Actor Richard Riehle Passes Away at 78

Richard Riehle, renowned for his role as Tom Smykowski in the 1999 comedy “Office Space,” has died in Los Angeles at the age of 78. He passed away due to natural causes, as reported by TMZ.

Born in Wisconsin, Riehle had an extensive career, appearing in more than 400 films and television projects. His notable films included “Casino,” “Free Willy,” and “The Fugitive.” On television, he captivated audiences with roles in “Fuller House,” “The West Wing,” and “Grounded for Life.” On Broadway, he performed in productions such as “The Man Who Had All the Luck,” “The Iceman Cometh,” and “Execution of Justice.”

Richard Riehle at the premiere of New Line Cinema’s “A Very Harold & Kumar 3D Christmas” at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre on November 2, 2011, in Hollywood. (Photo by Jason Merritt/Getty Images)

In a 2019 interview, Riehle discussed his approach to auditions and handling rejection. “I bring the best I can to the audition, and if that’s what they want, and if all the other stars are in alignment, I’ll get it,” he said to The Working Actor’s Journey blog.

He is perhaps best remembered for his role in “Office Space” where he portrayed a project manager with ambitions of creating a “Jump to Conclusions” mat. Despite the project’s poor reception among his colleagues, the character is memorable for his social ineptitude. In one scene, he passionately exclaims, “I am good at dealing with people! Can’t you understand that?”

Richard Riehle’s last film credit on IMDb was for “The Cowboy Killer,” featuring Ed Begley Jr. and Robert Carradine. Carradine passed away in February, and the film was released in July.