Jack Riley
Known for Acting · 120 credits
- Born
- 1935-12-30
- Died
- 2016-08-19
- Place of birth
- Cleveland, Ohio, USA
- Also known as
- John Albert Riley Jr.
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).
Known For
TV Shows (66)
Seinfeld
1989
as Rider
Columbo
1971
as Director
The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self
The Love Boat
1977
as Miles Metcalf
Rugrats
1991
as Stu Pickles (voice)
Married... with Children
1987
as Wendell
M*A*S*H
1972
as Capt. Kaplan
The Drew Carey Show
1995
as Mr. Jones
That '70s Show
1998
as Old Man Shinsky
Love, American Style
1969
as Danny
Coach
1989
as Oliver
Hogan's Heroes
1965
as Captain
Night Court
1984
as Dr. Flick / Emil Dutton / Beepo the Clown / Jim Wimberly
Touched by an Angel
1994
as Leo
Simon & Simon
1981
as Dr. Robert P. Medlow
Happy Days
1974
as Officer O'Reilly
Alice
1976
St. Elsewhere
1982
as Elliot Carlin
The Rockford Files
1974
as Adrian Lyman
Barney Miller
1975
as Frederick Clooney / Robert Lovell
Family Ties
1982
as Earl Quigley
Cannon
1971
Family Matters
1989
as Wayne
ALF
1986
as Elliot Carlin (uncredited)
Hart to Hart
1979
as Norman Culp
I Dream of Jeannie
1965
as Frank
Newhart
1982
as Patient
Police Woman
1974
as Joe
The Red Skelton Show
1951
as Gunslinger / Clergyman / Minor Role
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
1970
as Barry Barlow / Eldon Colfax
Barnaby Jones
1973
as Norm Ricks
The Bob Newhart Show
1972
as Elliot Carlin
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
1964
as Larry
The Garfield Show
2009
as Ghost Cat (voice)
Charles in Charge
1984
as Professor Kleeman
The Flying Nun
1967
as Leo
Dave's World
1993
as Guy
Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Sexton / Deacon
Eight Is Enough
1977
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
1992
as Mr. Graves
Punky Brewster
1984
as Snipes
The Partridge Family
1970
as Corporal Wrzesinski
Harry O
1974
as Eddie Stern / Barney Hamilton
Yes, Dear
2000
as Mr. Shipley
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968
as Self / Lyndon B. Johnson (uncredited)
All Grown Up!
2003
as Stu Pickles (voice)
Harry and the Hendersons
1991
as Leonard
Son of the Beach
2000
Working
1997
as Chaplain
Body Language
1984
as Self
George & Leo
1997
Mike Hammer, Private Eye
1997
Occasional Wife
1966
Blacke's Magic
1986
The Snoop Sisters
1973
as Ollie Robertson
The Tim Conway Show
1980
as Self
Mathnet
1987
as Mr. Dwight Ledbetter
Oh, Grow Up
1999
Ladies' Man
1980
Throb
1986
Movies (54)
Spaceballs
1987
as TV Newsman
Boogie Nights
1997
as Lawyer
The Player
1992
as Jack Riley
The Rugrats Movie
1998
as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
Catch-22
1970
as Doctor
The Long Goodbye
1973
as Riley
Rugrats Go Wild
2003
as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
High Anxiety
1977
as The Desk Clerk
Room 6
2006
as James Brewster
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
2000
as Stu Pickles (voice)
A Dangerous Woman
1993
as Bandleader
Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
2009
as Self
Frances
1982
as Bob Barnes
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
1971
as Riley Quinn
History of the World: Part I
1981
as Stoned Soldier #2 - The Roman Empire
Theodore Rex
1995
as Alaric
Portrait of a White Marriage
1988
as Roy Bloomer
Silent Movie
1976
as Executive
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
1979
as Messenger
Days of Wine and Roses
1963
as Waiter (uncredited)
To Be or Not to Be
1983
as Dobish
Gleaming the Cube
1989
as Homeowner
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
1989
as Wade
The Bank Shot
1974
as Agent Jackson
Finders Keepers
1984
as Ormond
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
1978
as Salesman
The World's Greatest Lover
1977
as Projectionist
In Broad Daylight
1971
as Cab Driver #3 (uncredited)
Chairman of the Board
1998
as Condom Boss
Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
2005
as Stu (voice)
Rugrats: All Growed Up
2001
as Stu Pickles (voice)
The History of White People in America: Volume II
1986
as Scientist
California Split
1974
as Second Bartender
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
1984
as Sexton / Deacon
Avenging Angel
2007
as Elder
When Your Lover Leaves
1983
as Ralph
A Rugrats Chanukah
1996
as Stu Pickles (voice)
The History of White People in America
1985
as Scientist
The Todd Killings
1971
as Record Company Executive
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
1978
as Citizen (uncredited)
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
1979
as Wolf Man
Rented Lips
1988
as Herb the Auditor
Night Patrol
1984
as Doctor Ziegler
The Rules of Marriage
1982
as Herb Gallup
Lots of Luck
1985
as Marvin
Sesame Street Stays Up Late!
1993
as Jack(uncredited)
Marriage Is Alive and Well
1980
as Owen
Payback
1988
as Coroner
Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio
1987
as Self
The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
1991
as Elliot Carlin
Love in the Present Tense
1982
as Alex
A Rugrats Passover
1994
as Stu Pickles (voice)
Burl's
2003
as Gym Instructor
First The Egg
1985
as Mr. White
About 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 r… With 120 credits spanning from 1951 to 2009, Jack Riley has appeared in 54 films and 66 TV shows.
Fans searching for Jack Riley movies, Jack Riley filmography, or the latest projects starring Jack Riley can stream many of these titles on Bowood.TV, free and in HD, with no subscription required.
Most Popular Jack Riley Movies
- Spaceballs (1987) — as TV Newsman
- Boogie Nights (1997) — as Lawyer
- The Player (1992) — as Jack Riley
- The Rugrats Movie (1998) — as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
- Catch-22 (1970) — as Doctor
Where to Watch Jack Riley Films
Most Jack Riley movies and series are available to stream on Bowood.TV in full HD, completely free and without signup. Browse the complete filmography above to jump directly to any title. For more films and the latest web series featuring Jack Riley, check our movies catalogue and browse page.