Richard Riehle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Richard Riehle
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Riehle in 2016
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| Born | May 12, 1948 |
| Education | University of Notre Dame (BA) University of Minnesota (MFA) |
| Occupation | Actor |
| Years active | 1977–present |
Richard Riehle (born May 12, 1948) is an American character actor. This means he often plays interesting and unique supporting roles in movies and TV shows. He has been in over four hundred films and television projects!
Contents
About Richard Riehle
Early Life and Education
Richard Riehle was born on May 12, 1948, in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. His mother, Mary Margaret, was a nurse, and his father, Herbert John, worked as an assistant postmaster.
Richard went to the University of Notre Dame for his first degree. After that, he earned a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) from the University of Minnesota. An MFA is a special degree for people who want to work in creative fields like acting.
Starting His Acting Career
Richard Riehle began his acting journey at the Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, Michigan. He also performed in regional theaters in the Pacific Northwest. His very first movie role was in the John Wayne film Rooster Cogburn.
Richard is well-known for playing Santa Claus! He has played Santa in eight different projects, including five movies and three TV shows.
Famous Roles in Television
On television, Richard Riehle played Walt Finnerty on the show Grounded for Life from 2001 to 2005. He was a regular character on this comedy series.
He has also appeared in several Star Trek shows. One of his most memorable roles was Batai in the Next Generation episode "The Inner Light". He also had guest roles in popular shows like NCIS, The Middle, and The West Wing.
Notable Film Appearances
In movies, Richard Riehle has played many different characters. He was Tom Smykowski in the movie Office Space. Tom was a "people person" who helped connect engineers with customers at a software company.
Other roles include Carlson, a ranch hand, in Of Mice and Men (1992). He also played the guard who helped Harrison Ford escape in The Fugitive (1993). He was Principal Beasely in the comedy Jury Duty (1995).
Selected Filmography
Movies
- 1977: Joyride as The Bartender
- 1989: Black Rain as Internal Affairs Detective Crown
- 1989: Glory as Kendric, The Quartermaster
- 1991: Fried Green Tomatoes as Reverend Scroggins
- 1992: Of Mice and Men as Carlson
- 1993: Free Willy as Wade
- 1993: The Fugitive as Old Guard
- 1995: Jury Duty as Principal Beasley
- 1996: Executive Decision as Air Marshal George Edwards
- 1998: Mercury Rising as Edgar Halstrom
- 1999: Office Space as Tom Smykowski
- 2003: The Hebrew Hammer as Santa Claus
- 2004: Home on the Range as Sheriff Sam Brown (Voice)
- 2007: The Man from Earth as Dr. Will Gruber
- 2010: The Search for Santa Paws as Santa Claus
- 2011: Judy Moody and the Not Bummer Summer as The Ringmaster
- 2012: Treasure Buddies as Thomas Howard
- 2013: Texas Chainsaw 3D as Farnsworth
- 2014: Transformers: Age of Extinction as The Landlord
- 2014: The Three Dogateers as Santa
- 2016: Pee-wee's Big Holiday as Dan
- 2018: Puppy Star Christmas as Santa Claus
- 2019: 3 from Hell as Sheriff Wolfe
Television Shows
- 1989: My Two Dads as Ed Steinbauer Jr.
- 1989, 1990: Quantum Leap as Clifford Vargas, Lieutenant Lannon (2 episodes)
- 1989, 1992: Murder, She Wrote as Sergeant Devon O'Malley, Aaron (2 episodes)
- 1990–1991: Ferris Bueller as Principal Ed Rooney (13 episodes)
- 1991: The Golden Girls as Detective Parres
- 1992: Star Trek: The Next Generation as Batai (Episode: "The Inner Light")
- 1998: Buffy the Vampire Slayer as Merrick (Episode: "Becoming: Part 1")
- 2000: Star Trek: Voyager as Seamus Driscol (2 episodes)
- 2001–2005: Grounded for Life as Walt Finnerty (45 episodes)
- 2003: Fillmore! as Leo Grant (Voice)
- 2003–2004: Married to the Kellys as Uncle Dave (10 episodes)
- 2004: Star Trek: Enterprise as Dr. Jeremy Lucas (2 episodes)
- 2008: Our First Christmas as Santa (Television film)
- 2009: Psych as Army Johnson
- 2011: Kickin' It as Mr. Coburn
- 2012: The League as Santa Claus
- 2013: Modern Family as Norman
- 2013–2014: The Legend of Korra as Bumi, Additional Voices (Voice, 17 episodes)
- 2014: Two and a Half Men as Santa
- 2015–2017: NCIS as Walt Osorio (2 episodes)
- 2016–2018: The Middle as Sheriff Dugan
- 2020: Fuller House as Uncle Monty
- 2023: Barry as The Warden
Video Games
- 1996: Wing Commander IV: The Price of Freedom as Chief Technician Robert "Pliers" Sykes
See also
In Spanish: Richard Riehle para niños
