Jack Riley
- Known for
- Acting
- Born
- December 30, 1935
- Died
- August 19, 2016 (aged 80)
- Birthplace
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Biography
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
Filmography
Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
Movie · as Self
The Garfield Show
TV · as Ghost Cat (voice) · 1 ep
Avenging Angel
Movie · as Elder
Room 6
Movie · as James Brewster
Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
Movie · as Stu (voice)
Rugrats Go Wild
Movie · as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
Burl's
Movie · as Gym Instructor
All Grown Up!
TV · as Stu Pickles (voice) · 1 ep
Rugrats: Decade in Diapers
Movie · as Stu Pickles
Rugrats: Babies in Toyland
Movie · as Stu Pickles (voice)
Rugrats: All Growed Up
Movie · as Stu Pickles (voice)
Recess: School's Out
Movie · as Golfer #1 (voice)
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Movie · as Stu Pickles (voice)
Son of the Beach
TV · 10 eps
Yes, Dear
TV · as Mr. Shipley · 1 ep
Oh, Grow Up
TV · 1 ep
The Rugrats Movie
Movie · as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
Chairman of the Board
Movie · as Condom Boss
That '70s Show
TV · as Old Man Shinsky · 1 ep
Boogie Nights
Movie · as Lawyer
A Rugrats Vacation
Movie · as Stu Pickles (voice)
Mike Hammer, Private Eye
TV · 1 ep
Working
TV · as Chaplain · 1 ep
George & Leo
TV · 1 ep
A Rugrats Chanukah
Movie · as Stu Pickles (voice)
Theodore Rex
Movie · as Alaric
The Drew Carey Show
TV · as Mr. Jones · 1 ep
A Rugrats Passover
Movie · as Stu Pickles (voice)
Touched by an Angel
TV · as Leo · 1 ep
A Dangerous Woman
Movie · as Bandleader
Sesame Street Stays Up Late!
Movie · as Jack(uncredited)
Dave's World
TV · as Guy · 1 ep
The Player
Movie · as Jack Riley
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
TV · as Mr. Graves · 1 ep
The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
Movie · as Elliot Carlin
Rugrats
TV · as Stu Pickles (voice) · 322 eps
Harry and the Hendersons
TV · as Leonard · 1 ep
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
Movie · as Wade
Gleaming the Cube
Movie · as Homeowner
Seinfeld
TV · as Rider · 1 ep
Coach
TV · as Oliver · 1 ep
Family Matters
TV · as Wayne · 1 ep
Payback
Movie · as Coroner
Portrait of a White Marriage
Movie · as Roy Bloomer
Rented Lips
Movie · as Herb the Auditor
Spaceballs
Movie · as TV Newsman
Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio
Movie · as Self
Mathnet
TV · as Mr. Dwight Ledbetter · 1 ep
Roxie
TV · as Leon Buchanan · 6 eps
Married... with Children
TV · as Wendell · 1 ep
The History of White People in America: Volume II
Movie · as Scientist
Throb
TV · 1 ep
Blacke's Magic
TV · 1 ep
First the Egg
Movie · as Mr. White
The History of White People in America
Movie · as Scientist
Lots of Luck
Movie · as Marvin
Washingtoon
TV · 12 eps
Night Patrol
Movie · as Doctor Ziegler
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Movie · as Sexton / Deacon
Finders Keepers
Movie · as Ormond
Night Court
TV · as Dr. Flick, Emil Dutton, Beepo the Clown, Jim Wimberly · 3 eps
Charles in Charge
TV · as Professor Kleeman · 1 ep
Punky Brewster
TV · as Snipes · 1 ep
Body Language
TV · as Self · 5 eps
To Be or Not to Be
Movie · as Dobish
When Your Lover Leaves
Movie · as Ralph
Frances
Movie · as Bob Barnes
Love in the Present Tense
Movie · as Alex
The Rules of Marriage
Movie · as Herb Gallup
St. Elsewhere
TV · as Elliot Carlin · 1 ep
Family Ties
TV · as Earl Quigley · 1 ep
Newhart
TV · as Patient · 1 ep
Faerie Tale Theatre
TV · as Sexton / Deacon · 1 ep
The Rules of Marriage
TV · 2 eps
History of the World: Part I
Movie · as Stoned Soldier #2 - The Roman Empire
Simon & Simon
TV · as Dr. Robert P. Medlow · 1 ep
Marriage Is Alive and Well
Movie · as Owen
Ladies' Man
TV · 1 ep
The Tim Conway Show
TV · as Self · 32 eps
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
Movie · as Wolf Man
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Movie · as Messenger
Hart to Hart
TV · as Norman Culp · 1 ep
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
Movie · as Salesman
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Movie · as Citizen (uncredited)
Diff'rent Strokes
TV · as Mr. Crocker · 5 eps
Joe and Valerie
TV · as Ed Sweetzer · 4 eps
High Anxiety
Movie · as The Desk Clerk
The World's Greatest Lover
Movie · as Projectionist
Eight Is Enough
TV · 1 ep
The Love Boat
TV · as Miles Metcalf · 2 eps
Silent Movie
Movie · as Executive
Alice
TV · 1 ep
Barney Miller
TV · as Frederick Clooney, Robert Lovell · 1 ep
California Split
Movie · as Second Bartender
The Bank Shot
Movie · as Agent Jackson
Happy Days
TV · as Officer O'Reilly · 1 ep
The Rockford Files
TV · as Adrian Lyman · 1 ep
Police Woman
TV · as Joe · 1 ep
Harry O
TV · as Eddie Stern, Barney Hamilton · 1 ep
The Long Goodbye
Movie · as Riley
The Snoop Sisters
TV · as Ollie Robertson · 1 ep
Barnaby Jones
TV · as Norm Ricks · 1 ep
M*A*S*H
TV · as Capt. Kaplan · 1 ep
The Bob Newhart Show
TV · as Elliot Carlin · 49 eps
Kung Fu
TV · as Royal · 1 ep
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Movie · as Riley Quinn
In Broad Daylight
Movie · as Cab Driver #3 (uncredited)
The Todd Killings
Movie · as Record Company Executive
Columbo
TV · as Director · 1 ep
Cannon
TV · 1 ep
Getting Together
TV · 1 ep
Catch-22
Movie · as Doctor
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
TV · as Barry Barlow, Eldon Colfax · 1 ep
The Partridge Family
TV · as Corporal Wrzesinski · 1 ep
Love, American Style
TV · as Danny · 1 ep
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
TV · as Self, Lyndon B. Johnson (uncredited) · 7 eps
The Flying Nun
TV · as Leo · 1 ep
Occasional Wife
TV · 1 ep
I Dream of Jeannie
TV · as Frank · 1 ep
Hogan's Heroes
TV · as Captain · 2 eps
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
TV · as Larry · 2 eps
Days of Wine and Roses
Movie · as Waiter (uncredited)
The Mike Douglas Show
TV · as Self · 1 ep
The Red Skelton Show
TV · as Gunslinger, Clergyman, Minor Role, Paul · 1 ep