Richard Riehle, character actor best known for ‘Office Space,’ dies at 78

Richard Riehle, a prolific character actor whose bushy mustache and knack for portraying beleaguered middlemen made him a favorite of Hollywood casting directors for decades, has died, his representatives said Monday.

He was 78. Riehle’s representatives said he died over the weekend but did not provide details about the cause.

Riehle was best known for his supporting role in Mike Judge’s corporate satire “Office Space” as Tom Smykowski, an anxious product manager who rages against the prospect of getting laid off. (“I have people skills! I am good at dealing with people! Can’t you understand that?”).

He left an impression even with scant screen time, whether playing a racist quartermaster in “Glory,” a guard who allows Harrison Ford to flee in “The Fugitive,” a mob banker who gets cursed out by Joe Pesci in Martin Scorsese’s “Casino,” or a kindly auto mechanic who helps out Kristen Wiig in “Bridesmaids.”

Riehle’s hundreds of credits include scores of TV roles, such as Principal Ed Rooney on the short-lived sitcom “Ferris Bueller,” a gruff grandfather on “Grounded for Life” and a police officer on “The West Wing.” He most recently appeared as a prison warden on HBO’s dark comedy “Barry.”

“Beyond his immense…

Original source: https://www.nbcnews.com/health