Paul Buchman /Paul Reiser]
Born and raised in New York, Paul is a documentary filmmaker (Buchman Films ) who attended New York University (NYU) Film School and won an NEA (National Endowment for the Arts) grant. After several nominations for the Silver Sprocket award that he covets, he has finally won one.
Paul lived in an apartment at 129 West 81st Street before he met Jamie. He lived with his parents until age 18 and after college lived with his cousin Ira for a while before being kicked out.
Paul is quite the dutiful son, calling his mother often and then regretting telling her things. He has a typical father-son relationship with his father, who has a better understanding of Paul's abilities than Paul gives him credit for. Paul also gets along well with his in-laws.
While his college days (with Selby) were certainly eventful, Paul really does not have "any guys". Ira is about it. He found a collie-mix puppy in Central Park one night, adopted it and named the dog Murray, who has become a significant part of his life.
Paul likes the Three Stooges, is a big Beatles fan, is strangely attracted to "Saved By The Bell", and watches or tapes "Baywatch" regularly. He hates the Opera and hates to shop even more. He loves pizza and cinnamon toast. He usually took the subway or a cab, but never a bus, until he bought Mark Devanow's old car.
Paul Reiser, a 1994 Emmy
Award nominee for "Mad About You" frequently found
himself addressing the vagaries of modern marriage while touring
as a stand-up comedian -- a cathartic subject that took on new
meaning for him six years ago when he married Paula, a
psychotherapist.
Reiser co-created (with Danny Jacobson) and also serves as executive producer on "Mad About You." The comedy series allows him to express himself on the riddles of newlywed bliss, especially in the episodes he occasionally writes. "Marriage is like the final frontier of intimacy," he says.
"It's a dance with constantly changing ground rules, full of never-ending stories and issues. We want it to be honest, so that people will say, 'God, that's just like my life!'"
A native of New York City, Reiser grew up watching Greenwich Village comedians and developed his own act, which he took on the road after earning a B.A. in music at the State University of New York at Binghamton. (His passion for music inspired him to co-write the theme song to "Mad About You" with veteran producer Don Was.)
Reiser's first film role was in the classic Barry Levinson film Diner. Immediately following was a role in Beverly Hills Cop. Reiser is also known for his role as the double-crossing company man in Aliens. Among his other feature credits are Beverly Hills Cop II, The Marrying Man, Crazy People, Family Prayers and Bye Bye Love. From 1987 to 1990 he starred on NBC's comedy series My Two Dads, and his TV movie credits include The Tower. He also wrote, produced and starred in his own HBO comedy special, Paul Reiser: Out on a Whim, and starred in a similar special for ShowTime, 3 1/2 Blocks From Home.
As a series producer, Reiser won a Golden Globe in 1995 when Mad About You was named Best Series, Musical or Comedy. Reiser, who appropriately plays a documentary filmmaker named Paul, emphasises the reality of the show: On TV, characters often get oversimplified -- he's wacky, she's neurotic -- but in real life, and hopefully on this show, people are allowed to be all things at different times. You dance around each other.
In 1994, Reiser released his book Couplehood, which reached the No. 1 spot on the weekly New York Times best-seller list (with over two million copies sold). As a follow-up to the successful Couplehood, he will be writing a book on parenting, which will be published in the spring of 1997. The Viewers for Quality Television named Reiser as Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series in 1994. Reiser lives in Los Angeles with his wife and son. He continues to perform on stage and works closely with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. Paul Reiser's birthday is March 30.