Jack Riley

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
    Acting
    Place of birth
    Cleveland, Ohio, USA
    Birthday
    12/30/1935
History of the World: Part I
History of the World: Part I
62%
Room 6
Room 6
20%
Rugrats Go Wild
Rugrats Go Wild
39%
To Be or Not to Be
To Be or Not to Be
96%
High Anxiety
High Anxiety
72%
A Dangerous Woman
A Dangerous Woman
43%
The Rugrats Movie
The Rugrats Movie
60%
Chairman of the Board
Chairman of the Board
11%
Avenging Angel
Avenging Angel
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
Night Patrol
Night Patrol
Frances
Frances
68%
UNAVAILABLE
The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
85%
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
76%
Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
First the Egg
First the Egg
Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
The World's Greatest Lover
The World's Greatest Lover
17%
The History of White People in America
The History of White People in America
Silent Movie
Silent Movie
79%
The Player
The Player
97%
Love in the Present Tense
Love in the Present Tense
California Split
California Split
87%
Days of Wine and Roses
Days of Wine and Roses
The Bank Shot
The Bank Shot
Spaceballs
Spaceballs
53%
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
Catch-22
Catch-22
81%
The Bank Shot
The Bank Shot
Boogie Nights
Boogie Nights
91%
When Your Lover Leaves
When Your Lover Leaves
Payback
Payback
Portrait of a White Marriage
Portrait of a White Marriage
Rugrats: All Growed Up
Rugrats: All Growed Up
Burl's
Burl's
The History of White People in America: Volume II
The History of White People in America: Volume II
Gleaming the Cube
Gleaming the Cube
29%
Theodore Rex
Theodore Rex
0%
The Long Goodbye
The Long Goodbye
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
33%
Rented Lips
Rented Lips
In Broad Daylight
In Broad Daylight
A Rugrats Chanukah
A Rugrats Chanukah
A Rugrats Passover
A Rugrats Passover
Marriage Is Alive and Well
Marriage Is Alive and Well
Lots of Luck
Lots of Luck
The Rules of Marriage
The Rules of Marriage
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
The Todd Killings
The Todd Killings
Finders Keepers
Finders Keepers
Sesame Street Stays Up Late!
Sesame Street Stays Up Late!
Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio
Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio
Recess: School's Out
Recess: School's Out
60%
A Rugrats Vacation
A Rugrats Vacation
Panopte logo
PANOPTE
Made with
Data provided by 

This project uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.