---
name: "Paul Reiser"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/paul-reiser"
fi1m_id: "paul-reiser"
imdb_id: "nm0001663"
tmdb_id: 781
wikidata_id: "Q430922"
roles: ["Actor"]
born: "30 March 1956"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 9
average_fi1m_score: 71
average_as: "actor"
average_over: 9
updated: "2026-10-13T21:28:51.081930+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Paul Reiser

## Identity

Paul Reiser

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/paul-reiser
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** paul-reiser
- **IMDb ID:** nm0001663
- **TMDB ID:** 781
- **Wikidata ID:** Q430922
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Reiser, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q430922, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001663/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/781

Actor. Born 30 March 1956 in New York City, New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Actor
- **Born:** 30 March 1956, New York City, New York, USA
- **Active:** 1982–present
- **Also known as:** پل رایزر
- **Average Fi1m score:** 71, as actor, over 9 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 70 (4), 2010s 75 (4), 2020s 60 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 71 to 69 across 9 titles
- **Score spread:** 4 at 80+, 2 at 60–79, 3 under 60
- **Lead roles:** 0 of 6 acting credits billed first or second
- **Genres:** Drama 5, Action 3, Comedy 3, Crime 2, Thriller 2, Action & Adventure 1
- **Screen time:** 13 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $880m across 6 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Paul_Reiser, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q430922, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001663/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/781

## Streaming the US now

- **Apple TV:** [*Aliens*](https://film.one/film/aliens.md) (91)
- **HBO Max:** [*Behind the Candelabra*](https://film.one/film/behind-the-candelabra.md) (81)
- **Disney+:** [*Fosse/Verdon*](https://film.one/tv/fosse-verdon.md) (58)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Paul Reiser

> Paul Reiser makes hesitation funny and plays concerned fathers without fuss. We value his dramatic supporting work, especially in *Whiplash*, though familiarity alone cannot carry the comedies built around his conversational manner.

In *Whiplash* (2014), Paul Reiser's Jim is a father trying to support his son while musical ambition becomes a test of how much pain a student can take. We were relieved by his concern, because Damien Chazelle makes jazz practice so frightening. Reiser gives us someone whose care for the student matters independently of the next performance. This is where we rate him: a supporting role that uses his familiar manner without depending on a joke. The film is better for having him there.

The comic habits were already useful in Barry Levinson's ensemble *Diner* (1982), his breakout film as Modell. Reiser's talkative, indecisive men tend to approach a point indirectly, and much of the humour is in how long they take to reach it. James Cameron cast him as corporate executive Carter Burke in *Aliens* (1986), giving the familiar manner a different job. With *Mad About You* (1992–99), which he co-created, wrote for and starred in opposite Helen Hunt, conversation became the main occupation. His timing could sustain it.

Later father and mentor roles make use of that recognisable manner without requiring him to carry the whole evening. *Whiplash* gives it a particularly good purpose: Jim's support allows us to question a film that sometimes seems too interested in how much punishment its student can withstand. The same period also brought Mr. Felder in Steven Soderbergh's *Behind the Candelabra* (2013). Our recommendation there rests chiefly on Michael Douglas's watchful Liberace and the way Matt Damon lets his character be remade in another man's image. For Reiser, start elsewhere.

Familiarity does have limits. *The Paul Reiser Show* (2011) suggests how thin a self-created vehicle can become when the audience's recognition is doing too much of the work. *The Problem with People* (2024) is another caution against relying on the established persona without giving it enough depth. We prefer him when the situation asks more of him than amiable hesitation. Start with *Whiplash* for the supporting actor, then *Mad About You* for the conversations.

## Biography

Paul Reiser is an American actor, comedian and writer. Born on 30 March 1956 in New York City, he studied music at Binghamton University and began performing stand-up comedy in New York clubs before making his film debut in *Diner* (1982) as Modell.

He gained prominence on television as Michael Taylor in the sitcom *My Two Dads* (1987–1990) and as Paul Buchman, a role he co-created, in *Mad About You* (1992–1999). Film roles include Detective Jeffrey Friedman in *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984) and its 1987 sequel, Carter Burke in *Aliens* (1986), and Jim Neiman in *Whiplash* (2014). He has also appeared as Dr Sam Owens in the series *Stranger Things* (2016–).

