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). 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.
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| Organization | Category | Movie |
|---|
Rugrats
as Stu Pickles (voice)
Episodes: 322
First Aired: Aug 11, 1991
The Bob Newhart Show
as Elliot Carlin
Episodes: 18
First Aired: Sep 16, 1972
Diff'rent Strokes
as Mr. Crocker
Episodes: 5
First Aired: Nov 03, 1978
All Grown Up!
as Stu Pickles (voice)
Episodes: 5
First Aired: Apr 12, 2003
Joe and Valerie
as Ed Sweetzer
Episodes: 4
First Aired: Apr 24, 1978
Night Court
as Dr. Flick
Episodes: 3
First Aired: Jan 04, 1984
Night Court
as Beepo the Clown
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Jan 04, 1984
That '70s Show
as Old Man Shinsky
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Aug 23, 1998
The Drew Carey Show
as Mr. Jones
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1995
Family Ties
as Earl Quigley
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 1982
Columbo
as Director
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 15, 1971
Seinfeld
as Rider
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jul 05, 1989
M*A*S*H
as Capt. Kaplan
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 17, 1972
Charles in Charge
as Professor Kleeman
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 03, 1984
I Dream of Jeannie
as Frank
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 18, 1965
Touched by an Angel
as Leo
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 21, 1994
Coach
as Oliver
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Feb 28, 1989
Barney Miller
as Frederick Clooney
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 23, 1975
Punky Brewster
as Snipes
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 16, 1984
Faerie Tale Theatre
as Sexton / Deacon
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 11, 1982
Yes, Dear
as Mr. Shipley
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 2000
Working
as Chaplain
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 08, 1997
Dave's World
as Guy
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 20, 1993
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
as Barry Barlow
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 19, 1970
Mathnet
as Mr. Dwight Ledbetter
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 26, 1987
Married... with Children
as Wendell
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 05, 1987
Night Court
as Emil Dutton
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 04, 1984
The Rockford Files
as Adrian Lyman
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1974
Kung Fu
as Royal
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 14, 1972
Hogan's Heroes
as Captain
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 17, 1965
Harry and the Hendersons
as Leonard
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 13, 1991
Night Court
as Jim Wimberly
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 04, 1984
The Love Boat
as Miles Metcalf
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
Barney Miller
as Robert Lovell
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 23, 1975
Police Woman
as Joe
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1974
The Mary Tyler Moore Show
as Eldon Colfax
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 19, 1970
The Snoop Sisters
as Ollie Robertson
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Dec 19, 1973
Hangin' with Mr. Cooper
as Mr. Graves
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 1992
The Tim Conway Show
as Self
Episodes: 32
First Aired: Mar 22, 1980
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
as Guest Performer
Episodes: 26
First Aired: Sep 09, 1967
The Bob Newhart Show
Episodes: 15
First Aired: Sep 16, 1972
Washingtoon
Episodes: 12
First Aired: Aug 02, 1985
Son of the Beach
Episodes: 10
First Aired: Mar 14, 2000
Roxie
Episodes: 6
First Aired: Apr 01, 1987
Gomer Pyle, U.S.M.C.
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 25, 1964
Hogan's Heroes
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 17, 1965
Harry O
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 12, 1974
Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In
as Self
Episodes: 2
First Aired: Sep 09, 1967
St. Elsewhere
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 26, 1982
All Grown Up!
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Apr 12, 2003
Alice
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Aug 31, 1976
The Love Boat
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 24, 1977
Simon & Simon
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Nov 24, 1981
The Flying Nun
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 07, 1967
Happy Days
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 15, 1974
Mike Hammer, Private Eye
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 28, 1997
Newhart
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 02, 1982
Family Matters
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 1989
Hart to Hart
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 1979
Cannon
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 14, 1971
Eight Is Enough
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Mar 15, 1977
Throb
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 20, 1986
Getting Together
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 18, 1971
Occasional Wife
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 13, 1966
Blacke's Magic
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Jan 05, 1986
Oh, Grow Up
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 22, 1999
Ladies Man
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Oct 27, 1980
The Garfield Show
as Ghost Cat (voice)
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Nov 02, 2009
George & Leo
Episodes: 1
First Aired: Sep 15, 1997
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| 2024 | 6 | 9 | 17 | 4 |
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| 2025 | 1 | 9 | 24 | 3 |
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| 2025 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 2025 | 8 | 4 | 13 | 0 |