Biography
Veteran stand-up comedian and actor Paul Reiser was best known for his role as Paul Buchman on the long-running sitcom "Mad About You" (NBC, 1992-99). Born in New York City in 1957, Reiser enrolled at Binghamton University as a music major, but it was his performances with his dorm's community theater program Hinman Little Theater that allowed him to explore his skills as an actor. Simultaneously, Reiser began practicing stand-up comedy at various New York clubs during his summer breaks, eventually resulting in a combination of skills that made him an ideal candidate for a comedic film-a trait noticed by casting director Ellen Chenowith when he auditioned for Barry Levinson's ensemble comedy "Diner" (1982). Reiser's charisma soon found him cast as detective Jeffrey Friedman in the action comedy "Beverly Hills Cop" (1984), and even more famously as the slippery corporate executive Burke in the smash hit "Alien" (1979) sequel "Aliens" (1986). The following year, he moved to the realm of television, taking on the role of Michael on the sitcom "My Two Dads" (NBC, 1987-1990) in 1987. Reiser married future clinical psychologist Paula Ravets the following year. He would appear with Alec Baldwin and Kim Basinger in "The Marrying Man" (1991) shortly after the series wrapped in 1990, but by this time, Reiser was already planning his return to TV, writing, producing, and co-starring with Helen Hunt on the sitcom "Mad About You" starting in 1992. The show's simple premise about the everyday misadventures of a pair of Manhattan newlyweds proved an excellent showcase for Reiser's comedic voice, and he found even more content along this theme with his first book, a collection of humorous essays on committed relationships titled Couplehood, published in 1995. He would later expand upon these themes to include discussions about parenting in 1998's Babyhood. Meanwhile, the consistently popular "Mad About You" finally ending its run in 1999. The new millennium brought a role in the sleeper hit "One Night at McCool's" (2001) before Reiser wrote, produced, and starred with the legendary Peter Falk in the comedy "The Thing About My Folks" (2005). He would similarly write, produce, and star in the sitcom "The Paul Reiser Show" (NBC, 2011), though reportedly minimal promotion led to the show lasting just seven episodes. Undeterred, Reiser published another book, Familyhood, and took on the role of the thanklessly supportive father in the critically acclaimed "Whiplash" (2014). He would also become a regular face on comedy series like "Married" (FX, 2014-15) and "Red Oaks" (Amazon, 2014-17). After supporting turns in "Concussion" (2015) and "War on Everyone" (2016), Reiser began portraying government operative Sam Owens on the phenomenally popular series "Stranger Things" (Netflix, 2016-). The part left many critics praising not only Reiser's performance, but the subtle nod many felt his character made to his iconic role in "Aliens." Reiser would go on to join the cast of the cult hit comedy series "The Kominsky Method" (Netflix, 2018-) in 2019.
