Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsABFFPride MonthOutfest OutfrontsSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • All
  • Titles
  • TV Episodes
  • Celebs
  • Companies
  • Keywords
  • Advanced Search
Watchlist
Sign In
Sign In
New Customer? Create account
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
  • Biography
  • Awards
  • Trivia
IMDbPro

Richard Schiff

  • Actor
  • Director
  • Producer
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000248
Richard Schiff
Kratos and his son Atreus face the oncoming Norse apocalypse, Ragnarok.
Play trailer3:17
God of War: Ragnarök (2022)
49 Videos
99+ Photos
Richard was born in Bethesda, Maryland, the middle of three sons of Edward, a real estate lawyer, and Charlotte, a cable TV and publishing executive. His parents divorced when he was 12. He dropped out of high school and switched to night school because he could finish sooner with less work. He studied at the City College of New York (CCNY) in 1973. "In college when I tripped and fell over the drama program at the City College of New York, and went and got into the Professional Acting Training Program by fluke, and Earle Gister, who was, uh, had just come from Carnegie-Melon, and was on his way to the Yale School of Drama stopped for a little pit stop at the City College of New York for three years to run the Davis Center for Performing Arts. I was very lucky that he was there." After not bothering to show up for finals though, he headed to Colorado where he cut firewood and lived a hippie life. He returned to New York in 1975 and started studying acting at CCNY and eventually was accepted into their theater program. He initially disliked acting and studied to be a director. He directed several off-Broadway plays, including "Antigone" with a then just-graduated Angela Bassett in 1983. He also met present wife, Sheila Kelley, during auditions for this play. The two married in 1996. In the mid-1980s, Richard says he conquered his fears and decided to take a stab at acting. He got several TV roles, but he was seen by Steven Spielberg in an episode of the TV drama High Incident (1996). Spielberg then cast him in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997) and his career has been on an upward climb ever since that has led to his co-starring role in The West Wing (1999).
BornMay 27, 1955
  • More at IMDbPro
    • Contact info
    • Agent info
    • Resume
BornMay 27, 1955
IMDbProStarmeterTop 5,000248
  • View contact info at IMDbPro
  • Won 1 Primetime Emmy
    • 6 wins & 11 nominations total

Photos221

Richard Schiff in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
Curtis Armstrong and Richard Schiff in Ray (2004)
Daniel Edwards and Richard Schiff in Heaven (1998)
Julie Bowen, Jennifer Morrison, and Richard Schiff in Knife Fight (2012)
Richard Schiff in Knife Fight (2012)
Freddie Highmore and Richard Schiff in The Good Doctor (2017)
Richard Schiff in The Good Doctor (2017)
Freddie Highmore and Richard Schiff in The Good Doctor (2017)
Freddie Highmore and Richard Schiff in The Good Doctor (2017)
Richard Schiff in The Good Doctor (2017)
Freddie Highmore and Richard Schiff in The Good Doctor (2017)
Freddie Highmore and Richard Schiff in The Good Doctor (2017)

Known for

Henry Cavill in Man of Steel (2013)
Man of Steel
7.1
  • Dr. Emil Hamilton
  • 2013
The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
The Lost World: Jurassic Park
6.5
  • Eddie Carr
  • 1997
Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Moira Kelly, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, and Bradley Whitford in The West Wing (1999)
The West Wing
8.9
TV Series
  • Toby Ziegler
Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman in Se7en (1995)
Se7en
8.6
  • Mark Swarr
  • 1995

