Grounded for Life and NCIS. He appeared in more than 400 films and TV shows during his career.
In the 1999 black comedy Office Space, Riehle played Tom Smykowski, a product manager who acts as the middleman between the company's customers and software engineers due to his self-proclaimed people skills. In the adventure series The Legend of Korra, he voiced Bumi and other additional voices across 17 episodes.
Memorable roles and tributes
Riehle was known for playing Santa Claus, including in Two and a Half Men, A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas and Puppy Star Christmas. In the cult comedy film Bridesmaids, starring Kristen Wiig and Maya Rudolph, he played a character called Bill Cozbi. Some of his final credits include playing Warden Reynolds in the crime comedy series Barry in 2023.
Tributes poured in for the Wisconsin-born actor, with many praising his comedic skills. Filmmaker Michael Matteo Rossi said on X: 'Really saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and colleague Richard Riehle who I had the pleasure of directing and was one of the nicest most genuine people I’ve ever met and anytime we met up he put a smile on my face.'
One fan wrote: 'Prolific character actor Richard Riehle has passed away. People will (rightly) mention Office Space and Casino, but he logged 440 credits; he was an ultimate “I know that guy” actor.' Another wrote: 'RIP Richard Riehle…brilliantly funny in Office Space…'
