Richard Schiff

Richard Schiff is an American actor. He played Toby Ziegler, the White House press advisor on the dramatic series The West Wing, a role that garnered him an Emmy Award and multiple Screen Actors Guild Awards.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0771493/awards Schiff began his career as a theater director in New York before shifting into acting.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0771493/bio As a character actor, he has landed prominent roles in over 70 film and television projects.

Following the conclusion of The West Wing, Schiff appeared in the series Eli Stone and Past Life. CBS recently announced Schiff has joined the cast of the upcoming crime series Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior, currently scheduled to debut in 2011.http://www.tvsquad.com/2010/08/05/richard-schiff-joins-criminal-minds-spin-off/

Schiff is the second of three sons. In 1982, he founded the Manhattan Repertory Theatre and served as its first artistic director.http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/richard-schiff/bio/171697 He also directed several plays, including a production of Antigone starring Angela Bassett. He decided to pursue acting and eventually moved to Los Angeles, where he joined the Actors' Gang, the theater group founded by Tim Robbins. He won a Dramalogue Award and an Ovation Award for his Los Angeles stage performances.http://www.tv.com/richard-schiff/person/1322/summary.html

Schiff began appearing in small television and film roles, including Malcolm X and Speed. He appeared as the lawyer for the serial killer in Se7en and appeared in the series Doogie Howser, M.D., Picket Fences, and ER. He had supporting roles in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Deep Impact, and Living Out Loud prior to becoming a co-star on The West Wing. In 2000, he won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama for his portrayal of a White House staffer on the show. In 2001 and 2002, he won SAG Awards as part of The West Wing's ensemble cast.http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0771493/awards Schiff also appeared in the 2004 film Ray with Jamie Foxx, and continues to act on stage, film, and television.

In 2000, Schiff received the Townsend Harris medal for postgraduate achievement from City College of New York. In 2004, the school awarded him an honorary doctorate. He serves on the board of directors for the Council for a Livable World.http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiff As a reporter and commentator, he's contributed to the BBC, the Independent in London, and The Huffington Post.

1982: Founded Manhattan Repertory Theatre

1987: Film debut in the short Arena Brains

1990: TV debut in Tales from the Crypt

1990: Appeared in Young Guns II

1992: Appeared in Malcolm X, Rapid Fire, Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, and The Bodyguard

1995: Portrayed John Doe's lawyer in Se7en

1996: Portrayed Barry Roth on TV's Relativity

1997: Portrayed Eddie Carr in The Lost World: Jurassic Park

1998: Appeared in the films Deep Impact, Living Out Loud, and Dr. Dolittle, and the TV series Ally McBeal and The Practice

1999-2006: Portrayed Toby Ziegler on The West Wing

2008: Appeared on TV's Monk, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and Eli Stone

2009: Appeared in the film Solitary Man

2010: Co-starred in The Infidel

2011: Will appear in Criminal Minds: Suspect Behaviorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0771493/

I'm going to make a suggestion which might help you out, but I don't want this gesture to be mistaken for an indication that I like you.

-As Toby Ziegler on The West Winghttp://www.imdb.com/character/ch0018970/quotes

Many of us Americans are still inert, isolated and content to stay on our couches and watch on television and iPods as the world goes by. This idea of change means, at least, getting up, going out into the real world and opening our eyes.

-Excerpt from As My Household Shows, We're a Nation Divided, written by Schiff for The Huffington Posthttp://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-schiff/as-my-household-shows-wer_b_124349.html