 Born in Memphis, Tennessee, Riley began acting in high school before studying drama at Memphis State University.He made his professional stage debut in 1971, and went on to appear in various stage productions on and off-Broadway including "A Broadway Musical", "Shakespeare's Cabaret", "I Love My Wife", and "Big River", a musical based on "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn".In 1982, Riley won a Clarence Derwent and Obie Award for his performance in "A Soldier's Play".