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Paul Reiser

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Not to be confused with Paul Riser.

Paul Reiser
Reiser at the 2024 WonderCon
Born (1956-03-30) March 30, 1956 (age 68)
New York City, U.S.
Alma materBinghamton University
Occupations
  • Actor
  • comedian
  • writer
Years active1982–present
Spouse
Paula Ravets
​
(m. 1988)​
Children2
Relatives
Websitepaulreiser.com

Paul Reiser (/ˈraɪzər/; born March 30, 1956)[1] is an American actor, comedian, and writer. He played the roles of Michael Taylor in the 1980s sitcom My Two Dads, Paul Buchman in the NBC sitcom Mad About You, Modell in the 1982 film Diner, Carter Burke in the 1986 film Aliens, and Detective Jeffrey Friedman in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), and Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024).[2] He has gained recognition for his roles as Jim Neiman in the 2014 film Whiplash and Dr. Sam Owens in the Netflix series Stranger Things.

Reiser is ranked 77th on Comedy Central's 2004 list of the "100 Greatest Stand-ups of All Time". The name of his production company, Nuance Productions, is inspired by one of his lines in the film Diner, where his character explains his discomfort with the word "nuance".

Reiser portrayed greedy, slimy company man Carter Burke in James Cameron's Aliens, in which he went against his casting type and showcased his acting range. He appeared in the second and third seasons of The Kominsky Method as Martin, Mindy Kominsky's boyfriend.

Early life

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Reiser was born in New York City in 1956, the son of Helen Hollinger Reiser (1919–2012), a homemaker who was one of the first women to graduate from Baruch College; and Samuel H. Reiser (1914–1989), a wholesale health food distributor who served in the military.[3][4] His family is of Romanian Jewish descent. He has three sisters. He attended the East Side Hebrew Institute and graduated from Stuyvesant High School.[5] He earned his bachelor's degree at Binghamton University, where he majored in music (piano, composition).

During his university years, Reiser was active in student theater productions at the Hinman Little Theater, an on-campus community theater organization in Hinman College, Reiser's dorm community.[6] He found his calling as a comedian while performing in New York clubs during university summer breaks.

Career

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After developing his skills as a stand-up comedian, Reiser had a breakout film role in 1982 when he appeared in Diner, a coming-of-age film directed by Barry Levinson. Reiser's character, Modell, a closet stand-up comedian, effectively brought Reiser's abilities to the attention of Hollywood. He followed this success playing a detective in Beverly Hills Cop (1984), a role he reprised in its sequel Beverly Hills Cop II (1987), and again in Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F.[2] Reiser also appeared in James Cameron's Aliens (1986), in which he played the villainous Carter Burke; and in The Marrying Man (1991) and Bye Bye Love (1995).

Reiser starred as one of two possible fathers of a teenage girl in the TV sitcom My Two Dads (1987–90), and later came to prominence in North America as Paul Buchman in Mad About You (1992–99), a comedy series he co-created, in which Helen Hunt co-starred as his on-screen wife. He was also the co-composer of the show's theme song, "The Final Frontier" (with Don Was),[7] and performed the piano for the theme's recording. Reiser's role in Mad About You earned nominations for an Emmy, a Golden Globe, an American Comedy Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award for him. For the show's final season, Reiser and Hunt received $1 million ($1.8 million today) per episode.[8] After signing onto a Mad About You revival in 2018,[9] it was picked up as a 12-episode limited series by Spectrum Originals in March 2019, which became available for members of Amazon Prime Video as of fall 2020.[10]

In 2001, Reiser played a dramatic role as a man desperate to locate his biological mother, after learning he has a serious illness, in the British TV film My Beautiful Son. In 2002, Reiser made a guest appearance as himself on Larry David's HBO sitcom, Curb Your Enthusiasm.[11] In the TV comedy film Atlanta (2007), Reiser appears as one half of a couple who, after meeting at a funeral, are unable to stay away from each other.[12] In 2010, Reiser collaborated with the singer Julia Fordham to create a CD album titled Unusual Suspects, which includes the song "UnSung Hero", dedicated to American soldiers serving in Afghanistan. The two embarked on an acoustic tour after its release. Reiser also co-wrote the song, "No There There" with Melissa Manchester for her 2015 album, You Gotta Love the Life.[13] Early in his career, Reiser was the opening act for Manchester, who warned him that music audiences can be rough on comedians and that the last comedian that opened for her left the stage in tears. Reiser reflects about this warning and on how he then bombed at the Concord Hotel in the chapter "Don't Worry if They Suck" in I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics (2010), by Ritch Shydner and Mark Schiff.[14]

Reiser in 2005

Reiser scripted and starred in the semi-autobiographical comedy series The Paul Reiser Show, which aired on NBC as a mid-season replacement during the 2010–11 TV season.[15] "This is nice", commented Reiser on the Stephanie Miller radio program, "because you get to sit around and root for other shows to fail." However, due to the lack of lead time and promotion by NBC prior to its debut (as well as poor scheduling),[16][17] the low-rated show was canceled on April 22, 2011, with only two episodes aired.[18][19][20] He co-created (but did not star in) the 2017 dramedy There's... Johnny!, set backstage at The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson in 1972. Originally created for Seeso, the seven-episode season was released on Hulu after Seeso's collapse.[21] In recent years Reiser has appeared in films such as Whiplash and TV series such as Red Oaks, Stranger Things and The Boys.

