Paul Schneider
Schneider in July 2018
Born	Paul Andrew Schneider Asheville, North CarolinaUnited States
Education	University of North Carolina School of the Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1996–present
Spouse	Theresa Avila ​ ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	2

Paul Andrew Schneider is an American actor best known for his portrayal ofDick Liddil in the epic western filmThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and his lead role asMark Brendanawicz on thefirst andsecond seasons of theNBC political satirical sitcomParks and Recreation (2009–10).^[1] He also appeared in lead roles in the romantic drama filmAll the Real Girls (2003) and the comedy filmThe Babymakers (2012), the former of which he co-wrote withDavid Gordon Green and was nominated for theGotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer.

He has since appeared in supporting roles in films such asElizabethtown (2005),Lars and the Real Girl (2007),Away We Go (2009),Water for Elephants (2011),Hello Carter (2013),Rules Don't Apply (2016),Brothers by Blood (2020), andAmerican Murderer (2022).^[2] For his portrayal ofCharles Armitage Brown in the biographical romantic drama filmBright Star (2009), Schneider won theNational Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also awarded Best Actor in a Narrative Feature at theTribeca Film Festival for his performance in the romantic comedy drama filmGoodbye to All That (2014).^[3][4]

Schneider was born inAsheville, North Carolina,^[5][6] and raised inAsheville, North Carolina. He graduated from theUniversity of North Carolina School of the Arts.^[7]

In 2000, Schneider made his film debut inDavid Gordon Green'sGeorge Washington and starred inAll the Real Girls.^[8][9] As research for his role as Jesse Baylor inElizabethtown, directorCameron Crowe suggested that Schneider tour with the bandMy Morning Jacket for five days. Schneider accompanied the band to concerts held in such locations asIrving Plaza, theWebster Theater, theTheater of the Living Arts, and Stone Pony Landing.^{[citation needed]}

AfterElizabethtown, Schneider had supporting roles inThe Family Stone andLive Free or Die. In 2007, he portrayed Gus Lindstrom inLars and the Real Girl andDick Liddil inThe Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.^[7] He was named one of "Ten Actors to Watch" byVariety.^[10] In 2008, he made his directorial debut with the independent filmPretty Bird.^[11] Also in 2008, Schneider played PresidentWilliam Henry Harrison in an episode of the Comedy Central seriesDrunk History Vol. 4.^[12]

In 2009, Schneider appeared asCharles Armitage Brown inBright Star, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Award from theNational Society of Film Critics. The award was shared withChristoph Waltz forInglourious Basterds.^[13] He portrayed Courtney Farlander inAway We Go.^[12]

In arguably his most mainstream role, Schneider co-starred asMark Brendanawicz in theNBC seriesParks and Recreation, appearing in the first two seasons from 2009 to 2010 before leaving the series.^[14] In a April 2014 interview withScreenCrush, Schneider said that he had felt sidelined:^[15]

That experience was very strange for me. You know, I signed up for a specific character that was changed in mid-season. And it became a character with a lot less to do. And, all of a sudden, I was kind of confused and kind of having a lot less to do.

In 2018, Schneider made his Broadway debut inYoung Jean Lee's playStraight White Men as Matt. Schneider's performance earned praise, withThe New York Times criticJesse Green singling him out as one of the highlights of the production.^[16]

On April 16, 2016, Schneider married Theresa Avila, anoccupational therapist and co-founder of The World Lens Foundation, of which Schneider is a board member.^[17][18] The two have two daughters, Lou and Rae. Schneider is anInnocence Project Ambassador.^[19]

• Paul Schneider atIMDb
• Paul Schneider Biography - Yahoo! Movies

• 1976 births
• 20th-century American male actors
• 21st-century American male actors
• American male film actors
• American male television actors
• Living people
• People from Asheville, North Carolina
• Male actors from North Carolina
• University of North Carolina School of the Arts alumni

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