Biography
Born in 1976, Paul Scheer attended New York University, where he majored in Communications and Education. In 1998 he joined the Upright Citizens Brigade sketch and improv group in New York City. It was there that Scheer met many of the comedians he would collaborate with later in his career, including Rob Corddry, Matt Besser, and Matt Walsh. With this springboard, Scheer consistently found an outlet for his specific comic talent, whether in TV, film, or online. Scheer's first professional experience onscreen was in the "Upright Citizens Brigade" sketch show that aired on Comedy Central in 1998 and 1999. In 2004, Scheer appeared in "McEnroe," a short lived CNBC talk and sketch show hosted by the volatile former tennis star. "Crossballs," a satire of political debate shows like "Crossfire" (CNN, 1982-2005, 2013-14) and "Hardball" (MSNBC, 1997- ), with fellow UCB alum Matt Besser, followed on Comedy Central in 2005. UCB'ers Rob Heubel and Aziz Ansari teamed with Scheer on "Shutterbugs" (2005), a series of comic short films with Jason Woliner directing. In 2006, Variety named Scheer as one of their "Top 10 Comics to Watch." "Shutterbugs" proved to be a trial run for "Human Giant," a new sketch show out of UCB that featured Scheer, Heubel, and Ansari, again with Woliner behind the camera. In 2007, "Human Giant" became a sketch comedy show on MTV. The show remained on the air for two seasons, and was popular enough to be offered a third, but NBC wouldn't release Ansari from his commitment to "Parks & Recreation" (NBC, 2009-2015) (starring UCB alum Amy Poehler), and Scheer and Heubel had become so in demand that it became impossible to get the troupe together for another full season. For his part, Scheer moved on to a multi-episode role on "30 Rock" (NBC, 2006-2013), then on to a couple of ill-fated feature film projects. Scheer was cast in the Eddie Murphy film "Meet Dave" (2008), but when the time came to shoot his scenes, director Brian Robbins didn't think he was right for the role. The role was recast, but Scheer was given another role on the spot, which was later almost completely cut from the film. The other was a small role in "Bride Wars" (2009), starring Kate Hudson and Anne Hathaway. Written by Scheer's wife June Diane Raphael and co-star Casey Wilson, the film suffered critically and at the box office. Even though the feature film world wasn't going his way, Scheer found success in TV and online. In 2009, he began the role of Andre in comedy series "The League" (FX, 2009-15). The butt of many of the jokes rained down by his fantasy football league peers, Andre dishes out as well as he takes it. On the digital side, Scheer, his wife Raphael, and Jason Mantzoukas began the "How Did This Get Made?" podcast in 2010. The bi-weekly show features the three hosts and a comedian guest as they dissect each others' favorite 'bad' films. In 2011, Scheer created "NTSF:SD:SUV" (National Terrorism Strike Force: San Diego: Sport Utility Vehicle), a parody of police procedurals, that aired on Adult Swim as a companion piece for fellow UCB alum Rob Corddry's parody of medical procedurals, "Childrens Hospital" (Adult Swim, 2008- ). Scheer also stayed active in the internet comedy world. In 2013 he created and starred in "The ArScheerio Paul Show." The YouTube show recreated classic moments from the Arsenio Hall Show and was declared 2013's best viral video of the year by USA Today. In 2014, Scheer was a regular on the Hulu show "Hotwives of Orlando," again with UCB alum Besser and close friend Wilson.
