Paul Schiff (psychoanalyst)
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Paul Schiff is an American film producer.


Early life and education

Schiff was raised in
Bethesda, Maryland Bethesda () is an unincorporated, census-designated place in southern Montgomery County, Maryland. It is located just northwest of Washington, D.C. It takes its name from a local church, the Bethesda Meeting House (1820, rebuilt 1849), which in ...
, one of three sons of Charlotte, a television and publishing executive, and Edward Schiff, a real estate lawyer. He graduated in film studies from
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a private liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut. Founded in 1831 as a men's college under the auspices of the Methodist Episcopal Church and with the support of prominent residents of Middletown, the col ...
, where his roommate was actor
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 ...
.


Career

Schiff began his career as a documentary cameraman in his hometown of
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...
before moving into directing for MTV, where he was on staff for four years during the early days of the fledgling cable channel. His success at the network led to an introduction to film executive
Joe Roth Joseph Emanuel Roth is an American film executive, producer and director. He co-founded Morgan Creek Productions in 1988 and was chairman of 20th Century Fox (1989–1993), Caravan Pictures (1993–1994), and Walt Disney Studios (1994–20 ...
, who would go on to become his mentor. Roth hired Schiff as associate producer on the boxing drama, '' Streets of Gold'' (1986), which was Roth's directorial debut, as well as his follow up '' Revenge of the Nerds II: Nerds in Paradise'' (1987). Schiff then became a vice president of production under Roth at
Morgan Creek Productions Morgan Creek Entertainment is an American film production company that has released box-office hits including '' Young Guns'', '' Dead Ringers'', '' Major League'', ''True Romance'', '' Ace Ventura: Pet Detective'', '' The Crush'', '' Robin Hood: ...
, where he developed and supervised numerous projects, and co-produced the westerns '' Young Guns'' (1988) and its sequel, ''
Young Guns II ''Young Guns II'' is a 1990 American Western film and a sequel to '' Young Guns'' (1988). It stars Emilio Estevez, Kiefer Sutherland, Lou Diamond Phillips, and Christian Slater, and features William Petersen as Pat Garrett. It was written ...
'' (1990). He also produced Roth's 1990 drama, '' Coupe de Ville''. After three years, Schiff secured an independent production deal at
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
, where Roth was now Chairman. Schiff spent seven years at the studio in a production deal, where he produced films including ''
My Cousin Vinny ''My Cousin Vinny'' is a 1992 American comedy film directed by Jonathan Lynn, and written by Dale Launer, who also produced with Paul Schiff. The film stars Joe Pesci, Ralph Macchio, Marisa Tomei, Mitchell Whitfield, Lane Smith, Bruce McGill, a ...
'', starring
Joe Pesci Joseph Frank Pesci ( , ; born February 9, 1943) is an American actor and musician. He is known for portraying tough, volatile characters in a variety of genres and for his collaborations with Robert De Niro and Martin Scorsese in the films ''Rag ...
and
Marisa Tomei Marisa Tomei ( , ; born December 4, 1964) is an American actress. She came to prominence as a cast member on '' The Cosby Show'' spin-off '' A Different World'' in 1987. After having minor roles in a few films, she came to international attentio ...
'', The Vanishing'', the American adaptation of George Sluizer’s Dutch thriller; the ''Animal House''-inspired campus comedy '' PCU''; and the sci-fi thriller ''
Ghost in the Machine The "ghost in the machine" is a term originally used to describe and critique the notion of the mind existing alongside and separate to the body. In more recent times, the term has several uses, including the concept that the intellectual part of ...
''. After his stint at Fox, Schiff reteamed with Roth at Disney in a production deal, where he produced
Wes Anderson Wesley Wales Anderson (born May 1, 1969) is an American filmmaker. His films are known for their eccentricity and unique visual and narrative styles. They often contain themes of grief, loss of innocence, and dysfunctional families. Cited by ...
