Paul Schneider
Schneider in July 2018
Born	Paul Andrew Schneider Oakland, California, United 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 of Dick Liddil in the epic western film The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford (2007) and his lead role as Mark Brendanawicz on the first and second seasons of the NBC political satirical sitcom Parks and Recreation (2009–10).^[1] He also appeared in lead roles in the romantic drama film All the Real Girls (2003) and the comedy film The Babymakers (2012), the former of which he co-wrote with David Gordon Green and was nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Award for Breakthrough Performer.

He has since appeared in supporting roles in films such as Elizabethtown (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), and American Murderer (2022).^[2] For his portrayal of Charles Armitage Brown in the biographical romantic drama film Bright Star (2009), Schneider won the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Supporting Actor. He was also awarded Best Actor in a Narrative Feature at the Tribeca Film Festival for his performance in the romantic comedy drama film Goodbye to All That (2014).^[3][4]

Schneider was born in Oakland, California,^[5][6] and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.^[7]

In 2000, Schneider made his film debut in David Gordon Green's George Washington and starred in Green's All the Real Girls.^[8][9] As research for his role as Jesse Baylor in Elizabethtown, director Cameron Crowe suggested that Schneider tour with the band My Morning Jacket for five days. Schneider accompanied the band to concerts held in such locations as Irving Plaza, the Webster Theater, the Theater of the Living Arts, and Stone Pony Landing.^{[citation needed]}

After Elizabethtown, Schneider had supporting roles in The Family Stone and Live Free or Die. In 2007, he portrayed Gus Lindstrom in Lars and the Real Girl and Dick Liddil in The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford.^[7] He was named one of "Ten Actors to Watch" by Variety.^[10] In 2008, he made his directorial debut with the independent film Pretty Bird.^[11] Also in 2008, Schneider played President William Henry Harrison in an episode of the Comedy Central series Drunk History Vol. 4.^[12]

In 2009, Schneider appeared as Charles Armitage Brown in Bright Star, for which he won the Best Supporting Actor Award from the National Society of Film Critics. The award was shared with Christoph Waltz for Inglourious Basterds.^[13] He portrayed Courtney Farlander in Away We Go.^[12]

In arguably his most mainstream role, Schneider co-starred as Mark Brendanawicz in the NBC series Parks and Recreation, appearing in the first 2 seasons from 2009 to 2010 before leaving the series because he felt sidelined.^[14] Quoting an April 2014 interview with ScreenCrush:^[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 in Young Jean Lee's play Straight White Men as Matt. Schneider's performance earned praise, with The New York Times critic Jesse Green singling him out as one of the highlights of the production.^[16]

On April 16, 2016, Schneider married Theresa Avila, an occupational 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 an Innocence Project Ambassador.^[19]

• Paul Schneider at IMDb
• Paul Schneider Biography - Yahoo! Movies