Gary Riley (born April 28, 1967) is a former child and teen American

character actor A character actor is an actor known for playing unusual, eccentric, or interesting character (arts), characters in supporting roles, rather than leading ones.28 April 2013, The New York Acting SchoolTen Best Character Actors of All Time Retrie ...

with numerous film, made-for-TV films and television credits.

Film and television career

Riley played Charlie Hogan, one of his best-known roles, in the 1986 film '' Stand by Me'', and also received notice for his portrayal of Dave Frazier in the 1987 comedy ''

Summer School Summer school (or summer university) is a school, or a program generally sponsored by a school or a school district, or provided by a private company, that provides lessons and activities during the summer vacation. Participation in summer school ...

''. He made notable appearances as a thief who steals money from

Steve Martin Stephen Glenn Martin (born August 14, 1945) is an American comedian, actor, writer, producer, and musician. Known for Steve Martin filmography, his work in comedy films, television, and #Discography, recording, he has received List of awards a ...

's character's wallet in ''

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles ''Planes, Trains and Automobiles'' is a 1987 American road film, road trip comedy film written, produced, and directed by John Hughes (filmmaker), John Hughes and starring Steve Martin and John Candy. It tells the story of Neal Page, an uptight ...

'' and as a naive metalhead customer whom Ken Kessler (portrayed by

Judge Reinhold Edward Ernest "Judge" Reinhold Jr. (born May 21, 1957) is an American actor who is best known for his work in Hollywood films during the 1980s. He has starred in several popular films such as '' Stripes'' (1981), '' Fast Times at Ridgemont High' ...

) cannot bear to rip off after discovering his girlfriend is pregnant in ''

Ruthless People ''Ruthless People'' is a 1986 American black comedy film directed by David Zucker, Jim Abrahams, and Jerry Zucker and written by Dale Launer. It stars Danny DeVito, Bette Midler, Judge Reinhold, Anita Morris, and Helen Slater, with Bill Pull ...

''. He also made guest appearances on such TV shows as ''

Knots Landing ''Knots Landing'' is an American primetime television soap opera that aired on CBS from December 27, 1979, to May 13, 1993. A spin-off of ''Dallas (TV series), Dallas'', it was set in a fictitious coastal suburb of Los Angeles and initially cente ...

'', ''

Growing Pains ''Growing Pains'' is an American television sitcom created by Neal Marlens that ran on ABC for seven seasons from September 24, 1985, to April 25, 1992. The series follows the misadventures of the Seaver family, including psychiatrist and fathe ...

'', a special hour-long episode of ''

Amazing Stories ''Amazing Stories'' is an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction. Science fiction stories had made regular appearance ...

'' directed by

Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...

, and ''

Airwolf ''Airwolf'' is an American action military drama television series. It centers on a high-technology attack helicopter, code-named '' Airwolf'', and its crew. They undertake various exotic missions, many involving espionage, with a Cold War the ...

''. His last role was as a thug in ''

Fear Fear is an unpleasant emotion that arises in response to perception, perceived dangers or threats. Fear causes physiological and psychological changes. It may produce behavioral reactions such as mounting an aggressive response or fleeing the ...

'', with

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...

. In 1986 he auditioned for the roles of "Bill S. Preston Esquire" and Ted "Theodore" Logan in ''

Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' is a 1989 American science fiction comedy film directed by Stephen Herek and written by Chris Matheson and Ed Solomon. The first installment of the ''Bill & Ted'' franchise, it stars Keanu Reeves, Alex Win ...

'', being one of the final picks along with

Keanu Reeves Keanu Charles Reeves ( ; born September 2, 1964) is a Canadian actor and musician. The recipient of numerous accolades in a career on screen spanning four decades, he is known for his leading roles in action films, his amiable public imag ...

Alex Winter Alexander Winter (born 1965) is a British-born American actor and filmmaker. As an actor, he is best known for playing Bill S. Preston, Esq., in the 1989 film '' Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure'' and its sequels '' Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey' ...

Matt Adler Matthew D. Adler (born December 8, 1966) is an American film actor. He is best known for his supporting roles in the 1980s teenage films: ''Teen Wolf'', '' White Water Summer'', and '' Dream a Little Dream''. He starred in '' North Shore''. He c ...

, and Donovan Leitch. In 2020, his audition tapes, which had never been released publicly, were released exclusively by the ''

Daily Mail The ''Daily Mail'' is a British daily Middle-market newspaper, middle-market Tabloid journalism, tabloid conservative newspaper founded in 1896 and published in London. , it has the List of newspapers in the United Kingdom by circulation, h ...

''.

Personal life

Riley grew up in

Irvine, California Irvine () is a Planned community, planned city in central Orange County, California, United States, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. It was named in 1888 for the landowner James Irvine. The Irvine Company started developing the area in the ...

, attended

Newport Harbor High School Newport Harbor High School is a public high school in Newport Beach, California, Newport Beach, in Orange County, California, in the United States. It is part of the Newport-Mesa Unified School District. The school primarily serves students in we ...

, and did acting training at South Coast Repertory Young Conservatory Players. As the 1980s came to a close, he spent much of his time following the

Grateful Dead The Grateful Dead was an American rock music, rock band formed in Palo Alto, California, in 1965. Known for their eclectic style that fused elements of rock, blues, jazz, Folk music, folk, country music, country, bluegrass music, bluegrass, roc ...

and later

Phil Lesh and Friends Phil Lesh and Friends was an American rock band formed and led by Phil Lesh, former bassist of the Grateful Dead. Phil & Friends is not a traditional group in that several different lineups of musicians have played under the name, including gro ...

. In addition, Riley has been a frequent guest of the "Adventure Club Podcast" on ACPN, with hosts

Guy Hutchinson Guy Hutchinson (February 7, 1884 – December 9, 1941) was an American businessman and college football player. Hutchinson was born in New York City, and later moved to New Jersey. He was a graduate of Yale University in 1906. While attending th ...

and John J. Galbo. He will call in from different bars and restaurants with various guests in the entertainment industry. He participated in the ''Summer School'' Q&A at

New Beverly Cinema The New Beverly Cinema is a historic movie theater located in Los Angeles, California. Housed in a building that dates back to the 1920s, it is one of the oldest revival houses in the region. Since 2007, it has been owned by the filmmaker Quentin ...

in the summer of 2013. Riley has said he lived off residual checks for almost twenty years after leaving Hollywood. He has lived in Portland and Eugene, Oregon and currently resides in the Los Angeles area.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Riley, Gary 1967 births Living people People from Irvine, California American male film actors American male television actors Male actors from St. Louis 20th-century American male actors Newport Harbor High School alumni