Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor. He is best known for playing

Toby Ziegler Tobias "Toby" Zachary Ziegler was a fictional character in the television serial drama ''The West Wing'', played by Richard Schiff. The role of Toby Ziegler earned actor Richard Schiff the Primetime Emmy Award for Primetime Emmy Award for Outst ...

on ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White House, where t ...

'', a role for which he received an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the year, each with their own set of rules and award categor ...

. Schiff made his television directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing an episode titled " Talking Points". He is on the National Advisory Board of the Council for a Livable World. He had a recurring role on the HBO series '' Ballers''. He had a leading role in ABC's medical drama '' The Good Doctor'', as Dr. Aaron Glassman, president of a fictional teaching hospital in

San Jose, California San Jose, officially the City of San José ( ; ), is a cultural, commercial, and political center within Silicon Valley and the San Francisco Bay Area. With a city population of 997,368 and a metropolitan area population of 1.95 million, it is ...

. He also provided the voice and motion-capture for

Odin Odin (; from ) is a widely revered god in Norse mythology and Germanic paganism. Most surviving information on Odin comes from Norse mythology, but he figures prominently in the recorded history of Northern Europe. This includes the Roman Em ...

in Santa Monica Studio's '' God of War: Ragnarök'', released in 2022.

Early life

Schiff was born on May 27, 1955, in

Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. Located just northwest of Washington, D.C., it is a major business and government center of the Washington metropolitan region ...

, and was raised in New York City. He is the second of three sons of Charlotte, a television and publishing executive, and Edward Schiff, a real estate

lawyer A lawyer is a person who is qualified to offer advice about the law, draft legal documents, or represent individuals in legal matters. The exact nature of a lawyer's work varies depending on the legal jurisdiction and the legal system, as w ...

. His brothers are producer Paul Schiff and talent manager David Schiff. His parents divorced, and Charlotte later married Clarence B. Jones,

Martin Luther King Jr. Martin Luther King Jr. (born Michael King Jr.; January 15, 1929 – April 4, 1968) was an American Baptist minister, civil and political rights, civil rights activist and political philosopher who was a leader of the civil rights move ...

's lawyer. His early jobs before acting included driving a taxi in New York City and cleaning buses in the Greyhound terminal on 11th Avenue. "It was a Teamster job, from 11pm to 7am. ... We cleaned the grease off bus wheels with diesel fuel. I also laid cable for Manhattan Cable Television. I was a

Teamster A teamster in American English is a truck driver; a person who drives teams of draft animals; or a member of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, a labor union. In some places, a teamster was called a carter, the name referring to the ...

in the

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) is a trade union, labor union that represents approximately 820,000 workers and retirees in the electricity, electrical industry in the United States, Canada, Guam, Panama, Puerto Rico, an ...

". Schiff and his family are

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

. His grandfather was alleged to have connections to New York’s Jewish Mafia, a background that inspired a plot line on ''The West Wing''. He attended the

Bronx High School of Science The Bronx High School of Science is a State school, public Specialized high schools in New York City, specialized high school in the Bronx in New York City. It is operated by the New York City Department of Education. Admission to Bronx Science ...

for a time but did not graduate, instead taking night classes at Washington Irving High School while working. He graduated in 1983 from

City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a Public university, public research university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York ...

after initially dropping out and moving to Colorado. He studied acting at the William Esper Studio. His brother Paul Schiff was college roommates with his future ''West Wing'' cast mate Bradley Whitford.

