Richard Riehle, 1948 – 2026

Ubiquitous character actor Richard Riehle, 78, died on Oct. 15. I remember him best from the sitcom Grounded for Life and the movie Office Space, but Riehle appeared in more than 400 (!) movies and TV shows, from 1977’s Joyride through this year’s The Cowboy Killer. It would be impossible to list all—or even most—of his credits, but some of the more notable were Of Mice and Men, The Fugitive, Jury Duty, Executive Decision, Wedding Crashers, My Two Dads, Quantum Leap, The Golden Girls, Shadows and Fog, Star Trek: The Next Generation (and Voyager), The Public Eye, Free Willy, Casino, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Joe Dirt, Better Off Ted, and Mom. As modest about his career as last week’s obit subject Michael Forest, Riehle said, “It's so much about being in the right place at the right time, but when your break comes, you better be ready and able to produce. It's such a matter of luck - there's so many people as skilled as you, so many unknowns in every choice - that you shouldn't take rejection personally, but be thankful for every opportunity.”