Richard Riehle (born May 12, 1948) is an American actor. He has appeared in over 400 films, television shows and other projects. Riehle was born on May 12, 1948, in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, the son of Mary Margaret (nÊe Walsh), a nurse, and Herbert John Riehle (1921â1961), an assistant postmaster. He attended the University of Notre Dame and then went on to complete an MFA at University of Minnesota. Riehle began acting at the Meadow Brook Theatre in Rochester, Michigan and was doing regional theatre in the Pacific Northwest when he got his very first film role in the John Wayne film Rooster Cogburn. Riehle has portrayed the role of Santa Claus in eight different projects, including five films, two television shows, and a television movie.
On television, he portrayed Walt Finnerty on Grounded for Life (2001â2005). He has also had multiple appearances across the Star Trek franchise, including the role of Batai in the acclaimed The Next Generation episode "The Inner Light". He also had guest roles in shows like NCIS, The Middle and The West Wing.
In film, Riehle played Tom Smykowski, the self-described "people person" who serves as an intermediary between the engineers and customers at the software company Initech in Office Space. His other roles include the ranch hand Carlson in Of Mice and Men (1992), the guard who allowed Harrison Ford to initially escape custody in The Fugitive (1993), Principal Beasely in the Pauly Shore comedy Jury Duty (1995), Executive Decision (1996), Mercury Rising (1998), Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo (1999), and Wedding Crashers (2005).
