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.
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), MAS*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.
External links
IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/nm0727051
Wikipedia: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1512150
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Filmography (Movies)
Silent Laughter: The Reel Inspirations of 'Silent Movie'
Character:Self
Release Date:15/12/2009
Avenging Angel
Character:Elder
Release Date:07/07/2007
Room 6
Character:James Brewster
Release Date:13/06/2006
Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
Character:Stu (voice)
Release Date:09/09/2005
Rugrats Go Wild
Character:Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
Release Date:13/06/2003
Burl's
Character:Gym Instructor
Release Date:08/06/2003
Rugrats: All Growed Up
Character:Stu Pickles (voice)
Release Date:21/07/2001
Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
Character:Stu Pickles (voice)
Release Date:17/11/2000
The Rugrats Movie
Character:Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
Release Date:20/11/1998
Chairman of the Board
Character:Condom Boss
Release Date:13/03/1998
Boogie Nights
Character:Lawyer
Release Date:10/10/1997
A Rugrats Chanukah
Character:Stu Pickles (voice)
Release Date:04/12/1996
Theodore Rex
Character:Alaric
Release Date:14/12/1995
A Rugrats Passover
Character:Stu Pickles (voice)
Release Date:29/05/1994
A Dangerous Woman
Character:Bandleader
Release Date:10/09/1993
The Player
Character:Jack Riley
Release Date:08/05/1992
The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
Character:Elliot Carlin
Release Date:23/11/1991
C.H.U.D. II: Bud the Chud
Character:Wade
Release Date:05/05/1989
Gleaming the Cube
Character:Homeowner
Release Date:13/01/1989
Portrait of a White Marriage
Character:Roy Bloomer
Release Date:27/08/1988
Rented Lips
Character:Herb the Auditor
Release Date:01/07/1988
Payback
Character:Coroner
Release Date:01/01/1988
Spaceballs
Character:TV Newsman
Release Date:24/06/1987
The History of White People in America: Volume II
Character:Scientist
Release Date:01/01/1986
The History of White People in America
Character:Scientist
Release Date:04/06/1985
First The Egg
Character:Mr. White
Release Date:06/03/1985
Lots of Luck
Character:Marvin
Release Date:03/02/1985
Night Patrol
Character:Doctor Ziegler
Release Date:16/11/1984
The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
Character:Sexton / Deacon
Release Date:17/09/1984
Finders Keepers
Character:Ormond
Release Date:18/05/1984
To Be or Not to Be
Character:Dobish
Release Date:16/12/1983
When Your Lover Leaves
Character:Ralph
Release Date:31/10/1983
Frances
Character:Bob Barnes
Release Date:03/12/1982
The Rules of Marriage
Character:Herb Gallup
Release Date:10/05/1982
Love in the Present Tense
Character:Alex
Release Date:01/01/1982
History of the World: Part I
Character:Stoned Soldier #2 - The Roman Empire
Release Date:12/06/1981
Marriage Is Alive and Well
Character:Owen
Release Date:25/01/1980
The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
Character:Wolf Man
Release Date:28/10/1979
Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
Character:Messenger
Release Date:15/06/1979
Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
Character:Citizen (uncredited)
Release Date:03/12/1978
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
Character:Salesman
Release Date:04/10/1978
High Anxiety
Character:The Desk Clerk
Release Date:25/12/1977
The World's Greatest Lover
Character:Projectionist
Release Date:18/12/1977
Silent Movie
Character:Executive
Release Date:17/06/1976
California Split
Character:Second Bartender
Release Date:07/08/1974
The Bank Shot
Character:Agent Jackson
Release Date:31/07/1974
The Bank Shot
Character:Jackson
Release Date:31/07/1974
The Long Goodbye
Character:Riley
Release Date:08/03/1973
The Todd Killings
Character:Record Company Executive
Release Date:20/10/1971
In Broad Daylight
Character:Cab Driver #3 (uncredited)
Release Date:16/10/1971
McCabe & Mrs. Miller
Character:Riley Quinn
Release Date:24/06/1971
Catch-22
Character:Doctor
Release Date:24/06/1970
Days of Wine and Roses
Character:Waiter (uncredited)
Release Date:04/02/1963
Television Appearances
The Garfield Show
Character:Ghost Cat (voice)
All Grown Up!
Character:
All Grown Up!
Character:Stu Pickles (voice)
Yes, Dear
Character:Mr. Shipley
Son of the Beach
Character:
Oh, Grow Up
Character:
That '70s Show
Character:Old Man Shinsky
Working
Character:Chaplain
Mike Hammer, Private Eye
Character:
George & Leo
Character:
The Drew Carey Show
Character:Mr. Jones
Touched by an Angel
Character:Leo
Dave's World
Character:Guy
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
Character:Mr. Graves
Rugrats
Character:Stu Pickles (voice)
Harry and the Hendersons
Character:Leonard
Family Matters
Character:Wayne
Seinfeld
Character:Rider
Coach
Character:Oliver
A Fine Romance
Character:Ray Ragalito
Married... with Children
Character:Wendell
Roxie
Character:Leon Buchanan
Mathnet
Character:Mr. Dwight Ledbetter
ALF
Character:Elliot Carlin (uncredited)
Throb
Character:
Blacke's Magic
Character:
Washingtoon
Character:
Charles in Charge
Character:Professor Kleeman
Punky Brewster
Character:Snipes
Body Language
Character:Self
Night Court
Character:Dr. Flick
Night Court
Character:Emil Dutton
Night Court
Character:Beepo the Clown
Night Court
Character:Jim Wimberly
St. Elsewhere
Character:Elliot Carlin
Newhart
Character:Patient
Family Ties
Character:Earl Quigley
Faerie Tale Theatre
Character:Sexton / Deacon
Simon & Simon
Character:Dr. Robert P. Medlow
Ladies' Man
Character:
The Tim Conway Show
Character:Self
Hart to Hart
Character:Norman Culp
Diff'rent Strokes
Character:Mr. Crocker
Joe and Valerie
Character:Ed Sweetzer
The Love Boat
Character:Miles Metcalf
Eight Is Enough
Character:
Alice
Character:
Barney Miller
Character:Frederick Clooney
Barney Miller
Character:Robert Lovell
The Rockford Files
Character:Adrian Lyman
Police Woman
Character:Joe
Harry O
Character:Eddie Stern
Harry O
Character:Barney Hamilton
Happy Days
Character:Officer O'Reilly
The Snoop Sisters
Character:Ollie Robertson
Barnaby Jones
Character:Norm Ricks
Kung Fu
Character:Royal
M*A*S*H
Character:Capt. Kaplan
The Bob Newhart Show
Character:Elliot Carlin
Getting Together
Character:
Columbo
Character:Director
Cannon
Character:
The Partridge Family
Character:Corporal Wrzesinski
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Character:Barry Barlow
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
Character:Eldon Colfax
Love, American Style
Character:Danny
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Character:Self
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
Character:Lyndon B. Johnson (uncredited)
The Flying Nun
Character:Leo
Occasional Wife
Character:
I Dream of Jeannie
Character:Frank
Hogan's Heroes
Character:
Hogan's Heroes
Character:Captain
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Character:Larry
The Mike Douglas Show
Character:Self
The Red Skelton Show
Character:Gunslinger
The Red Skelton Show
Character:Clergyman
The Red Skelton Show
Character:Minor Role
Images
