Richard Riehle filmography and biography
Date of birth: 12 May 1948, Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin, USA
Richard Riehle biography
The son of an assistant postmaster (Herbert John Riehle) and a nurse (Mary Margaret Riehle, née Walsh), Richard attended the University of Notre Dame, where he became heavily involved with the University Theatre. Appearing in such productions as "Luther", "Antigone", "Rhinoceros", "Romeo and Juliet", and "How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying", he also took on the task of stage manager on many of these productions, and it was not unusual to find him helping to build the sets or manage the costumes during this period. Graduating with a B.A. (cum laude) in 1970, Richard traveled to Salzburg and Innsbruck to study German, a language in which he is fluent. Progressing to Academy of Dramatic Art in Rochester, Michigan, Richard has had extensive experience as a stage actor, as well as teaching acting, and made his Broadway debut in 1986 with "Execution of Justice". One of his major triumphs in the theatre has been alongside Kevin Spacey in the acclaimed 1999 revival of O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh", in which he played the drunken, corrupt ex-cop Pat McGloin. Brief appearances in Rooster Cogburn, The Duchess and Dirtwater Fox, Joy Ride, and Twice in a Lifetime, as well as in such TV fare as Escape From Hell (1977), Joe Kennedy: The Forgotten Kennedy (1977), and the NBC series "Hot Pursuit" (1984) have disguised an expanding repertory theatre portfolio. Richard has also contributed to such diverse undertakings as Bay Area Radio's Eugene O'Neill Project (playing Smithers to Joe Morton's Brutis Jones in "The Emperor Jones") and the Adams-Jefferson Project of Carleton College, participating in a series of recordings of the correspondence between the two US Presidents. To this day, Richard has maintained his involvement in theatre workshops and encouraging the dramatic arts under the auspices of the Mark Taper Forum and A.S.K. However, since his scene-stealing cameo as the Quartermaster in 1989's Glory, with his trademark bushy mustache and heavyset frame, Richard has acquitted himself as one of the best, and busiest, character players on TV and in the movies.
Richard Riehle trivia
- It wasn't until 1976 that Richard made the move to the West Coast and
concentrated on jobs from Alaska to Arizona and pretty much everywhere
in between.
- He apprenticed at the Meadowbrook Theater in Michigan right out of
school and earned his Equity Card there in 1974. The next year he
broadened his professional status earning his A.F.T.R.A. membership
doing Commercial and Local TV work in Michigan and joined the Screen
Actors Guild while shooting Joy ride in Washington State in 1976.
- Was considered for the role of Cliff Clavin on Cheers.
Richard Riehle quotes
- (His advice to actors) It's such a matter of luck - There's so many
people as skilled as you, so many unknowns in every choice - that you
shouldn't take rejection personally, but be thankful for every
opportunity.
- It's so much about being in the right place at the right time, but when
your break comes, you better be ready and able to produce.