Richard Riehle, Office Space's Tom Smykowski, dies at 78
Richard Riehle, the character actor best known as Tom Smykowski in Office Space, has died at 78.
He died on Thursday, Oct. 15, of natural causes in Los Angeles, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Friends of the actor confirmed his death to TMZ, which was the first outlet to report the news on Monday, Oct. 19, according to KTSM.
Riehle was born on May 12, 1948, in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, The Hollywood Reporter reported. He went on to build one of the longest credit lists in Hollywood, with more than 400 film and television roles, according to WJLA.
His most widely recognised part came in Mike Judge's Office Space, where he played Tom Smykowski. Tom is the office worker who worries about his job security and insists he has people skills. The film found its audience after its cinema run and turned its office staff into familiar faces.
Riehle moved steadily between large studio films. He was the guard who lets Richard Kimble slip from custody in The Fugitive (1993). He played a quartermaster in Glory (1989) and a banker linked to organised crime in Casino (1995). He later played the father of Rob Schneider's character in Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), and he also appeared in Bridesmaids, according to Variety.
Television gave him one of his longest-running roles. He played Walt Finnerty across all five seasons of Grounded for Life from 2001 to 2005. His credits also included Star Trek, according to Variety.
He was rarely the lead. He was the face viewers placed at once. That steady presence kept him working for decades across comedy, drama and network television.