Career

Schiff initially studied directing. He directed several

off-Broadway An off-Broadway theatre is any professional theatre venue in New York City with a seating capacity between 100 and 499, inclusive. These theatres are smaller than Broadway theatres, but larger than off-off-Broadway theatres, which seat fewer tha ...

plays, including '' Antigone'' in 1983 with a just-graduated Angela Bassett. In the mid-1980s Schiff decided to try his hand at acting and landed several TV roles. He was seen 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 ...

in an episode of the TV drama ''High Incident'' and was cast in '' The Lost World: Jurassic Park'' (1997) which led to being cast more frequently and eventually to the role as White House Communications Director

in the television series ''

''. Schiff became known for his reclusive and intense approach to his craft as well as his low-key delivery style. In the early 1990s, Schiff landed numerous small roles in a variety of films, including a Train Driver in ''

Speed In kinematics, the speed (commonly referred to as ''v'') of an object is the magnitude of the change of its position over time or the magnitude of the change of its position per unit of time; it is thus a non-negative scalar quantity. Intro ...

.'' In 1995, Schiff portrayed a lawyer defending the serial killer in '' Se7en''. In 1996, he guest-starred on the TV series '' ER'' (Season 2, Episode 17), and appeared in ''

NYPD Blue ''NYPD Blue'' is an American police procedural television series set in New York City, exploring the struggles of the fictional 15th Precinct detective squad in Manhattan. Each episode typically intertwines several plots involving an ensemble ca ...

'' the following year. In 1996, he portrayed a corrupt probation officer in ''

City Hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

'' along with Al Pacino and

John Cusack John Paul Cusack ( ; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor. With a career spanning over four decades, he has appeared in over 80 films. He began acting in f ...

. Schiff portrayed a doctor alongside

Eddie Murphy Edward Regan Murphy (born April 3, 1961) is an American actor, comedian, and singer. He had his breakthrough as a standup comic before gaining stardom for his film roles; he is widely recognized as one of the greatest comedians of all time. H ...

in the 1998 '' Dr. Dolittle'' remake. He also portrayed Col./Brig. Gen. Robert Laurel Smith in the 1998

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American pay television service, which is the flagship property of namesake parent-subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is based a ...

TV movie '' The Pentagon Wars'', based on the real-life development of the US Army's Bradley Infantry Fighting Vehicle. The same year, Schiff appeared in the movie '' Deep Impact''. Schiff appeared in one episode of '' Becker'' during its first season. In 2001, he acted in the movie '' What's the Worst That Could Happen?'' starring

Martin Lawrence Martin Fitzgerald LawrenceStated in interview on '' Inside the Actors Studio'' (born April 16, 1965) is an American actor and comedian. Lawrence began his career doing comedy shows, including in '' The Improv''. After his first acting role in t ...

and

Danny DeVito Daniel Michael DeVito Jr. (born November 17, 1944) is an American actor and filmmaker. He gained prominence for his portrayal of the taxi dispatcher Louie De Palma in the television series ''Taxi (TV series), Taxi'' (1978–1983), which won him ...

. He played the part of the tough lawyer Mr. Turner in '' I Am Sam'' opposite

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and Michelle Pfeiffer and co-starred in '' People I Know'' with Al Pacino. Schiff appeared in '' Ray'' as

Jerry Wexler Gerald Wexler (January 10, 1917 – August 15, 2008) was a music journalist turned music producer, and was a major influence on American popular music from the 1950s through the 1980s. He coined the term "rhythm and blues", and was integra ...

, shaving his beard for the role. After working on ''

'' for six seasons, Schiff chose to leave the series, fulfilling his contractual obligations by appearing in half of the final season's episodes. That same year, he starred alongside Peter Krause in '' Civic Duty''. Richard Schiff 2009

Schiff had a cameo appearance as himself in the second-season finale of the series '' Entourage''. The scene has Schiff at lunch with his agent Ari Gold, where he declares a desire to act in action movies. He appeared again as a fictionalized version of himself in '' Entourage'' (2015). He also starred in the premiere run of '' Underneath the Lintel'', a one-act, single-character play by Glen Berger, at the

George Street Playhouse George Street Playhouse is a theater company in New Brunswick, New Jersey, in the city's Civic Square, New Brunswick, Civic Square government and theater district and resident at the newly built New Brunswick Performing Arts Center. The GSP is o ...

