‘Office Space’ actor Richard Riehle dies at 78

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Richard Riehle, the actor known for his role in Office Space, has died. He was 78.

Riehle’s friends told TMZ he passed away from natural causes on Oct. 15.

Born in Menomonee Falls, Wis., in 1948, Riehle studied at the University of Notre Dame before receiving an MFA at the University of Minnesota.

He worked in regional theatre in the Midwest and the Pacific Northwest before making his film debut in 1975’s Rooster Cogburn, a sequel to 1969’s True Grit, in an uncredited role opposite John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn.

His extensive body of work

The character actor went on to rack up more than 400 acting credits throughout his prolific career that spanned nearly five decades, including Casino, The Man from Earth, Glory, The Fugitive and Fried Green Tomatoes on the big screen, and TV appearances on Grounded for Life, Modern Family, The Middle, The West Wing and Barry.

But Riehle was arguably best known for his portrayal of Tom Smykowski in Mike Judge’s 1999 workplace comedy, which starred Ron Livingston, Stephen Root and Gary Cole, and had Jennifer Aniston in a supporting role.

His character, a cynical Initech product manager who specialized in “people skills,” was eventually laid off and attempts suicide before — spoiler alert — winning a massive payout from a lawsuit.

Riehle also played mechanic Bill Cozbi (“Yeah. With a Z. Different guy.”) in Bridesmaids, principal Ed Rooney in the short-lived Ferris Bueller sitcom, and voiced Bumi on The Legend of Korra.

The actor’s kind face also landed him the role of Santa Claus in 11 different projects, including episodes of Two and a Half Men and The League, as well as A Very Harold & Kumar Christmas in 2011, and 2008’s Our First Christmas, one of several Hallmark original movies Riehle appeared in.

This year, Riehle appeared in the films The Cowboy Killer and Boris Is Dead and, according to his hefty IMDb page, has 10 upcoming projects in the tank.

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