Reiser has written books including the bestseller *Couplehood* and is married to Paula Ravets; they have two children.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (9)

- *Horse Girl* (2020), Fi1m 60, as Gary — [page](https://film.one/film/horse-girl.md)
- *Fosse/Verdon* (2019), Fi1m 58, as Cy Feuer — [page](https://film.one/tv/fosse-verdon.md)
- *Stranger Things* (2016), Fi1m 77, as Dr. Sam Owens — [page](https://film.one/tv/stranger-things.md)
- *Whiplash* (2014), Fi1m 84, as Jim — [page](https://film.one/film/whiplash.md)
- *Behind the Candelabra* (2013), Fi1m 81, as Mr. Felder — [page](https://film.one/film/behind-the-candelabra.md)
- *Beverly Hills Cop II* (1987), Fi1m 48, as Jeffrey Friedman — [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop-ii.md)
- *Aliens* (1986), Fi1m 91, as Burke — [page](https://film.one/film/aliens.md)
- *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984), Fi1m 55, as Jeffrey — [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop.md)
- *Diner* (1982), Fi1m 84, as Modell — [page](https://film.one/film/diner.md)

## Complete filmography (66)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Long Story Short* (2025), series, as Elliott (voice)
- *Paul Reiser: Life, Death & Rice Pudding* (2024), Writer
- *The Gutter* (2024), as Angelo
- *The Problem with People* (2024), as Barry · Writer, Producer
- *Beverly Hills Cop: Axel F* (2024), as Jeffrey
- *Reboot* (2022), series, as Gordon
- *Scenes from an Empty Church* (2021), as The Dad
- *Fatherhood* (2021), as Paul
- *Horse Girl* (2020), as Gary — Fi1m 60, [page](https://film.one/film/horse-girl.md)
- *Mad About You* (2019), series, as Paul Buchman
- *The Boys* (2019), series, as The Legend — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-boys.md)
- *Fosse/Verdon* (2019), series, as Cy Feuer — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/tv/fosse-verdon.md)
- *The Kominsky Method* (2018), series, as Martin Schneider
- *The Romanoffs* (2018), series, as Bob Isaacson
- *The Spy Who Dumped Me* (2018), as Arnie
- *There's... Johnny!* (2017), series, Executive Producer, Writer, Creator
- *I Do... Until I Don't* (2017), as Harvey Burger
- *The Little Hours* (2017), as Ilario
- *Miles* (2017), as Lloyd Bryant
- *The Book of Love* (2017), as Wendell
- *War on Everyone* (2016), as Gerry Stanton
- *Loco x Vos* (2016), series, Creator
- *Joshy* (2016), as Steve
- *Stranger Things* (2016), series, as Dr. Sam Owens — Fi1m 77, [page](https://film.one/tv/stranger-things.md)
- *The Darkness* (2016), as Simon Richards
- *Concussion* (2015), as Dr. Elliot Pellman
- *Whiplash* (2014), as Jim — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/whiplash.md)
- *Red Oaks* (2014), series, as Getty
- *Life After Beth* (2014), as Noah Orfman
- *TripTank* (2014), series, as Gary (voice)
- *Behind the Candelabra* (2013), as Mr. Felder — Fi1m 81, [page](https://film.one/film/behind-the-candelabra.md)
- *The Paul Reiser Show* (2011), series, as Paul Reiser · Creator
- *Funny People* (2009), as Paul Reiser
- *Invincible* (2008), series, Producer
- *The Thing About My Folks* (2005), as Ben Kleinman · Producer, Writer
- *Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy* (2004), Executive Producer, Writer
- *Women vs. Men* (2002), as Bruce
- *Purpose* (2002), as Ben Fisher
- *Strange Relations* (2001), as Jerry Lipman
- *One Night at McCool's* (2001), as Carl Harding
- *Curb Your Enthusiasm* (2000), series, as Paul Reiser — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/tv/curb-your-enthusiasm.md)
- *The Story of Us* (1999), as Dave
- *Pros & Cons* (1999), as Prison Man #1
- *Bye Bye Love* (1995), as Donny Carson
- *Mr. Write* (1994), as Charlie Fischer
- *The Tower* (1993), as Tony Minot
- *Family Prayers* (1993), as Dan Lidner
- *Carol Leifer: Gaudy, Bawdy & Blue* (1992), as Paul Reiser
- *Mad About You* (1992), series, as Paul Buchman · Executive Producer, Writer, Creator
- *Paul Reiser: 3 1/2 Blocks from Home* (1991), Writer
- *The Marrying Man* (1991), as Phil Golden
- *Crazy People* (1990), as Stephen Bachman
- *Martini Ranch: Reach* (1988), as Snakeoil Salesman (uncredited)
- *Cross My Heart* (1987), as Bruce Gaynor
- *Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim* (1987), Writer
- *My Two Dads* (1987), series, as Michael Taylor
- *Beverly Hills Cop II* (1987), as Jeffrey Friedman — Fi1m 48, [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop-ii.md)
- *You Ruined My Life* (1987), as Dexter Bunche
- *Aliens* (1986), as Burke — Fi1m 91, [page](https://film.one/film/aliens.md)
- *From Here to Maternity* (1986), as Marco
- *Odd Jobs* (1986), as Max
- *Beverly Hills Cop* (1984), as Jeffrey — Fi1m 55, [page](https://film.one/film/beverly-hills-cop.md)
- *Sunset Limousine* (1983), as Jay Neilson
- *Diner* (1983), as Modell
- *Remington Steele* (1982), series, as Ivan Turbell
- *Diner* (1982), as Modell — Fi1m 84, [page](https://film.one/film/diner.md)

