
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)

Columbo
1971
as Director

Seinfeld
1989
as Rider

The Mike Douglas Show
1961
as Self

Married... with Children
1987
as Wendell

The Love Boat
1977
as Miles Metcalf

M*A*S*H
1972
as Capt. Kaplan

The Drew Carey Show
1995
as Mr. Jones

Rugrats
1991
as Stu Pickles (voice)

Coach
1989
as Oliver

That '70s Show
1998
as Old Man Shinsky

Love, American Style
1969
as Danny

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

Happy Days
1974
as Officer O'Reilly

The Rockford Files
1974
as Adrian Lyman

Simon & Simon
1981
as Dr. Robert P. Medlow

St. Elsewhere
1982
as Elliot Carlin

Barney Miller
1975
as Frederick Clooney / Robert Lovell

Family Ties
1982
as Earl Quigley

Cannon
1971

ALF
1986
as Elliot Carlin (uncredited)

Hart to Hart
1979
as Norman Culp

Family Matters
1989
as Wayne

Alice
1976

Police Woman
1974
as Joe

I Dream of Jeannie
1965
as Frank

Newhart
1982
as Patient

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

Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
1968
as Self / Lyndon B. Johnson (uncredited)

The Flying Nun
1967
as Leo

Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
1992
as Mr. Graves

Dave's World
1993
as Guy

Faerie Tale Theatre
1982
as Sexton / Deacon

Eight Is Enough
1977

The Partridge Family
1970
as Corporal Wrzesinski

All Grown Up!
2003
as Stu Pickles (voice)

Yes, Dear
2000
as Mr. Shipley

Harry O
1974
as Eddie Stern / Barney Hamilton

Punky Brewster
1984
as Snipes

Harry and the Hendersons
1991
as Leonard

Son of the Beach
2000

Working
1997
as Chaplain

Body Language
1984
as Self

George & Leo
1997

Occasional Wife
1966

Mike Hammer, Private Eye
1997

Blacke's Magic
1986

The Snoop Sisters
1973
as Ollie Robertson

The Tim Conway Show
1980
as Self

Oh, Grow Up
1999
Throb
1986

Mathnet
1987
as Mr. Dwight Ledbetter

Ladies' Man
1980
Movies (54)

Spaceballs
1987
as TV Newsman

Boogie Nights
1997
as Lawyer

The Player
1992
as Jack Riley

Catch-22
1970
as Doctor

The Rugrats Movie
1998
as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)

The Long Goodbye
1973
as Riley

Room 6
2006
as James Brewster

Frances
1982
as Bob Barnes

High Anxiety
1977
as The Desk Clerk

Rugrats Go Wild
2003
as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)

A Dangerous Woman
1993
as Bandleader

Rugrats in Paris: The Movie
2000
as Stu Pickles (voice)

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

Attack of the Killer Tomatoes!
1978
as Salesman

Theodore Rex
1995
as Alaric

Silent Movie
1976
as Executive

History of the World: Part I
1981
as Stoned Soldier #2 - The Roman Empire

In Broad Daylight
1971
as Cab Driver #3 (uncredited)

McCabe & Mrs. Miller
1971
as Riley Quinn

Finders Keepers
1984
as Ormond

Portrait of a White Marriage
1988
as Roy Bloomer

The World's Greatest Lover
1977
as Projectionist

The Bank Shot
1974
as Agent Jackson

Butch and Sundance: The Early Days
1979
as Messenger

Days of Wine and Roses
1963
as Waiter (uncredited)

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

To Be or Not to Be
1983
as Dobish

The Halloween That Almost Wasn't
1979
as Wolf Man

Gleaming the Cube
1989
as Homeowner

Chairman of the Board
1998
as Condom Boss

Rugrats: Tales from the Crib: Snow White
2005
as Stu (voice)

Christmas Eve on Sesame Street
1978
as Citizen (uncredited)

Rented Lips
1988
as Herb the Auditor

California Split
1974
as Second Bartender

Avenging Angel
2007
as Elder

The History of White People in America: Volume II
1986
as Scientist

Sesame Street Stays Up Late!
1993
as Jack(uncredited)

Rugrats: All Growed Up
2001
as Stu Pickles (voice)

The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers
1984
as Sexton / Deacon

Payback
1988
as Coroner

Night Patrol
1984
as Doctor Ziegler

A Rugrats Chanukah
1996
as Stu Pickles (voice)

When Your Lover Leaves
1983
as Ralph

The History of White People in America
1985
as Scientist

The Todd Killings
1971
as Record Company Executive

The Rules of Marriage
1982
as Herb Gallup

Lots of Luck
1985
as Marvin

Martin Mull Live from North Ridgeville, Ohio
1987
as Self

Marriage Is Alive and Well
1980
as Owen

Love in the Present Tense
1982
as Alex

A Rugrats Passover
1994
as Stu Pickles (voice)
The Bob Newhart Show 19th Anniversary Special
1991
as Elliot Carlin

First The Egg
1985
as Mr. White

Burl's
2003
as Gym Instructor
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 CineFlixo, 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
- Catch-22 (1970) — as Doctor
- The Rugrats Movie (1998) — as Stuart 'Stu' Pickles (voice)
Where to Watch Jack Riley Films
Most Jack Riley movies and series are available to stream on CineFlixo 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.