# Jack Riley (actor)
**Jack Riley** (December 30, 1935 – August 19, 2016) was an American comic actor best known for playing the neurotic patient Elliot Carlin on the 1970s sitcom *The Bob Newhart Show* and for voicing Stu Pickles, the absent-minded father, in the [Nickelodeon](https://www.edgepedia.org/nickelodeon) animated series *Rugrats* and its spinoff *[All Grown Up!](https://www.edgepedia.org/all-grown-up)*[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley). His full name was John Albert Riley Jr.[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | December 30, 1935, Cleveland, Ohio; August 19, 2016, Los Angeles, of pneumonia after a long illness[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley) |
| Signature role | Elliot Carlin, the selfish, stressed-out patient of Dr. Bob Hartley on *The Bob Newhart Show* (1972–1978), in 49 episodes[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley) |
| Voice role | Stu Pickles in *Rugrats* (1991–2005) and *All Grown Up!* (2003–2007), plus the Rugrats films and video games[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jack_riley) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/) |
| Film work | Regular in Mel Brooks films: *Silent Movie*, *High Anxiety*, *The History of the World: Part 1*, *To Be or Not to Be*, and *Spaceballs*[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley) |
| Career scale | More than 150 credits over five decades[5](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jack-riley-20160819-snap-story.html) |
| Early career | Co-host of the *Baxter and Riley* radio show on WERE in Cleveland; first recurring TV role on *Occasional Wife* (1966–67)[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley) |
## Early life and radio
Riley was born in Cleveland, Ohio, and attended [John Carroll University](https://www.edgepedia.org/john-carroll-university) in the city's suburbs, where he wrote and performed comedy sketches on the campus radio station; he had originally intended to become a baseball player before turning to performing[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/). He was drafted into the [United States Army](https://www.edgepedia.org/united-states-army) in 1958 and toured military bases around the world in comedy shows[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/).
After his discharge he returned to [Cleveland](https://www.edgepedia.org/cleveland) and became one of the city's top radio personalities, co-hosting the popular *Baxter and Riley* show on station WERE with on-air partner [Jeff Baxter](https://www.edgepedia.org/jeff-baxter)[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley). Moving to Los Angeles, he reconnected with the comedy actor and writer [Tim Conway](https://www.edgepedia.org/tim-conway), whom he had befriended at WERE; Conway helped him find work as a television writer, which led to on-camera roles[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley). His first television job was as a writer for *The Don Rickles Show*, as he recalled in a 2007 interview for the American Comedy Archives at Emerson College[6](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/jack-riley-with-emerson-college).
## Television career
Riley's first success was a recurring role on the sitcom *Occasional Wife*, which aired from 1966 to 1967[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley). Between 1967 and 1972 alone he appeared on sixteen different shows, including *I Dream of Jeannie*, *The Partridge Family*, and *Hogan's Heroes*[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jack_riley).
**Elliot Carlin.** In 1972 Riley joined the cast of *The Bob Newhart Show* as Elliot Carlin, the grumpy, self-absorbed patient of Chicago psychologist Dr. Bob Hartley, played by [Bob Newhart](https://www.edgepedia.org/bob-newhart)[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jack_riley) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley). He appeared in 49 episodes over the show's six-year run[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley). The character proved popular enough that Riley reprised it on *St. Elsewhere* and *ALF*[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley). In a statement after Riley's death, Newhart called Carlin one of television's "most endearing" situation comedy characters[5](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jack-riley-20160819-snap-story.html).
**Guest work.** After the sitcom ended in 1978, Riley returned to a steady stream of guest appearances. His comedy credits included *The Mary Tyler Moore Show*, *Barney Miller*, *M*A*S*H*, *Diff'rent Strokes*, *Silver Spoons*, *Family Ties*, *Night Court*, *ALF*, *Family Matters*, *Friends*, *Coach*, *Seinfeld*, and *That '70s Show*[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley) • [3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley). He also appeared in dramas, including *[Cannon](https://www.edgepedia.org/cannon-tv-series)*, *Columbo*, *Kung Fu*, *Barnaby Jones*, *The Rockford Files*, and *St. Elsewhere*[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley). He had recurring roles on *Diff'rent Strokes*, *Night Court*, and *Son of the Beach*[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley).
## Voice acting and film
Riley's voice work included many commercials as well as animated programs, most memorably *Rugrats*, in which he voiced Stu Pickles from the series' start in 1991 through its entire run and its spinoff *All Grown Up!*[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley) • [4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jack_riley). He also voiced the character in the theatrical films *The Rugrats Movie* (1998), *Rugrats in Paris: The Movie* (2000), and *Rugrats Go Wild* (2003), and in Rugrats video games[4](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jack_riley) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/).
On film he appeared in *Catch-22*, *[McCabe & Mrs. Miller](https://www.edgepedia.org/mccabe-and-mrs-miller)*, *The Long Goodbye*, and *California Split*, and was a regular in [Mel Brooks](https://www.edgepedia.org/mel-brooks) productions: *Silent Movie*, *High Anxiety*, *The History of the World: Part 1*, *To Be or Not to Be*, and *Spaceballs*[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley). His last feature film appearance was in the horror thriller *Room 6* (2006)[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/).
## Personal life and death
Riley married Ginger Lawrence on January 3, 1970; the marriage lasted until his death and produced two children[2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/). He died on August 19, 2016, in Los Angeles, of pneumonia after a long illness[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley). Most obituaries, including those from Legacy.com, IMDb, and the Los Angeles Times, gave his age as 80[1](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/) • [5](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jack-riley-20160819-snap-story.html), while the Television Academy's obituary, drawn from Variety, gave it as 81[3](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley).
## References
1. [Jack Riley's Obituary, Legacy.com](https://www.legacy.com/legacy/notable-deaths/jack-riley)
2. [Jack Riley (1935–2016), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0727051/)
3. [Jack Riley, Television Academy](https://www.televisionacademy.com/bios/jack-riley)
4. [Jack Riley, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/celebrity/jack_riley)
5. [Veteran actor Jack Riley, a regular on 'The Bob Newhart Show,' dies at 80, Los Angeles Times](https://www.latimes.com/local/obituaries/la-me-jack-riley-20160819-snap-story.html)
6. [Jack Riley with Emerson College, Television Academy Interviews](https://interviews.televisionacademy.com/interviews/jack-riley-with-emerson-college)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen people and creators › Screen actors of the Anglosphere and Europe › American actors: 1970s to 1990s › Surnames Q to Ri*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license