## Gallery

- ![Paul Reiser](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-15a5da509655.jpg) Paul Reiser — Paul_Reiser_2011.jpg: Thomas Atilla Lewis at https://www.flickr.com/people/51761894@N00
derivative work: RanZag (talk), CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Paul_Reiser_2011_cropped.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Bill Paxton, James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic C](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-d8e87e591f04.jpg) Bill Paxton, James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, Sigourney Weaver, Paul Reiser, Carrie Henn, Michael Biehn and Lance Henriksen speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic C — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a7/Bill_Paxton%2C_James_Cameron%2C_Gale_Anne_Hurd%2C_Sigourney_Weaver%2C_Paul_Reiser%2C_Carrie_Henn%2C_Michael_Biehn_%26_Lance_Henriksen_%2828541719791%29.jpg/1280px-Bill_Paxton%2C_James_Cameron%2C_Gale_Anne_Hurd%2C_Sigourney_Weaver%2C_Paul_Reiser%2C_Carrie_Henn%2C_Michael_Biehn_%26_Lance_Henriksen_%2828541719791%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser and Carrie Henn speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic C](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-960539737fb2.jpg) James Cameron, Gale Anne Hurd, Sigourney Weaver, Bill Paxton, Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn, Paul Reiser and Carrie Henn speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic C — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/85/James_Cameron%2C_Gale_Anne_Hurd%2C_Sigourney_Weaver%2C_Bill_Paxton%2C_Lance_Henriksen%2C_Michael_Biehn%2C_Paul_Reiser_%26_Carrie_Henn_%2828620671595%29.jpg/1280px-James_Cameron%2C_Gale_Anne_Hurd%2C_Sigourney_Weaver%2C_Bill_Paxton%2C_Lance_Henriksen%2C_Michael_Biehn%2C_Paul_Reiser_%26_Carrie_Henn_%2828620671595%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn and Paul Reiser speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Aliens: 30th Anniversary", at the San Diego Conventi](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-89e5e36c7cd1.jpg) Lance Henriksen, Michael Biehn and Paul Reiser speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Aliens: 30th Anniversary", at the San Diego Conventi — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/06/Lance_Henriksen%2C_Michael_Biehn_%26_Paul_Reiser_%2828335756830%29.jpg/1280px-Lance_Henriksen%2C_Michael_Biehn_%26_Paul_Reiser_%2828335756830%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Paul Reiser](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-b747bbca7db6.jpg) Paul Reiser — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Reiser](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-84364208063a.jpg) Paul Reiser — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Reiser](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-fbc649a99bf4.jpg) Paul Reiser — Image via TMDB
- ![Paul Reiser (center) at the rehearsal for the 41st Annual Emmy Awards, 9/16/89 - Permission granted to copy, publish, broadcast or post but please credit "photo (1989)](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-81b1a88b7740.jpg) Paul Reiser (center) at the rehearsal for the 41st Annual Emmy Awards, 9/16/89 - Permission granted to copy, publish, broadcast or post but please credit "photo (1989) — Alan Light, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/Paul_Reiser_%28255127742%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Paul Reiser speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Aliens: 30th Anniversary", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California.](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-174d83d963be.jpg) Paul Reiser speaking at the 2016 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Aliens: 30th Anniversary", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/32/Paul_Reiser_%2828003507154%29.jpg/1280px-Paul_Reiser_%2828003507154%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Paul Reiser](https://film.one/media/person/9378/gallery-42025f2dc843.jpg) Paul Reiser — Image via TMDB

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/paul-reiser