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 |
---|---|
Most Rating | 7.681 |
Birthday | 1935-12-30 |
Place of Birth | Cleveland, Ohio, USA |
Also Known As | John Albert Riley Jr., |
1981
History of the World: Part I
6.8/784
An uproarious version of history that proves nothing is sacred – not even the Roman Empire, the French Revolution and the Spanish Inquisition.
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History of the World: Part I
2006
Room 6
4.5/59
A schoolteacher with a phobia of hospitals finds herself searching for her boyfriend inside one while teaming up with a man suffering the same ordeal...
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Room 6
2003
Rugrats Go Wild
6.229/297
When the Rugrats find themselves stranded on a deserted island, they meet the Thornberrys, a family who agrees to help them escape.
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Rugrats Go Wild
1983
To Be or Not to Be
6.733/206
A bad Polish actor is just trying to make a living when Poland is invaded by the Germans in World War II. His wife has the habit of entertaining young...
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To Be or Not to Be
1977
High Anxiety
6.4/335
A psychiatrist with intense acrophobia (fear of heights) goes to work for a mental institution run by doctors who appear to be crazier than their pati...
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High Anxiety
1993
A Dangerous Woman
5.3/30
Martha Horgan is a withdrawn, mentally disabled woman who lives with her aunt, Frances. One of Martha's unusual traits is that she doesn't lie, a qual...
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A Dangerous Woman
1998
The Rugrats Movie
6.2/564
Based on the popular Nickelodeon TV series Rugrats, this is the first full-length feature animated movie to star the little tots. It's the story of di...
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The Rugrats Movie
1998
Chairman of the Board
3.685/62
Surfer Edison isn't able to make ends meet with his inventions or his lifestyle. But then he meets billionaire Armand McMillian, who takes a shine to...
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Chairman of the Board
2007
Avenging Angel
5.1/13
A preacher becomes a bounty hunter after a group of refugees seeking shelter in his church is murdered by a gang of ruthless outlaws.
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Avenging Angel
1989
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
4.4/72
A military experiment to create a race of super-warriors goes awry, as legions of murderous zombies are unleashed upon a suburban neighborhood.
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C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
1984
Night Patrol
4.365/27
Melvin White, a neurotic, accident-prone cop who gets demoted to the night shift, secretly moonlights as the Unknown Comic, an anonymous stand-up come...
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Night Patrol
1982
Frances
6.9/106
The true story of Frances Farmer's meteoric rise to fame in Hollywood and the tragic turn her life took when she was blacklisted.
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Frances
1991
The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
0/0
Bob is recovering from the horrible nightmare about a crazy little town in Vermont. As that happens, he begins reminiscing of events from episodes of...
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The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
1984
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
6.7/3
An intelligent, fearless boy living in a superstitious Transylvanian village goes out into the world to figure out what everyone else is afraid of, "t...
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The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
1979
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
5.7/6
Upset by rumors that Halloween may end, Dracula calls his mild-mannered monsters together and delivers an ultimatum - either regain their frightening...
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The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
1971
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
7.2/390
A gambler and a prostitute become business partners in a remote Old West mining town, and their enterprise thrives until a large corporation arrives o...
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McCabe & Mrs. Miller
2000
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
6.64/452
A group of rambunctious toddlers travel a trip to Paris. As they journey from the Eiffel Tower to Notre Dame, they learn new lessons about trust, loya...
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Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
2005
Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
6.6/11
Snow White enlists the help of her petite pals to go up against a vain queen, a role attacked with gusto by Angelica Pickles. Instead of marrying the...
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Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
1985
First The Egg
0/0
A group of high school students take part in a parenting class where their first assignment is to 'parent' an egg.
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First The Egg
2009
Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
0/0
A featurette about the origins of "Silent Movie," as well as its inspirations and development, direct cinematic influences, cast and performances, gag...
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Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
1977
The World's Greatest Lover
5.8/31
When frustrated movie studio mogul Adolph Zitz announces a talent search for a romantic leading man to rival the great Rudolph Valentino, thousands of...
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The World's Greatest Lover
1985
The History of White People in America
6.2/6
In this parody of documentaries, host Martin Mull discusses the contributions that white people have made to the USA, visits the Institute of White St...
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The History of White People in America
1976
Silent Movie
6.5/286
Aspiring filmmakers Mel Funn, Marty Eggs and Dom Bell go to a financially troubled studio with an idea for a silent movie. In an effort to make the mo...
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Silent Movie
1992
The Player
7.198/800
A Hollywood studio executive is being sent death threats by a writer whose script he rejected - but which one?
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The Player
1982
Love in the Present Tense
0/0
Vera Jenkins is a beautiful ex-model, who at the height of her fame, met with tragedy that locked her into seclusion for seventeen years. Now she must...
