Jack Riley
John Albert Riley Jr. (December 30, 1935 – August 19, 2016) was an American actor, comedian and writer. He was known for playing Elliot Carlin, a chronic psychology client of the main character on The Bob Newhart Show, and for voicing Stu Pickles, one of the parents in the animated Rugrats franchise. Riley was born in Cleveland, Ohio, the son of Agnes C. Riley (née Corrigan) and John Albert Riley. After attending Saint Ignatius High School and John Carroll University, he served in the U.S. Army. After being discharged, Riley became a popular radio personality in Cleveland, along with his radio partner and "straight man" Jeff Baxter; The Baxter & Riley Show on WERE (1300 AM) featured not only music but comedy sketches and a slew of offbeat characters that Riley and Baxter voiced. Riley gave up the radio show in the mid-1960s and moved to Los Angeles, where his Cleveland friend Tim Conway helped him obtain work writing comedy sketches, which later led to acting opportunities. First a semi-regular in the cast of the 1960s sitcom Occasional Wife, a short-lived show on NBC in which he played Wally Frick, Riley was perhaps most famous for playing Elliot Carlin, the neurotic, sour, and selfish patient on The Bob Newhart Show 1972–1978. In 1973, he was cast as Gomez Addams in The Addams Family Fun-House, then in 1979, he starred in ABC's holiday telefilm The Halloween That Almost Wasn't (a.k.a. The Night Dracula Saved The World) as Warren the Werewolf (Wolf Man) of Budapest. Riley then, in 1980, appeared in a comedy special for HBO called The Wild Wacky Wonderful World of Winter. He was a regular cast member in The Tim Conway Show, a comedy-variety show that aired on CBS from March 1980 through late summer 1981, acting in sketch comedy in each episode. In 1985, he reprised his Bob Newhart Show role of Elliot Carlin on St. Elsewhere, and did so again in a 1987 episode of ALF. Among his other TV credits are multiple appearances on such shows as Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (parodying Lyndon Johnson), M*A*S*H, Barney Miller, Hogan's Heroes, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, One Day at a Time, Gomer Pyle, Diff'rent Strokes, and Night Court. He was also a favorite of Mel Brooks, appearing in several of his films: High Anxiety (1977), History of the World: Part I (1981), To Be or Not to Be (1983), and (cameo only) Spaceballs (1987). Riley often provided voiceovers for television and radio commercials, most notably in spots for Country Crock margarine. He also voiced the character "P.C. Modem, the computer genius" in radio commercials for CompUSA that aired in the 1990s. In the 1990s and early 2000s, Riley was known for voicing Stu Pickles (father of the main protagonist Tommy) in the animated series Rugrats. The franchise consisted of the TV series, the spin-off All Grown Up! and the film trilogy. He continued to make guest appearances during the 1990s in popular sitcoms, showing up in episodes of Seinfeld, Son of the Beach, Friends, Coach, The Drew Carey Show, That '70s Show, and, in a gag appearance, as an unnamed but obvious Mr. Carlin in a 1988 episode of Newhart. He made a cameo appearance on the November 23, 2013, episode of Saturday Night Live, as a subway passenger during the sketch "Matchbox 3". That episode would be his final acting role.