New Brunswick, New Jersey New Brunswick is a city (New Jersey), city in and the county seat of Middlesex County, New Jersey, Middlesex County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey.West End production of ''Underneath the Lintel'' in the Duchess Theatre in London, England, and appeared on BBC Radio Five Live and talked at length to Simon Mayo about his experiences acting in ''

'' and his new West End production. In 2007, he appeared as Philip Cowen in the season finale of '' Burn Notice''. A radio version of ''Underneath the Lintel'', performed by Schiff, was broadcast by BBC Radio 4 on January 5, 2008. Schiff starred in Lanford Wilson's ''Talley's Folly'' at the McCarter Theatre Center in Princeton, New Jersey in fall 2008 as accountant Matt Friedman, opposite Margot White as Sally Talley. Later that year Schiff co-starred in ''

Last Chance Harvey ''Last Chance Harvey'' is a 2008 American romantic drama film written and directed by Joel Hopkins. The screenplay focuses on two lonely people who tentatively forge a relationship during two days. Dustin Hoffman plays the title character, Harvey ...

'' with

Dustin Hoffman Dustin Lee Hoffman (born August 8, 1937) is an American actor. As one of the key actors in the formation of New Hollywood, Hoffman is known for Dustin Hoffman filmography, his versatile portrayals of antiheroes and emotionally vulnerable charac ...

and

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress and screenwriter. Emma Thompson on screen and stage, Her work spans over four decades of screen and stage, and List of awards and nominations received by Emma Thompson, her accola ...

and '' Another Harvest Moon'' with

Ernest Borgnine Ernest Borgnine ( ; born Ermes Effron Borgnino; January 24, 1917 – July 8, 2012) was an American actor whose career spanned over six decades. He was noted for his gruff but relaxed voice and gap-toothed Cheshire Cat grin. A popular perf ...

and appeared in the season finale of ''

Eli Stone ''Eli Stone'' is an American Legal drama, legal Musical film, musical comedy drama television series that was created by Greg Berlanti and Marc Guggenheim, who also served as executive producers alongside Ken Olin who directed the pilot, with M ...

''. Schiff portrayed Charles Fischer in '' Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles'' in the Season 2 episode "Complications". The character was a collaborator of Skynet and a traitor to the resistance. He was sent back in time to the present as a reward for his service to Skynet. He played an Orthodox rabbi on an episode of '' In Plain Sight'' with former ''West Wing'' co-star

Mary McCormack Mary Catherine McCormack (born February 8, 1969) is an American actress. She has had leading roles as Justine Appleton on the series '' Murder One'' (1995–1997), as Deputy National Security Adviser Kate Harper on ''The West Wing'' (2004–20 ...

. In 2009, he co-starred in the movies '' Imagine That'', with ''Dr. Dolittle'' co-star

, and '' Solitary Man'', with Michael Douglas and Susan Sarandon. Later in 2009, he returned to London to shoot two other movies: '' The Infidel'', in which he starred opposite

Omid Djalili Omid Djalili (; born 30 September 1965) is a British comedian, actor, and writer. Early life and education Djalili was born on 30 September 1965 in St Mary Abbots Hospital in Kensington, London, to Iranian Baháʼí parents Ahmad and Parvane ...

, and ''

Made in Dagenham ''Made in Dagenham'' is a 2010 British comedy-drama film directed by Nigel Cole, written by William Ivory, and starring Sally Hawkins, Bob Hoskins, Miranda Richardson, Geraldine James, Rosamund Pike, Andrea Riseborough, Jaime Winstone, ...

'', with Sally Hawkins and Bob Hoskins. Schiff also appeared as a hypnotist in one episode of ''

Monk A monk (; from , ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a man who is a member of a religious order and lives in a monastery. A monk usually lives his life in prayer and contemplation. The concept is ancient and can be seen in many reli ...