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Love in the Present Tense
1974
California Split
6.6/116
Carefree single guy Charlie Waters rooms with two lovely prostitutes, Barbara Miller and Susan Peters, and lives to gamble. Along with his glum bettin...
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California Split
1963
Days of Wine and Roses
7.5/187
An alcoholic falls in love with and gets married to a young woman, whom he systematically addicts to booze so they can share his "passion" together.
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Days of Wine and Roses
1974
The Bank Shot
5.4/28
A bank temporarily housed in a mobile home while a new building is built, looks like an easy target to break into. On the other hand, why not steal th...
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The Bank Shot
1987
Spaceballs
6.8/2937
When the nefarious Dark Helmet hatches a plan to snatch Princess Vespa and steal her planet's air, space-bum-for-hire Lone Starr and his clueless side...
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Spaceballs
1978
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
4.958/289
After a wave of reports of mysterious attacks involving people and pets being eaten by the traditionally docile fruit, a special government task force...
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Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
1970
Catch-22
6.674/302
A bombardier in World War II tries desperately to escape the insanity of the war. However, sometimes insanity is the only sane way to cope with a craz...
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Catch-22
1974
The Bank Shot
5.4/28
A bank temporarily housed in a mobile home while a new building is built, looks like an easy target to break into. On the other hand, why not steal th...
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The Bank Shot
1997
Boogie Nights
7.643/3119
Set in 1977, back when sex was safe, pleasure was a business and business was booming, idealistic porn producer Jack Horner aspires to elevate his cra...
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Boogie Nights
1983
When Your Lover Leaves
0/0
Comedy about a woman dumped by her married boyfriend who gets involved in a short-lived relationship with a neighbor. When that also doesn't work out,...
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When Your Lover Leaves
1988
Payback
3.5/4
A right-wing revolutionary group called Strikeforce goes on a kidnapping and murdering spree in order to obtain a lethal top secret weapon. A Vietnam...
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Payback
1988
Portrait of a White Marriage
4/4
Now a famous talk show host, Martin Mull takes his crew and cameras to Hawkins Falls, Ohio with the intent to give his erratic career a fresh start by...
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Portrait of a White Marriage
2001
Rugrats: All Growed Up
6.5/41
Will Tommy still be the gang's fearless leader? Will Chuckie survive his first "crush"? Will Angelica still be underhanded? The answers are here as th...
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Rugrats: All Growed Up
2003
Burl's
6.4/5
When a young boy encounters three drag queens outside Burl's Diner in L.A. he decides that perhaps its time he checked out Mom's closet...
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Burl's
1986
The History of White People in America: Volume II
9/2
In this daring follow-up to The History of White People in America, comedian Martin Mull takes us on an in-depth look at such topics as White Religion...
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The History of White People in America: Volume II
1989
Gleaming the Cube
5.9/131
An Orange County teenager's carefree life of ditching class and skateboarding abandoned pools comes to a screeching halt when someone close to him die...
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Gleaming the Cube
1995
Theodore Rex
3.606/104
In an alternate futuristic society, a tough female police detective is paired with a talking dinosaur to find the killer of dinosaurs and other prehis...
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Theodore Rex
1973
The Long Goodbye
7.4/622
In 1970s Hollywood, Detective Philip Marlowe tries to help a friend who is accused of murdering his wife.
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The Long Goodbye
1979
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
4.8/29
Before the adventures that made them legends, they were charming mastermind Robert Leroy Parker, alias Butch Cassidy, and crack-shot outlaw Harry Alon...
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Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
1987
Rented Lips
4.2/6
A documentary filmmaker, who has spent the last 15 years making films like "Aluminum: Our Shiny Friend," is finally given the chance to make the docum...
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Rented Lips
1971
In Broad Daylight
5.8/8
A newly blind actor discovers his wife is cheating on him with his best friend and hatches a plot to murder her and frame his friend for it.
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In Broad Daylight
1996
A Rugrats Chanukah
6.556/9
The story of the Jewish holiday Chanukah through the eyes of the Rugrats, who imagine themselves as the main characters. Meanwhile, Grandpa Boris and...
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A Rugrats Chanukah
1994
A Rugrats Passover
7.333/12
The plot follows series regulars Grandpa Boris and the babies as they become trapped in the attic on Passover; to pass the time, Boris tells the Jewis...
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A Rugrats Passover
1980
Marriage Is Alive and Well
0/0
A talented wedding photographer, at a crossroads with his own marriage, reflects on tales of past clients and the hope, adversity and romance that hol...
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Marriage Is Alive and Well
1985
Lots of Luck
7/3
A middle-aged Annette Funicello stars in this made-for-Disney film about a blue-collar family whose lives are forever transformed when they win the lo...
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Lots of Luck
1982
The Rules of Marriage
1/1
A seemingly perfect marriage disintegrates, as both husband and wife become involved in a series of affairs.
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