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Actor

  • Freddie Highmore in The Good Doctor (2017)
    The Good Doctor
    • Dr. Aaron Glassman
    • TV Series
    • 2017–2023
  • Swipe NYC (2023)
    Swipe NYC
    • Steve
    • Short
    • 2023
  • Angela Bassett, Danai Gurira, Lupita Nyong'o, Tenoch Huerta, Alex Livinalli, Letitia Wright, Mabel Cadena, and Winston Duke in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022)
    Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
    • U.S. Secretary of State
    • 2022
  • Alastair Duncan, Christopher Judge, and Sunny Suljic in God of War: Ragnarök (2022)
    God of War: Ragnarök
    • Odin (voice)
    • Video Game
    • 2022
  • Ruby Kelley in The Hornbys (2022)
    The Hornbys
    • Erwin
    • Short
    • 2022
  • Uma Thurman, Kyle Chandler, and Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Super Pumped (2022)
    Super Pumped
    • Randall Pearson
    • TV Series
    • 2022
  • American Morning (2021)
    American Morning
    • Dale Mathis
    • Short
    • 2021
  • Rob Lowe and Martin Sheen in A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
    A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote
    • Toby Ziegler
    • TV Special
    • 2020
  • Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020)
    Psych 2: Lassie Come Home
    • Dr. Emile Herschel
    • TV Movie
    • 2020
  • Maura Tierney and Dominic West in The Affair (2014)
    The Affair
    • Jon Gottlief
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2019
  • Ballers (2015)
    Ballers
    • Mr. Anderson
    • Brett Anderson
    • TV Series
    • 2015–2019
  • After Class (2019)
    After Class
    • Jeff Cohn
    • 2019
  • Vandal (2019)
    Vandal
    • Jacob Lipman
    • 2019
  • J.K. Simmons in Counterpart (2017)
    Counterpart
    • Roland Fancher
    • TV Series
    • 2018–2019
  • Alfre Woodard in Clemency (2019)
    Clemency
    • Marty Lumetta
    • 2019

Director

  • Ruby Kelley in The Hornbys (2022)
    The Hornbys
    • Director
    • Short
    • 2022
  • Gabriel Byrne, Debra Winger, Irrfan Khan, Amy Ryan, and Dane DeHaan in In Treatment (2008)
    In Treatment
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2009
  • Rob Lowe, Martin Sheen, Allison Janney, Dulé Hill, Moira Kelly, Janel Moloney, Richard Schiff, John Spencer, and Bradley Whitford in The West Wing (1999)
    The West Wing
    • Director
    • TV Series
    • 2004–2005

Producer

  • chasingthehill.com
    Chasing the Hill
    • executive producer
    • TV Series
    • 2012–2013

Videos50

Waiting
Full Movie 18:47
Waiting
The Automatic Hate
Clip 1:15
The Automatic Hate
The Automatic Hate
Clip 1:12
The Automatic Hate
The Gambler
Clip 1:01
The Gambler
The Gambler
Clip 0:38
The Gambler
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy [Blu-Ray]
Clip 1:16
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy [Blu-Ray]
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy [Blu-Ray]
Clip 0:59
The Lost World: Jurassic Park: Jurassic Park Ultimate Trilogy [Blu-Ray]
Solitary Man
Clip 0:30
Solitary Man
Solitary Man
Clip 0:45
Solitary Man
Solitary Man
Clip 0:52
Solitary Man
Solitary Man
Clip 1:11
Solitary Man
Solitary Man
Clip 0:57
Solitary Man

Personal details

Edit
  • Official site
    • Official Site
  • Height
    • 5′ 10″ (1.78 m)
  • Born
    • May 27, 1955
    • Bethesda, Maryland, USA
  • Spouse
    • Sheila KelleyAugust 31, 1996 - present (2 children)
  • Children
      Gus
  • Parents
      Edward Schiff
  • Other works
    Stage: Appeared in "Underneath the Lintel", Duchess Theatre, London, England.
  • Publicity listings
    • 4 Interviews
    • 6 Articles
    • 1 Magazine Cover Photo

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Schiff and Sheila Kelley have a son, Gus.
  • Quotes
    I imagine an America that can actually change. That we become a nation that prospers again but without pillaging the resources of nations that make their people hate us. That we become a nation that, as the constitution says in its preamble, its very first paragraph, 'promotes the general welfare' of its people.
  • Trademark
      His Beard
  • Salary
    • The West Wing
      (1999)
      $70,000 /episode(2001)

Related news

Contribute to this page

Suggest an edit or add missing content
  • Learn more about contributing
Edit page

More to explore

Production art
List
The Best Things to Watch in June
See the list
Production art
Photos
See These Trending Actors in Early Roles
Can you place the face?

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Demo reel thumbnail
Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel

Add demo reel with IMDbPro

Make your IMDb page stand out by adding a demo reel
Upload your demo reel
Demo reel thumbnail

How much have you seen?

Keep track of how much of Richard Schiff’s work you have seen. Go to your list.
Production art
Photos
LGBTQIA+ Power Couples of Hollywood
See the photos

Recently viewed

Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
Get the IMDb App
Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
  • Get the IMDb App
  • Help
  • Site Index
  • IMDbPro
  • Box Office Mojo
  • IMDb Developer
  • Press Room
  • Advertising
  • Jobs
  • Conditions of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Your Ads Privacy Choices
IMDb, an Amazon company

© 1990-2023 by IMDb.com, Inc.