Richard Schiff

In The West Wing (1999), Richard Schiff’s Toby Ziegler makes agreement seem like something that has to be earned. His low-key delivery gives the ensemble a useful abrasive edge. Beside Bradley Whitford’s quick, faintly exhausting Josh Lyman, he helps make these colleagues feel distinct even when they share a purpose. We warmed to them because Toby’s difficult manner made their earnestness easier to believe.

The earlier film roles include Mark Swarr in Se7en (1995) and Eddie Carr in Steven Spielberg’s The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997). The latter brought him wider notice; Toby then gave him a regular place in an ensemble. His beginnings in theatre direction make sense alongside that performance: we notice how the actors affect one another, not simply how he delivers his own lines.

Aaron Sorkin’s dialogue sometimes congratulates itself, and Schiff cannot make every speech sound modest. Martin Sheen gives Josiah Bartlet authority and warmth, while John Spencer’s Leo McGarry brings weight to the verbal bustle. Schiff’s contribution is to make belonging to this group look compatible with finding it trying. The actors convince us that they know one another’s habits, without having to explain each working relationship. We rate that ensemble work highly, though the writing can still ask for more indulgence than the performances should have to supply.

The later parts include Dr. Emil Hamilton in Man of Steel (2013) and Dr. Aaron Glassman in The Good Doctor (2017), continuing the pattern of serious professional men. His quiet delivery suits that authority, though another doctor or official does not necessarily give him something new to play. We would welcome a part that made less use of his professional gravity and more of the friction he brings to a group. Start with Toby for the ensemble playing, and be prepared to forgive the occasional self-congratulatory speech.