American actor Richard Schiff is one of Hollywood’s most accomplished character actors. With a career spanning over three decades, Schiff has appeared in over 150 film and television productions. Unlike several actors, he takes pride in being “very lucky not to have turned down too many roles that I’ve later regretted.”
Most of today’s television audiences recognize Richard Schiff from his role as Dr. Aaron Glassman on ABC’s medical drama The Good Doctor. After a successful 7-season run, The Good Doctor aired its series finale on May 21, 2024. Schiff’s character’s death was one of the emotional highlights of the finale. Here’s everything to know about the seasoned actor Richard Schiff.
1. Richard Schiff’s Stepfather Was Martin Luther King Jr.’s Lawyer
Richard Schiff was born in Bethesda, Maryland, on May 27, 1955. However, he was raised in New York City in a Jewish family, alongside his two brothers, Paul Schiff (a film and television producer) and David Schiff, a talent manager. Schiff’s parents, real estate lawyer Edward Schiff and mother, Charlotte (a television and publishing executive), later had a divorce when he was 12. Schiff’s mother married Clarence B. Jones, a lawyer and close friend of Martin Luther King Jr., who was also a divorcee at the time.
2. Richard Schiff Worked Odd Jobs Before Becoming An Actor
New York City has always been home for Richard Schiff. After his parents’ divorce, Schiff dropped out of High School and attended night school. At some point in his life, Schiff wasn’t sure what he wanted to do besides having enough money to care for himself. To make ends meet, Schiff worked odd jobs as a New York City taxi driver. He also worked nights, from 11 PM to 7 AM, cleaning buses in the Greyhound terminal on 11th Avenue. Besides these, Schiff stated that he also “laid cable for Manhattan Cable Television. I was a Teamster in the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.”
3. He Began His Career As A Director
Richard Schiff admits he had an initial dislike for acting. He studied at the City College of New York (CCNY) and joined the Professional Acting Training Program by chance. Although he didn’t attend his final exams at CCNY in 1973, he returned in 1975 to continue in their theater program, studying to be a director. After graduating, Schiff wasted no time kick-starting his career as a director. By the early 1980s, Schiff had directed several off-Broadway productions. One such project was the 1983 Athenian tragedy play Antigone. Interestingly, the play starred Angela Bassett, who had just graduated at the time.
4. Richard Schiff’s Early Acting Career
After his stint directing plays, Richard Schiff decided to give acting a chance in the mid-80s. Schiff’s screen credit began in 1987 when he played a Deli Man in the short film Arena Brains. He made his feature debut the next year in the crime movie Medium Straight (1988). He spent the next decade appearing in minor roles in several movies, as well as TV shows, having made his TV debut in 1988. A few of his notable early credits include Malcolm X (as a JFK reporter), The Bodyguard (as Skip Thomas), Doogie Howser, M. D. (As Billy Tishler), Speed (as Train Driver), NYPD Blue (as Vartan Illiescu), and Se7en (as Mark Swarr).
5. The West Wing Was Richard Schiff’s Breakthrough Role
All of the projects he worked on in film and television, irrespective of how minor they were, set him up for recognition to be cast in The West Wing. Two years earlier, Schiff portrayed Eddie Carr in Steven Spielberg’s 1997 The Lost World: Jurassic Park. He also starred alongside Eddie Murphy as his colleague, Dr. Gene Reiss, in Dr. Dolittle (1998). Richard Schiff was cast as White House Communications Director Toby Ziegler on NBC’s serial political drama series The West Wing.
During his time on the show, Schiff was one of the series regulars and appeared in all 7 seasons from 1999 to 2006. For his performance, Schiff received two Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series, winning one. Richard Schiff appeared in 145 episodes of the show.
6. Richard Schiff Is Married To An Actress
Richard Schiff is married to actress Sheila Kelley. The couple married on August 31, 1996, and have two children, Gus Schiff and Ruby Schiff. Sheila Kelly is popularly known for playing Gwen Taylor on L.A. Law and Dr. Charlotte “Charley” Bennett Hayes on Sisters. Kelley co-starred alongside her husband in The Good Doctor, where she played his love interest, Debbie Wexler, who became his wife.