''s seventh season. Schiff starred in '' Past Life''. He also had a recurring role in '' Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior'' as FBI Director Jack Fickler. Schiff had a recurring role in '' The Cape''. He also has guest-starred on '' Any Human Heart'' with Jim Broadbent playing the role of a psychiatrist and on '' White Collar''s second-season episode 15. He also played the role of an ex-CIA agent in a terrorist organization in '' Johnny English Reborn''. In April 2011, Schiff returned to the London West End in the play ''Smash!'' He played opposite

Rob Lowe Robert Hepler Lowe (born March 17, 1964) is an American actor, filmmaker, and entertainment host. Following numerous television roles in the early 1980s, he came to prominence as a teen idol and member of the Brat Pack with starring roles in ...

in the drama '' Knife Fight'', and starred opposite Josh Duhamel, Rosario Dawson and

Bruce Willis Walter Bruce Willis (born March 19, 1955) is a retired American actor. He achieved fame with a leading role on the comedy-drama series ''Moonlighting (TV series), Moonlighting'' (1985–1989) and has appeared in over one hundred films, gaining ...

in '' Fire with Fire''. Schiff played an important plot character in three episodes of CBS's '' NCIS'', bridging seasons 9 and 10, as Harper Dearing, the replacement for

Osama bin Laden Osama bin Laden (10 March 19572 May 2011) was a militant leader who was the founder and first general emir of al-Qaeda. Ideologically a pan-Islamist, Bin Laden participated in the Afghan ''mujahideen'' against the Soviet Union, and support ...

on the Most Wanted Wall for attacks against the United States Navy. Schiff was cast to star in the Showtime series '' House of Lies'', starring

Kristen Bell Kristen Anne Bell (born July 18, 1980) is an American actress, comedian, screenwriter, and producer. List of Kristen Bell performances, Her work includes both film and television, and List of awards and nominations received by Kristen Bell, h ...

and

Don Cheadle Donald Frank Cheadle Jr. (, ; born November 29, 1964) is an American actor. Known for his roles in film and television, he has received List of awards and nominations received by Don Cheadle, multiple accolades including two Golden Globe Award ...

. He also starred in the TV movie '' Innocent'' with

Bill Pullman William Pullman (born December 17, 1953) is an American actor. After graduating with a Master of Fine Arts degree in theater, he was an adjunct professor at Montana State University before deciding to pursue acting. Pullman made his film debut i ...

. He had a recurring guest role in the TV series ''

Once Upon A Time "Once upon a time" is a stock phrase used to introduce a narrative of past events, typically in fairy tales and folk tales. It has been used in some form since at least 1380 in storytelling in the English language and has started many narrative ...

'' and joined Helen Hunt and former ''West Wing'' star

Bradley Whitford Bradley Whitford (born October 10, 1959) is an American actor and producer. He is best known for his portrayal of White House Deputy Chief of Staff Josh Lyman in the NBC television political drama ''The West Wing'' (1999–2006), for which he ...

in the movie '' Decoding Annie Parker''. Schiff starred in the political series ''Chasing The Hill''. In late 2012 and early 2013, he portrayed George Aaronow in a Broadway revival of '' Glengarry Glen Ross''. He portrayed Erie Smith in a revival of the

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

play, '' Hughie'', at the Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C., in February and March 2013, and Dr. Emil Hamilton in

Zack Snyder Zachary Edward Snyder (born March 1, 1966) is an American filmmaker. He made his feature film debut in 2004 with ''Dawn of the Dead (2004 film), Dawn of the Dead'', a remake of the 1978 horror film Dawn of the Dead (1978 film), of the same name ...

's 2013

Superman Superman is a superhero created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, which first appeared in the comic book ''Action Comics'' Action Comics 1, #1, published in the United States on April 18, 1938.The copyright date of ''Action Comics ...

film, '' Man of Steel''. In September 2014, Schiff returned to the West End in a revival of ''

Speed-the-Plow ''Speed-the-Plow'' is a 1988 play by David Mamet that is a satirical dissection of the American movie business. As stated in ''The Producer's Perspective'', "this is a theme Mamet would revisit in his later films ''Wag the Dog'' (1997) and ''St ...

