Jack Riley

Cleveland-born comedy actor 'Jack Riley' (qv) (on December 30, 1935) switched his career interest from baseball to acting after obtaining a radio job, writing and performing skits while attending John Carroll University. He toured military bases throughout the world in comedy shows after being drafted in the Army in 1958.Following his discharge, he returned to radio and became one of Cleveland's top personalities before setting his sights on film and TV. Receiving a break from old radio pal 'Tim Conway' (qv), Jack headed west and began writing material especially for Tim for assorted TV guest appearances. He also performed in radio commercials.Soon Riley was working in front of the camera, his first role being a regular part on the sitcom _Occasional Wife (1966)_ (qv). Other parts soon came his way on various '60s laughfests, including _Hogan's Heroes (1965)_ (qv), _I Dream of Jeannie (1965)_ (qv) and especially _Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In (1967)_ (qv) where both his writing and performing skills were utilized. It was also on "Laugh-In" that he met future wife Ginger Lawrence, the producer's assistant at the time. The slim actor sought out films in the '70s with roles in _Catch-22 (1970)_ (qv), _McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)_ (qv), _The Long Goodbye (1973)_ (qv), and _Attack of the Killer Tomatoes! (1978)_ (qv). He also became a minor staple in 'Mel Brooks' (qv)'s spoofs, with _Silent Movie (1976)_ (qv), _High Anxiety (1977)_ (qv) and _History of the World: Part I (1981)_ (qv) to his credit.TV gave Jack his best shot, especially as the dry, terminally-depressed Elliot Carlin on The 'Bob Newhart' (qv) Show (1972), where his hilariously morose character proved a constant scene-stealer. Along with continued guest roles in _Harrys wundersames Strafgericht (1984)_ (qv), _Seinfeld (1989)_ (qv), and others, he appeared on stage occasionally; of note he played comedian 'Fred Allen' (qv) in "Mr. Allen, Mr. Allen".Into the millennium, Jack focused mostly on TV and voiceover work on cartoons and Rugrats video games. On-camera appearances included voicing the Stu Pickles character in two animated series: _Rugrats (1990)_ (qv) and _All Grown Up! (2003)_ (qv). He also had a recurring role on the sitcom _Son of the Beach (2000)_ (qv) and made guest appearances on "Lucky," "That 70's Show," "Avenging Angel" and "Easy to Assemble." He last appeared on feature film in the horror thriller _Room 6 (2006)_ (qv).Jack passed away in Los Angeles from pneumonia at the age of 80. He was survived by his wife and two children.::Gary Brumburgh / [email protected]