Reiser has written three books: Couplehood, about the ups and downs of being in a committed relationship; Babyhood, about his experiences as a first-time father; and Familyhood (released in May 2011), a collection of humorous essays. Couplehood is unique in that it starts on page 145; Reiser explained this as his method of giving the reader a false sense of accomplishment. In 1996, Reiser appeared on Late Show with David Letterman in the middle of writing Babyhood. Since he had not yet decided on a title, he presented a prop book, titled simply "Book" and with the same cover as that of Couplehood. The term olive theory was first coined in Couplehood.[22]

In 2022, Reiser appeared in the third season of The Boys as The Legend, and will reprise his role in the fifth season.

In 2024, Reiser will revisit his Aliens character for a new Marvel comic titled Aliens: What If...? which will explore what could have happened if Carter Burke survived the events of Hadley's Hope. The book is co-written by his son, Leon Reiser, with art by Guiu Vilanova.[23]

Personal life

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Reiser married Paula Ravets on August 21, 1988. They have two sons: born in 1995 and 2000. His older son has cerebral palsy, which Reiser has spoken about publicly at fundraisers and other events.[24]

Reiser is the cousin of screenwriter and producer Will Reiser,[25] who wrote the semi-autobiographical comedy-drama film 50/50 (2011).

Reiser's first cousin is the legal scholar Richard Epstein.[26]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Diner Modell
1984 Beverly Hills Cop Det. Jeffrey Friedman
1986 Odd Jobs Max
Aliens Carter Burke
1987 Beverly Hills Cop II Det. Jeffrey Friedman
Cross My Heart Bruce Gaynor
1990 Crazy People Stephen Bachman
1991 The Marrying Man Phil Golden
1992 3½ Blocks from Home Himself
1993 Family Prayers Dan Linder
1994 Mr. Write Charlie Fisher
1995 Bye Bye Love Donny
1999 Get Bruce Unknown
The Story of Us Dave Uncredited
Pros & Cons Prison Man #1
2001 One Night at McCool's Carl
Purpose Ben Fisher
2005 The Thing About My Folks Ben Kleinman Also writer and producer
The Aristocrats Himself
2009 Funny People
2014 Whiplash Jim Neiman
Life After Beth Noah Orfman
2015 Concussion Dr. Elliot Pellman
2016 Joshy Steve
Miles Lloyd Bryant
War on Everyone Lt. Gerry Stanton
The Book of Love Wendell
The Darkness Simon Richards
2017 The Little Hours Ilario
I Do... Until I Don't Harvey Burger
2018 The Spy Who Dumped Me Arnie Freeman
2020 Horse Girl Gary
2021 Fatherhood Howard
2023 The Problem with People Barry Also co-writer[27]
2024 The Gutter Angelo
Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F Deputy Chief. Jeffrey Friedman [2]

Television

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Year Title Role Notes
1982 Remington Steele Ivan Turbell Episode: "A Good Night's Steele"
1983 Sunset Limousine Jay Neilson Television film
1987 The Disney Sunday Movie Dexter Bunche Episode: "You Ruined My Life"
1987–1990 My Two Dads Michael Taylor 60 episodes
1987 Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim Himself Stand-up special
1991 Paul Reiser: 3 1/2 Blocks from Home Himself
1992–1999, 2019 Mad About You Paul Buchman 174 episodes; also creator, writer, and executive producer
Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
Nominated—American Comedy Award for Funniest Male Performer in a Television Series
Nominated—Golden Globe Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy (1995–98)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series (1994–97)
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series (1994–99)
Nominated—Satellite Award for Best Actor – Television Series Musical or Comedy
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series (1995–96)
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (1995–98)
Nominated—Viewers for Quality Television Award for Best Actor in a Quality Comedy Series
1993 The Tower Tony Minot Television movie
1995 37th Annual Grammy Awards Himself (host) TV special
Saturday Night Live Himself (host) Episode: "Paul Reiser/Annie Lennox"
2001 My Beautiful Son Jerry Lipman Television movie; AKA Strange Relations
2002 Curb Your Enthusiasm Paul Reiser Episode: "The Terrorist Attack"
Women vs. Men Bruce Television movie
2011 The Paul Reiser Show Paul Reiser 7 episodes; also creator, writer, and executive producer
2013 Behind the Candelabra Mr. Felder Television movie
2014–16 TripTank Gary (voice) 10 episodes
2014–15 Married Shep
2014–17 Red Oaks Doug Getty Main role
2017–present Stranger Things Dr. Sam Owens 14 episodes
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
2018 The Romanoffs Bob Isaacson Episode: "House of Special Purpose"
2019 Fosse/Verdon Cy Feuer 2 episodes
2019–21 The Kominsky Method Martin Schneider 12 episodes
Nominated—Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series
Nominated—Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series (2020, 2022)
2022; 2025 The Boys The Legend 2 episodes
2022 Reboot Gordon Gelman Main cast