Known For
Credits
- 2009 · Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie' as Self
- 2009 · The Garfield Show as Ghost Cat (voice)
- 2007 · Avenging Angel as Elder
- 2006 · Room 6 as James Brewster
- 2005 · Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White as Stu (voice)
- 2003 · Rugrats Go Wild as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
- 2003 · Burl's as Gym Instructor
- 2003 · All Grown Up! as
- 2003 · All Grown Up! as Stu Pickles (voice)
- 2001 · Rugrats: All Growed Up as Stu Pickles (voice)
- 2000 · Rugrats in Paris: The Movie as Stu Pickles (voice)
- 2000 · Yes, Dear as Mr. Shipley
- 2000 · Son of the Beach as
- 1999 · Oh, Grow Up as
- 1998 · The Rugrats Movie as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
- 1998 · That '70s Show as Old Man Shinsky
- 1998 · Chairman of the Board as Condom Boss
- 1997 · Boogie Nights as Lawyer
- 1997 · Working as Chaplain
- 1997 · Mike Hammer, Private Eye as
- 1997 · George & Leo as
- 1996 · A Rugrats Chanukah as Stu Pickles (voice)
- 1995 · Theodore Rex as Alaric
- 1995 · The Drew Carey Show as Mr. Jones
- 1994 · Touched by an Angel as Leo
- 1994 · A Rugrats Passover as Stu Pickles (voice)
- 1993 · Dave's World as Guy
- 1993 · A Dangerous Woman as Bandleader
- 1992 · The Player as Jack Riley
- 1991 · The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special as Elliot Carlin
- 1991 · Rugrats as Stu Pickles (voice)
- 1991 · Harry and the Hendersons as Leonard
- 1989 · Family Matters as
- 1989 · Seinfeld as Rider
- 1989 · C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud as Wade
- 1989 · Coach as Oliver
- 1989 · Gleaming the Cube as Homeowner
- 1988 · Portrait of a White Marriage as Roy Bloomer
- 1988 · Payback as Coroner
- 1987 · Rented Lips as Herb the Auditor
- 1987 · Spaceballs as TV Newsman
- 1987 · Married... with Children as Wendell
- 1987 · Roxie as
- 1987 · Mathnet as Mr. Dwight Ledbetter
- 1986 · Throb as
- 1986 · Blacke's Magic as
- 1986 · The History of White People in America: Volume II as Scientist
- 1985 · Washingtoon as
- 1985 · The History of White People in America as Scientist
- 1985 · First The Egg as Mr. White
- 1985 · Lots of Luck as Marvin
- 1984 · Night Patrol as Doctor Ziegler
- 1984 · Charles in Charge as Professor Kleeman
- 1984 · The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers as Sexton / Deacon
- 1984 · Punky Brewster as Snipes
- 1984 · Night Court as Dr. Flick
- 1984 · Night Court as Emil Dutton
- 1984 · Night Court as Beepo the Clown
- 1984 · Night Court as Jim Wimberly
- 1983 · To Be or Not to Be as Dobish
- 1983 · When Your Lover Leaves as Ralph
- 1982 · Frances as Bob Barnes
- 1982 · St. Elsewhere as
- 1982 · Newhart as
- 1982 · Family Ties as Earl Quigley
- 1982 · Faerie Tale Theatre as Sexton / Deacon
- 1982 · The Rules of Marriage as Herb Gallup
- 1982 · Love in the Present Tense as Alex
- 1981 · Simon & Simon as
- 1981 · History of the World: Part I as Stoned Soldier #2 - The Roman Empire
- 1980 · Ladies Man as
- 1980 · The Tim Conway Show as Self
- 1980 · Marriage Is Alive and Well as Owen
- 1979 · The Halloween That Almost Wasn't as Wolf Man
- 1979 · Hart to Hart as
- 1979 · Butch and Sundance: The Early Days as Messenger
- 1978 · Diff'rent Strokes as Mr. Crocker
- 1978 · Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! as Salesman
- 1978 · Joe and Valerie as Ed Sweetzer
- 1977 · High Anxiety as The Desk Clerk
- 1977 · The World's Greatest Lover as Projectionist
- 1977 · The Love Boat as
- 1977 · The Love Boat as Miles Metcalf
- 1977 · Eight Is Enough as
- 1976 · Alice as
- 1976 · Silent Movie as Executive
- 1975 · Barney Miller as Frederick Clooney
- 1975 · Barney Miller as Robert Lovell
- 1974 · The Rockford Files as Adrian Lyman
- 1974 · Police Woman as Joe
- 1974 · Harry O as
- 1974 · California Split as Second Bartender
- 1974 · The Bank Shot as Agent Jackson
- 1974 · The Bank Shot as Jackson
- 1974 · Happy Days as
- 1973 · The Snoop Sisters as Ollie Robertson
- 1973 · The Long Goodbye as Riley
- 1972 · Kung Fu as Royal
- 1972 · M*A*S*H as Capt. Kaplan
- 1972 · The Bob Newhart Show as
- 1972 · The Bob Newhart Show as Elliot Carlin
- 1971 · In Broad Daylight as Cab Driver #3 (uncredited)
- 1971 · Getting Together as
- 1971 · Columbo as Director
- 1971 · Cannon as
- 1971 · McCabe & Mrs. Miller as Riley Quinn
- 1970 · The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Barry Barlow
- 1970 · The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Eldon Colfax
- 1970 · Catch-22 as Doctor
- 1967 · Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Guest Performer
- 1967 · Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Self
- 1967 · The Flying Nun as
- 1966 · Occasional Wife as
- 1965 · I Dream of Jeannie as Frank
- 1965 · Hogan's Heroes as
- 1965 · Hogan's Heroes as Captain
- 1964 · Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. as
- 1963 · Days of Wine and Roses as Waiter (uncredited)