Paul Lieberstein facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Paul Lieberstein
Lieberstein in 2008
Born	Paul Bevan Lieberstein (1967-02-22) February 22, 1967 (age 58) Westport, Connecticut, U.S.
Occupation	Screenwriter director producer actor
Alma mater	Hamilton College (BA)
Genre	Situation comedy
Years active	1992–present
Spouse	Janine Serafin Poreba ​ (m. 2008)​
Relatives	Warren Lieberstein (brother) Susanne Daniels (sister) Greg Daniels (brother-in-law)

Paul Bevan Lieberstein (born February 22, 1967) is an American actor, writer, and director. He is well-known for his work on the popular TV show The Office. On the show, he played the character Toby Flenderson. He also worked as an executive producer and was the main person in charge of the show (called a showrunner) for several seasons.

Early Life and Education

Paul Lieberstein grew up in Westport, Connecticut. His parents are Judith and Stanley Lieberstein. He is Jewish. When he was in high school at Staples High School, he wrote his first TV comedy show with his friends. He also played the vibraphone in a band.

After high school, he went to Hamilton College. He studied economics and graduated in 1989. He once said he wanted to be a "financier," which is someone who deals with money. After college, he moved to New York City. He worked for a short time as an auditor and then at his father's law firm. He worked as little as possible so he could spend more time writing.

Starting a Career in Television

Paul Lieberstein moved to Los Angeles with a writing partner. He got his first writing job on a TV show called Clarissa Explains It All. However, he was fired after one season when he and his writing partner stopped working together.

He then worked on a few other TV shows, like Weird Science and The Naked Truth. Later, his brother-in-law, Greg Daniels, asked him to join the team for the animated show King of the Hill. He also worked as a producer on The Drew Carey Show and The Newsroom. In 2017, he became the showrunner for the TV series Ghosted.

In 2018, Lieberstein wrote and directed his first movie, Song of Back and Neck. This movie was shown at the Tribeca Film Festival. In 2020, he announced plans for a new TV comedy about office life during the COVID-19 pandemic. This project later became the TV movie Out of Office.

Working on The Office

Paul Lieberstein became one of the main producers of The Office in 2008. He was part of the writing team from the very beginning of the American version of the show. Greg Daniels, the show's creator, asked him to act in the show too. Daniels wanted some of the writers to understand what it was like to be in front of the camera. Lieberstein has said that acting with Steve Carell was often challenging and fun because Carell would often make up new lines during filming.

In 2012, Lieberstein decided to step down from his role as showrunner for The Office. He wanted to focus on a new show that would feature Rainn Wilson's character, Dwight Schrute. This new show was planned to be called The Farm. Lieberstein was going to be the showrunner for it, but the TV network decided not to make the series.

Lieberstein has shared that playing Toby Flenderson was sometimes hard because the character is so different from him. He also mentioned that working on The Office was a great job, especially the writing part. He found it fun to brainstorm ideas and make scenes funnier with the other writers.

Personal Life

Paul Lieberstein's sister, Susanne Daniels, is also involved in television. She was a president of programming for YouTube Premium. She is married to Greg Daniels, who is a writer and producer. Paul's brother, Warren Lieberstein, was married to Paul's The Office co-star, Angela Kinsey. Paul's cousin, Paul Faust, was the inspiration for a character called "Cool Guy Paul" in an episode of The Office.

Paul Lieberstein married Janine Serafin Poreba on July 19, 2008, in New York City. He has also been on the advisory board for Young Storytellers. This is a group in Los Angeles that helps young people learn about arts education.

Awards and Recognition

Paul Lieberstein has won several awards for his work in television. His first Emmy Award was in 1999 as a producer for King of the Hill.

His work on The Office brought him many awards. In 2007, he won a Daytime Emmy Award for a web series called The Office: Accountants. As an actor, he shared a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2006 for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series" with the rest of The Office cast. As a writer, he shared a Writers Guild of America Award for the series in 2006. As a co-executive producer, he shared a 2006 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Comedy Series."

In 2011, Hamilton College gave Paul Lieberstein an honorary degree.

Filmography

Acting Roles

Directing, Producing, and Writing Roles

See also

In Spanish: Paul Lieberstein para niños