{
  "id": 15642868,
  "title": "Richard Riehle, Office Space Actor, Dead At 78",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-office-space-actor-dead-at-78",
  "topic": "ai",
  "section": "AI",
  "published": "2026-10-19T18:38:11.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "TVLine",
    "slug": "tvline",
    "url": "https://www.tvline.com/2290758/richard-riehle-dead-office-space-obituary/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Richard Riehle, the talented character actor renowned for his role in the 1999 film \"Office Space,\" has passed away at the age of 78. He breathed his last on Thursday, October 15, in Los Angeles, according to friends. TMZ broke the news of his demise. In \"Office Space,\" directed by Mike Judge, Riehle portrayed Tom Smykowski, a product manager who suffered a hit-and-run accident and subsequently received a substantial financial settlement, enabling him to create the prototype for the \"Jump to Conclusions\" mat.\n\nRiehre's journey in the entertainment industry began over two decades ago, with over 200 appearances in film and television. His early TV credits included \"My Two Dads,\" \"Dragnet,\" and \"Falcon Crest\" during the 1980s. He later secured significant roles in popular series such as \"Ferris Bueller's Day Off,\" \"Grounded for Life,\" and \"The Young and the Restless,\" while also appearing in numerous guest spots in iconic shows like \"Sabrina, the Teenage Witch,\" \"Buffy the Vampire Slayer,\" \"Ally McBeal,\" \"ER,\" \"Star Trek: Enterprise,\" \"NCIS,\" \"The Middle,\" \"The West Wing,\" and more. His recent work includes a guest appearance on HBO's \"Barry\" in 2023, where he played Warden Reynolds in two episodes.\n\nOn the film front, Riehle's career started with \"Joyride\" in 1977. He went on to feature in well-known movies such as \"Fried Green Tomatoes,\" \"Of Mice and Men,\" \"Free Willy,\" \"Jury Duty,\" \"Mighty Joe Young,\" \"Casino,\" \"Bridesmaids,\" and \"Pee-wee's Big Holiday,\" among others.",
  "summary": "Character actor Richard Riehle has died - read his obituary.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 9,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Consequence",
        "title": "Richard Riehle, Office Space’s Tom Smykowski, Dead at 78",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-office-spaces-tom-smykowski-dead-at-78",
        "published": "2026-10-19T17:54:39.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Forbes",
        "title": "Richard Riehle, ‘Office Space’ And ‘The Fugitive’ Actor, Dies At 78",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-office-space-and-the-fugitive-actor-dies-at-78",
        "published": "2026-10-19T18:53:40.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The A.V. Club",
        "title": "R.I.P. Richard Riehle, Office Space actor",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/r-i-p-richard-riehle-office-space-actor",
        "published": "2026-10-19T19:14:14.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Variety",
        "title": "Richard Riehle, Character Actor in ‘Office Space,’ ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Bridesmaids’ and More, Dies at 78",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-character-actor-in-office-space-star-trek-bridesmaids",
        "published": "2026-10-19T19:17:38.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Rolling Stone",
        "title": "Richard Riehle, Character Actor and ‘Office Space’ Scene-Stealer, Dead at 78",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-character-actor-and-office-space-scene-stealer-dead-at",
        "published": "2026-10-19T20:09:22.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "TheWrap",
        "title": "Richard Riehle, ‘Office Space’ Actor, Dies at 78",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-office-space-actor-dies-at-78-15652125",
        "published": "2026-10-19T20:09:44.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "The Hollywood Reporter",
        "title": "Richard Riehle, ‘Office Space’ Actor, Dies at 78",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-office-space-actor-dies-at-78",
        "published": "2026-10-19T20:17:41.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Deadline",
        "title": "Richard Riehle Dies: ‘Office Space’ & ‘Bridesmaids’ Actor Was 78",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/19/richard-riehle-dies-office-space-bridesmaids-actor-was-78",
        "published": "2026-10-19T20:51:49.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}