Jack Riley
Jack Riley
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
Personal Info
Known For
Acting
Known Credits
130
Gender
Male
Birthday
1935-12-30 (89 years old)
Place of Birth
Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Acting

2009

The Garfield Show as Ghost Cat (voice)

2007

Avenging Angel as Elder

2006

Room 6 as James Brewster

2003

All Grown Up! as Not available

2003

All Grown Up! as Stu Pickles (voice)

2003

Rugrats Go Wild as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)

2003

Burl's as Gym Instructor

2001

Rugrats: All Growed Up as Stu Pickles (voice)

2000

Yes, Dear as Mr. Shipley

2000

Son of the Beach as Not available

2000

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie as Stu Pickles (voice)

1999

Oh, Grow Up as Not available

1998

That '70s Show as Old Man Shinsky

1998

Chairman of the Board as Condom Boss

1998

The Rugrats Movie as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)

1997

Boogie Nights as Lawyer

1997

Mike Hammer, Private Eye as Not available

1997

Working as Chaplain

1997

George & Leo as Not available

1996

A Rugrats Chanukah as Stu Pickles (voice)

1995

The Drew Carey Show as Mr. Jones

1995

Theodore Rex as Alaric

1994

A Rugrats Passover as Stu Pickles (voice)

1993

Dave's World as Guy

1993

A Dangerous Woman as Bandleader

1992

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper as Mr. Graves

1992

The Player as Jack Riley

1991

Rugrats as Stu Pickles (voice)

1991

Harry and the Hendersons as Leonard

1989

Seinfeld as Rider

1989

Family Matters as Not available

1989

Coach as Oliver

1989

Gleaming the Cube as Homeowner

1989

A Fine Romance as Ray Ragalito

1988

Portrait of a White Marriage as Roy Bloomer

1988

Payback as Coroner

1987

Married... with Children as Wendell

1987

Mathnet as Mr. Dwight Ledbetter

1987

Spaceballs as TV Newsman

1987

Rented Lips as Herb the Auditor

1987

Roxie as Leon Buchanan

1986

ALF as Elliot Carlin (uncredited)

1986

Blacke's Magic as Not available

1986

Throb as Not available

1985

Lots of Luck as Marvin

1985

Washingtoon as Not available

1985

First The Egg as Mr. White

1984

Charles in Charge as Professor Kleeman

1984

Punky Brewster as Snipes

1984

Night Court as Dr. Flick

1984

Night Court as Emil Dutton

1984

Night Court as Beepo the Clown

1984

Night Court as Jim Wimberly

1984

Body Language as Self

1984

Night Patrol as Doctor Ziegler

1983

To Be or Not to Be as Dobish

1982

Family Ties as Earl Quigley

1982

St. Elsewhere as Elliot Carlin

1982

Newhart as Patient

1982

Faerie Tale Theatre as Sexton / Deacon

1982

Frances as Bob Barnes

1982

The Rules of Marriage as Herb Gallup

1981

Simon & Simon as Dr. Robert P. Medlow

1981

History of the World: Part I as Stoned Soldier #2 - The Roman Empire

1980

The Tim Conway Show as Self

1980

Ladies Man as Not available

1979

Hart to Hart as Norman Culp

1978

Diff'rent Strokes as Mr. Crocker

1978

Joe and Valerie as Ed Sweetzer

1978

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street as Citizen (uncredited)

1977

The Love Boat as Miles Metcalf

1977

Eight Is Enough as Not available

1977

The World's Greatest Lover as Projectionist

1977

High Anxiety as The Desk Clerk

1976

Alice as Not available

1976

Silent Movie as Executive

1975

Barney Miller as Frederick Clooney

1975

Barney Miller as Robert Lovell

1974

The Rockford Files as Adrian Lyman

1974

Happy Days as Officer O'Reilly

1974

Police Woman as Joe

1974

Harry O as Eddie Stern

1974

Harry O as Barney Hamilton

1974

California Split as Second Bartender

1974

The Bank Shot as Agent Jackson

1974

The Bank Shot as Jackson

1973

Barnaby Jones as Norm Ricks

1973

The Snoop Sisters as Ollie Robertson

1973

The Long Goodbye as Riley

1972

M*A*S*H as Capt. Kaplan

1972

The Bob Newhart Show as Elliot Carlin

1972

Kung Fu as Royal

1971

Columbo as Director

1971

Cannon as Not available

1971

McCabe & Mrs. Miller as Riley Quinn

1971

The Todd Killings as Record Company Executive

1971

In Broad Daylight as Cab Driver #3 (uncredited)

1971

Getting Together as Not available

1970

The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Barry Barlow

1970

The Mary Tyler Moore Show as Eldon Colfax

1970

The Partridge Family as Corporal Wrzesinski

1970

Catch-22 as Doctor

1969

Love, American Style as Danny

1968

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In as Lyndon B. Johnson (uncredited)

1967

The Flying Nun as Leo

1966

Occasional Wife as Not available

1965

Hogan's Heroes as Not available

1965

Hogan's Heroes as Captain

1965

I Dream of Jeannie as Frank

1964

Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C. as Larry

1963

Days of Wine and Roses as Waiter (uncredited)

1951

The Red Skelton Show as Gunslinger

1951

The Red Skelton Show as Clergyman

1951

The Red Skelton Show as Minor Role