'' by

David Mamet David Alan Mamet (; born November 30, 1947) is an American playwright, author, and filmmaker. He won a Pulitzer Prize and received Tony Award, Tony nominations for his plays ''Glengarry Glen Ross'' (1984) and ''Speed-the-Plow'' (1988). He first ...

, co-starring

Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress, singer, producer, and businesswoman. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at age three. She appeared as a regular on the soap opera ' ...

. In 2015, Schiff appeared as

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and professional wrestler. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on a part-time basis. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional w ...

's character's boss on HBO's '' Ballers''. Around the same time, he also had roles in the films '' Kill the Messenger'', ''The Automatic Hate'', and '' Take Me to the River''. Schiff appeared on Mom in the episode "Pure Evil and a Free Piece of Cheesecake", in which he was reunited with his ''West Wing'' co-star Allison Janney. Schiff had a regular role on the TNT's crime drama '' Murder in the First'' in 2014 as David Hertzberg. The show also starred Taye Diggs, Kathleen Robertson, and Tom Felton. He played Aaron Glassman on ''The Good Doctor'' from 2017 to 2024. He provided the facial and motion capture, and voice for

in Santa Monica Studio's game '' God of War Ragnarök'', released in 2022. He appeared in the short film ''Swipe NYC'' released in 2023, and was the Ambassador of the Arts Recipient honoree at the 2024 North Fork TV Festival on Long Island. In 2024 he was an executive producer of the documentary film ''Public Defender''. In spring 2025, he was set to appear on stage off-Broadway in a New York Theatre Workshop production of ''Becoming Eve'' based on the memoir by Abby Stein.

Personal life

Schiff's first marriage to Sheryl Noethe ended in divorce. Schiff and actress Sheila Kelley married in 1996. Kelley played Schiff's character's love interest, and later his wife, on ''The Good Doctor''. They have a son, Gus, born in 1994, and a daughter, Ruby, born in August 2000. In 2024, Ruby portrayed the character of Hannah in the final season of ''The Good Doctor''. Schiff has supported Democratic candidates, but has said he is not a registered member of the party. He supported

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in the

2008 U.S. presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 4, 2008. The Democratic ticket of Barack Obama, the junior senator from Illinois, and Joe Biden, the senior senator from Delaware, defeated the Republican ticket of John Mc ...

. Previously, he had endorsed then-Senator

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

, before Biden dropped out. In 2016, Schiff supported Senator

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician and activist who is the Seniority in the United States Senate, senior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Vermont. He is the longest-serving independ ...

during the Democratic primaries. He endorsed Cynthia Nixon's bid for

Governor of New York The governor of New York is the head of government of the U.S. state of New York. The governor is the head of the executive branch of New York's state government and the commander-in-chief of the state's military forces. The governor ...

in the 2018 election. Schiff supported Joe Biden in the 2020 election. On November 10, 2020, Schiff announced that he and his wife had tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

on Election Day and were quarantining at their home in Vancouver. The following Monday, he announced he was hospitalized, but "showing improvements" while Kelley was at home "doing better", but still sick. On November 19, 2020, Schiff was released from the hospital.

Filmography

Film

Television

Stage

Video games

References

External links

* * *
Richard Schiff
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Richard Schiff profile
on Artist&Brand {{DEFAULTSORT:Schiff, Richard 1955 births 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American Jews Actors from Bethesda, Maryland American male film actors American male stage actors American male television actors City College of New York alumni Jewish American male actors Jews from New York (state) Jews from Maryland Living people Male actors from Maryland Male actors from New York City Maryland Democrats Outstanding Performance by a Supporting Actor in a Drama Series Primetime Emmy Award winners The Bronx High School of Science alumni William Esper Studio alumni