Richard Riehle, prolific character actor from 'Office Space' and 'Bridesmaids,' dies at 78

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Set us as preferred Richard Riehle, a prolific character actor who portrayed Tom Smykowski, the product manager with “people skills” in Mike Judge’s cult classic, “Office Space,” has died.He was 78.

Riehle died Thursday of natural causes in Los Angeles, his representatives from Artists & Representatives and Wright Entertainment Inc.confirmed Monday to The Times.

No additional details were provided.“A remarkable actor whose career in theater, film, and television spanned nearly five decades and more than 400 projects, Richard leaves behind an extraordinary legacy,” read the joint statement from his talent agency and management company.

“Beyond his immense talent, he will be remembered for his genuine goodness, boundless kindness, and unwavering generosity, particularly toward emerging actors and filmmakers, whom he encouraged and supported at every opportunity.Television The actor was best known for his role on AMC’s ‘Breaking Bad,’ in which he played Walter White’s son and was considered the conscience of the series.“Our industry has lost an exceptional talent, and our community has lost a truly wonderful man,” it continued.

In the 1999 corporate comedy “Office Space,” Riehle portrayed Tom, a middle manager who is laid off by the company before being seriously injured in a hit-and-run accident and winning a large settlement.“We didn’t have a regular effects person to put me into a body cast for my scene after the character’s accident, so we hired an EMT guy to put me in a real cast,” Riehle said in an interview with Notre Dame Magazine.

“I couldn’t get out of it for 8 hours — and when the EMT had to go to work he left a cast-cutter for the PA [production assistant].That was fun.”Riehle’s other credits include portraying the guard who lets Harrison Ford’s character es...