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Paul Lieberstein
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Paul Bevan Lieberstein (born February 22, 1967[1]) is an Emmy Award-winning American screenwriter and television producer who is most widely known as a writer and supporting cast member (in the role of Toby Flenderson) on the NBC sitcom The Office.
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Lieberstein's first job in show business was as a writer on the television series Clarissa Explains It All, a job he won based on the strength of a spec script for The Simpsons that he co-wrote.[2] Following that he was a writer on Weird Science in 1994 and later on the sitcom The Naked Truth.
In 1997, he became a producer and writer on the animated sitcom King of the Hill. He also had brief stints as a writer/co-executive producer on The Drew Carey Show and The Bernie Mac Show. He was also a writer for the short-lived series Greg the Bunny and Dead Like Me.[3]
In 2005, producer Greg Daniels (with whom he worked on King of the Hill) hired him as a co-executive producer and writer for the American remake of the British comedy The Office. He made his directorial debut with the season four episode Money.
Lieberstein's acting career began with a single line in the pilot episode for The Office[4]; according to Lieberstein, that screen-time expanded after "the president of NBC saw my scene and said, 'He's funny. Let's use more of him.'"[4] Lieberstein's role as the sad-eyed human resources director Toby Flenderson subsequently grew into a recurring role.
Lieberstein has commented on his dual cast-and-crew role. In a SuicideGirls interview, he noted that "as an actor, which is just a very small percentage of me, I don’t feel Toby while I’m writing. It’s the hardest of the characters to access."[2] In an interview for his alma mater, Lieberstein commented on the bigger picture:[4]
| “ | When we are in pre-production, this is the best job in the world. Working 10 to 7, sitting around and brainstorming with the other writers, making things funnier and writing and rewriting scenes — that's as fun as it gets. Adding acting on top of all that makes for incredibly long, grueling days, sometimes 6 to midnight. But acting has its own rewards. Comedy becomes intensified in short scenes. Doing a scene with Steve Carell, trying to keep up with him, is as tough and fun and weird as any part of the process. | ” |
Lieberstein has written the following episodes:
- "Health Care" (April 5, 2005)
- "The Client" (November 8, 2005)
- "The Carpet" (January 26, 2006)
- "Dwight's Speech" (March 2, 2006)
- "The Coup" (October 5, 2006)
- "Cocktails" (February 22, 2007)
- "The Job" (May 17, 2007)
- "Money" (October 18, 2007) (also directed)
Lieberstein also co-wrote The Office: Accountants webisodes with Michael Schur.
Lieberstein's work on The Office has resulted in numerous awards. In June 2007, Lieberstein shared in a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Broadband Program - Comedy", for his work on The Office: Accountants webisodes.[5] As an actor, Lieberstein shared in a 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series"; as a writer, he shared a 2006 Writers Guild of America Award for the series, in addition to a WGA Award nomination for "The Coup". As co-executive producer, he shared a 2006 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Comedy Series".
As a co-executive producer, Lieberstein shared a 1999 Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)" for his work on King of the Hill.
Lieberstein grew up in Westport, Connecticut[2] He attended Hamilton College, graduating in 1989[4] with a major in economics[4] (he "wanted to be a financier of some kind"[2]). His first job after graduation was as an auditor at Peat Marwick International, a job that didn't last six months.[4] He followed that with part-time work in his father's law firm, "working as little as [he] could so [he] could write."[4]
His sister Susanne is a president at Lifetime Entertainment Services and is married to Greg Daniels.[2] His brother Warren is married to Angela Kinsey.
Paul is an atheist, as stated on his MySpace account.[6]
- ^ Paul Lieberstein at TV.com
- ^ a b c d e 2006 interview with Paul Lieberstein by Daniel Robert Epstein, at the SuicideGirls website
- ^ Writer credits from TV.com
- ^ a b c d e f g Roll Credits, a profile of Lieberstein from the Hamilton College website
- ^ 34th Annual Creative Arts & Entertainment Emmy Awards, from the Emmy Awards website
- ^ Paul Lieberstein's MySpace page
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|---|---|
| Episodes | Season One • Season Two • Webisodes • Season Three • Season Four |
| Crew | Greg Daniels • Ben Silverman • Ricky Gervais • Stephen Merchant |
| Cast | Steve Carell • Rainn Wilson • John Krasinski • Jenna Fischer • B. J. Novak |
| Characters | Michael Scott • Dwight Schrute • Jim Halpert • Pam Beesly • Ryan Howard • more |
| Writers | Greg Daniels • Michael Schur • Paul Lieberstein • Mindy Kaling • B. J. Novak • Jennifer Celotta • Lee Eisenberg • Gene Stupnitsky • Brent Forrester • Justin Spitzer • Steve Carell |
| Elements | Worldwide editions • Dunder Mifflin |