Books

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  • McDonald, Michael; Reiser, Paul (May 21, 2024). What a Fool Believes: A Memoir. New York: Del Street Books. ISBN 9780063357563. OCLC 1395422413.

References

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  1. ^ "Paul Reiser Then and Now". Stanton Daily. Archived from the original on March 31, 2018. Retrieved March 30, 2018.
  2. ^ a b c "Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F (2024) - IMDb". IMDb.
  3. ^ "Helen Reiser obituary". The New York Times. August 21, 2012. Retrieved June 7, 2021 – via Legacy.com.
  4. ^ "Paul Reiser Biography (1957–)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  5. ^ Lyman, Rick (September 5, 1997). "Be It Ever So Urban, It's Green". The New York Times. Retrieved November 1, 2007.
  6. ^ "Comic relief". Binghamton University Magazine. Archived from the original on February 1, 2012. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  7. ^ Lennox, Mike Cidone; Italie, Leanne (November 19, 2019). "Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt reprise '90s hit 'Mad About You'". Associated Press. Retrieved April 3, 2020.
  8. ^ Carter, Bill (March 24, 1998). "THE MEDIA BUSINESS; NBC Signs Deal to Keep 'Mad About You' for Another Season". The New York Times. Retrieved March 24, 2008.
  9. ^ Hibberd, James (April 12, 2018). "Mad About You: Paul Reiser, Helen Hunt close deals for series revival". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved March 6, 2019.
  10. ^ Ausiello, Michael (March 6, 2019). "Mad About You Revival With Paul Reiser and Helen Hunt (Finally) Finds a Home". TVLine.
  11. ^ "Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 3, Episode 5: The Terrorist Attack". IMDb. October 13, 2002. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  12. ^ "Prinze Braves Atlanta for CBS". Chicago Tribune. February 26, 2007. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  13. ^ Shapiro, Gregg (February 5, 2015). "Melissa Manchester Loving the life: an interview with Melissa Manchester". ChicagoPride.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 24, 2015. Manchester: I didn't know that Paul's a musician. I went to a concert and it turned out that he had co-written several of the lovely songs that the artist was doing. He was there and I asked him if he would like to write (with me) and he said, "Sure." I went to his home and we knocked it out.
  14. ^ 1Shydner, Ritch; Mark Schiff (January 21, 2009). I Killed: True Stories of the Road from America's Top Comics. Crown/Archetype. p. 98. ISBN 978-0-307-49604-1. Retrieved July 25, 2015.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  15. ^ "NBC Unveils 2010–11 Primetime Schedule Accented by Five New Comedies, Seven New Dramas and New Alternative Program". The Futon Critic. May 16, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2010.
  16. ^ "Paul Reiser Speaks Out About NBC on 'The Tonight Show'". Screen Rant. April 27, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  17. ^ "Amy Landecker moves on after Paul Reiser Show". Chicago Tribune. April 27, 2011. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  18. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 22, 2011). "NBC Cancels The Paul Reiser Show". The Futon Critic. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved April 23, 2011.
  19. ^ Seidman, Robert (April 22, 2011). "The Paul Reiser Show Cancelled After Two Episodes – Ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 26, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  20. ^ "Paul Reiser Show canceled". TV Series Finale. April 23, 2011. Retrieved June 7, 2011.
  21. ^ Goodman, Tim (November 16, 2017). "'There's ... Johnny!': TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 4, 2018.
  22. ^ Reiser, Paul (1995). Couplehood. ISBN 978-0553573138.
  23. ^ Club, Comic Book (December 21, 2023). "Paul Reiser To Write Aliens: What If? For Marvel Comics". Comic Book Club. Retrieved December 21, 2023.
  24. ^ "Top comedian shares story of his son's life with cerebral palsy at The Center's 15th annual luncheon". CultureMap. February 21, 2016. Retrieved November 17, 2020.
  25. ^ "I am Paul Reiser – Actor, Comedian, Author, and Musician. Ask Me Anything!". Reddit. May 16, 2016. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  26. ^ "The Chicken or The Egg?". Ricochet. February 13, 2014. Retrieved April 1, 2015.
  27. ^ "Paul Reiser Gets into a Family Feud in 'The Problem with People' Trailer (Exclusive)".
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