LOS ANGELES — Richard Riehle, the character actor best known as Tom Smykowski in “Office Space,” died from a stroke, with throat cancer listed as an underlying cause, according to a death certificate obtained by TMZ and reported by FOX 10 Phoenix.
The certificate identifies the cancer as oropharyngeal cancer, which affects the throat and nearby areas. Riehle died Oct. 15 in Los Angeles and was cremated Oct. 23, according to the reports.
Riehle had more than 400 film and television credits. His role as Smykowski in the 1999 workplace comedy helped push the film’s main character into rebellion against fictional tech firm Initech.
He began acting at the University of Notre Dame and had his first speaking role in 1977’s “Joyride.” His other credits include “Of Mice and Men,” “The Fugitive” and “Casino.”
“Our industry has lost an exceptional talent, and our community has lost a truly wonderful man,” Wright Entertainment said in a statement earlier this month, praising his generosity toward emerging actors and filmmakers.
Sources: FOX 10 Phoenix. Thee Arizona Times uses AI-assisted reporting reviewed against the sources listed.
Photo: Kōshirō Onchi / Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