's critically acclaimed film, '' Rushmore''. The film won two Film Independent Spirit Awards—Best Director and Best Supporting Actor for Murray. Schiff continued his long-standing affiliation with Roth at the executive’s new production firm,
Revolution Studios Revolution Studios Distribution Company, LLC is an American motion picture and television studio headed by Chief Executive Officer Scott Hemming. The company focuses primarily on the distribution, remake and sequel rights to titles in its libra ...
, where he produced ''
Maid in Manhattan ''Maid in Manhattan'' is a 2002 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Wayne Wang and based on a story by John Hughes, who is credited using a pseudonym. It stars Jennifer Lopez, Ralph Fiennes, and Natasha Richardson. In the film, a h ...
'', the hit romantic comedy starring Jennifer Lopez and
Ralph Fiennes Ralph Nathaniel Twisleton-Wykeham-Fiennes ( ; born 22 December 1962) is an English actor, film producer, and director. A Shakespeare interpreter, he excelled onstage at the Royal National Theatre before having further success at the Royal Shak ...
, and Mike Newell’s drama ''
Mona Lisa Smile ''Mona Lisa Smile'' is a 2003 American drama film produced by Revolution Studios and Columbia Pictures in association with Red Om Films Productions, directed by Mike Newell, written by Lawrence Konner and Mark Rosenthal, and starring Julia R ...
'', starring
Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...
, Julia Styles and
Kirsten Dunst Kirsten Caroline Dunst (; born April 30, 1982) is an American actress. She made her acting debut in the short ''Oedipus Wrecks'' directed by Woody Allen in the anthology film '' New York Stories'' (1989). She then gained recognition for her ro ...
. Schiff's producing credits also include ''
The Air I Breathe ''The Air I Breathe'' is a 2007 crime drama film and the directorial debut of Korean-American filmmaker Jieho Lee, who co-wrote the script with Bob DeRosa. The film stars Kevin Bacon, Julie Delpy, Brendan Fraser, Andy Garcia, Sarah Michelle Gel ...
'', '' Numb'', ''
Green Street Hooligans ''Green Street'' (also known as ''Green Street Hooligans'' and ''Hooligans'') is a 2005 crime drama film about football hooliganism in the United Kingdom. The film was directed by Lexi Alexander and stars Elijah Wood and Charlie Hunnam. Two s ...
'', the 2004 remake of the 1970s classic actioner, '' Walking Tall'', '' Solitary Man'', ''The Truth About Emmanuel'', the ensemble comedy ''Spin'', and the Alaskan-set thriller, ''
Into the Grizzly Maze ''Into the Grizzly Maze'' (originally titled ''Red Machine'', then changed to ''Endangered'' and later to ''Grizzly''), is a 2015 American action horror-thriller film directed by David Hackl from a screenplay by Guy Moshe and Jack Reher. It star ...
''. In 2015, Schiff completed ''
My All American ''My All American'' is a 2015 American biographical drama sport film based on the life of college football player Freddie Steinmark. The film was written and directed by Angelo Pizzo. It is based on the book ''Courage Beyond the Game: The Fred ...
'', an inspirational sports drama starring
Aaron Eckhart Aaron Edward Eckhart (born March 12, 1968) is an American actor. Born in Cupertino, California, Eckhart moved to the United Kingdom at an early age. He began his acting career by performing in school plays, before moving to Australia for his h ...
and
Robin Tunney Robin Tunney (born June 19, 1972) is an American actress. Tunney made her film debut in the comedy ''Encino Man'' (1992) and rose to prominence with leading roles in the cult films ''Empire Records'' (1995) and '' The Craft'' (1996). Her performa ...
.


Personal life

Schiff's brother is actor
Richard Schiff Richard Schiff (born May 27, 1955) is an American actor and director. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on ''The West Wing'', a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his directorial debut with ''The West Wing'', directing ...
. Schiff and his family are
Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
.״Infidel actor Richard discovered drama in his family's history"
''The Jewish Telegraph.'' www.jewishtelegraph.com Published 2010. Accessed February 12, 2016.


Filmography

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.


Film

;Second unit director or assistant director ;As an actor ;Soundtrack


Television


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schiff, Paul American film producers American Jews American people of Jewish descent Living people People from Bethesda, Maryland Wesleyan University alumni Year of birth missing (living people)