Richard Riehle (born May 12, 1948) is an American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

. A prolific performer, he has appeared in over four hundred films, television shows and other projects, making him one of the most-credited live action performers.

Life and career

Riehle was born on May 12, 1948, in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Margaret (''née'' Walsh), a nurse, and Herbert John Riehle (1921–1961), an assistant postmaster.Richard Riehle Biography (1948–)
/ref> He attended the

University of Notre Dame The University of Notre Dame du Lac (known simply as Notre Dame; ; ND) is a Private university, private Catholic research university in Notre Dame, Indiana, United States. Founded in 1842 by members of the Congregation of Holy Cross, a Cathol ...

and then went on to complete an MFA at

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

. Riehle began acting at the Meadow Brook Theatre in

Rochester, Michigan Rochester is a city in Oakland County, Michigan, Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 12,711 at the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census. It is a northern suburb in Metro Detroit located 20 miles north of the city of ...

and was doing regional theatre in the Pacific Northwest when he got his very first film role in the John Wayne film '' Rooster Cogburn''. Riehle has portrayed the role of

Santa Claus Santa Claus (also known as Saint Nicholas, Saint Nick, Father Christmas, Kris Kringle or Santa) is a legendary figure originating in Western Christian culture who is said to bring gifts during the late evening and overnight hours on Chris ...

in eight different projects, including five films, two television shows, and a television movie. On television, he portrayed Walt Finnerty on '' Grounded for Life'' (2001–2005). He has also had multiple appearances across the ''

Star Trek ''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the Star Trek: The Original Series, series of the same name and became a worldwide Popular culture, pop-culture Cultural influence of ...

'' franchise, including the role of Batai in the acclaimed '' The Next Generation'' episode " The Inner Light". He also had guest roles in shows like '' NCIS'', '' The Middle'' and ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

''. In film, Riehle is best known for the role of Tom Smykowski, the self-described "people person" who serves as an intermediary between the engineers and customers at the software company Initech in '' Office Space''. His other roles include the ranch hand Carlson in ''

Of Mice and Men ''Of Mice and Men'' is a 1937 novella written by American author John Steinbeck. It describes the experiences of George Milton and Lennie Small, two displaced migrant worker, migrant ranch workers, as they move from place to place in California ...

'' (1992), the guard who allowed

Harrison Ford Harrison Ford (born July 13, 1942) is an American actor. Regarded as a cinematic cultural icon, he has starred in Harrison Ford filmography, many notable films over seven decades, and is one of List of highest-grossing actors, the highest-gr ...

to initially escape custody in '' The Fugitive'' (1993), Principal Beasely in the Pauly Shore comedy ''

Jury Duty Jury duty or jury service is a Civil service, service as a juror in a legal proceeding. Different countries have different approaches to juries: variations include the kinds of cases tried before a jury, how many jurors hear a trial, and whether th ...

'' (1995), ''

Executive Decision ''Executive Decision'' is a 1996 American action thriller film directed by Stuart Baird (in his directorial debut) and written by Jim Thomas and John Thomas, who also produced the film with Joel Silver. It stars Kurt Russell, Steven Seagal, ...

'' (1996), '' Mercury Rising'' (1998), '' Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo'' (1999), and '' Wedding Crashers'' (2005).

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

References

External links

*
Actor Profile
at industrycentral.net {{DEFAULTSORT:Riehle, Richard 1948 births Living people Male actors from Wisconsin American male film actors American male television actors People from Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin University of Notre Dame alumni