By Breitbart News Network | Created at 2026-10-19 23:41:32 | Updated at 2026-10-20 01:29:42
5 hours ago
Actor Richard Riehle — best known his role as Tom Smykowski in the 1999 comedy film, Office Space — died on Thursday at the age of 78.
Riehle died of natural causes in Los Angeles, California, his friends told TMZ, which last caught up with the actor in 2018, when he landed in Los Angeles after filming the Lifetime holiday movie, A Very Nutty Christmas, with Melissa Joan Hart.
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After being asked his favorite Christmas song, Riehle replied, “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.”
Riehle had a rather extensive career in Hollywood, appearing in more than 400 projects since the 1970s, according to his IMDb page.
He played the prison guard who accidentally allows Dr. Richard Kimball (Harrison Ford) to escape custody during a train wreck in the 1993 film, The Fugitive, and appeared as Charlie Clark in the 1995 mafia drama, Casino.
The actor also played Reverend Scroggins in the 1991 movie, Fried Green Tomatoes, and portrayed the ranch hand Carlson in the 1992 film, Of Mice and Men.
He also appeared as Bob Bigalow in the 1991 comedy, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, and played Walt Finnerty on 45 episodes of Fox Network’s TV series, Grounded for Life.
Riehle’s breakout role was the corrupt quartermaster in the 1989 film, Glory.
But Riehle is perhaps best known for his work in Office Space, for which he played Tom, the product manager who gets laid off from his job and survives a hit-and-run accident, before landing a massive financial settlement that allows him to follow his true dreams.
The 1999 film — which ended up becoming a comedy cult classic — is packed with memorable scenes and lines, making Riehle a more widely recognized face.
Alana Mastrangelo-Wrask is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow her on Facebook and X at @ARmastrangelo, and on Instagram.
