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
Most Rating 7.681
Birthday 1935-12-30
Place of Birth Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Also Known As John Albert Riley Jr.,
History of the World: Part I
1981

History of the World: Part I

Room 6
2006

Room 6

Rugrats Go Wild
2003

Rugrats Go Wild

To Be or Not to Be
1983

To Be or Not to Be

High Anxiety
1977

High Anxiety

A Dangerous Woman
1993

A Dangerous Woman

The Rugrats Movie
1998

The Rugrats Movie

Chairman of the Board
1998

Chairman of the Board

Avenging Angel
2007

Avenging Angel

C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
1989

C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud

Night Patrol
1984

Night Patrol

Frances
1982

Frances

The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
1991

The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
1984

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
1979

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't

McCabe & Mrs. Miller
1971

McCabe & Mrs. Miller

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
2000

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie

Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
2005

Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White

First The Egg
1985

First The Egg

Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
2009

Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'

The World's Greatest Lover
1977

The World's Greatest Lover

The History of White People in America
1985

The History of White People in America

Silent Movie
1976

Silent Movie

The Player
1992

The Player

Love in the Present Tense
1982

Love in the Present Tense

California Split
1974

California Split

Days of Wine and Roses
1963

Days of Wine and Roses

The Bank Shot
1974

The Bank Shot

Spaceballs
1987

Spaceballs

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
1978

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!

Catch-22
1970

Catch-22

The Bank Shot
1974

The Bank Shot

Boogie Nights
1997

Boogie Nights

When Your Lover Leaves
1983

When Your Lover Leaves

Payback
1988

Payback

Portrait of a White Marriage
1988

Portrait of a White Marriage

Rugrats: All Growed Up
2001

Rugrats: All Growed Up

Burl's
2003

Burl's

The History of White People in America: Volume II
1986

The History of White People in America: Volume II

Gleaming the Cube
1989

Gleaming the Cube

Theodore Rex
1995

Theodore Rex

The Long Goodbye
1973

The Long Goodbye

Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
1979

Butch and Sundance: The Early Days

Rented Lips
1987

Rented Lips

In Broad Daylight
1971

In Broad Daylight

A Rugrats Chanukah
1996

A Rugrats Chanukah

A Rugrats Passover
1994

A Rugrats Passover

Marriage Is Alive and Well
1980

Marriage Is Alive and Well

Lots of Luck
1985

Lots of Luck

The Rules of Marriage
1982

The Rules of Marriage