Office Space Actor Richard Riehle Dies at 78

Actor Richard Riehle died Oct. 15 at age 78 of natural causes, people and friends close to him said. He was best known as Tom Smykowski in Mike Judge's 1999 comedy Office Space. A wire summary said he died in Los Angeles. Riehle appeared in more than 400 film and television projects over a career that began in the 1970s. Born in 1948 in Menomonee Falls, Wis., he studied at the University of Notre Dame, received an MFA from the University of Minnesota, and made his screen debut in an uncredited role in 1975's Rooster Cogburn opposite John Wayne and Katharine Hepburn. In Office Space, his character is laid off and attempts suicide before winning a lawsuit payout. He also played Bill Cozbi in Bridesmaids, Walt Finnerty on Grounded for Life, and voiced Bumi on The Legend of Korra. Coverage also noted roles in The Fugitive, Casino, Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo, and The West Wing. Left- and center-rated outlets carried the story; no right-rated headlines appeared in the record. Entertainment Weekly said it had reached out to his representatives for more information.