Paul Andrew Schneider (born March 16, 1976) 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). 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). 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).
Early life Schneider was born and raised in Asheville, North Carolina. He graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.
Career In 2000, Schneider made his film debut in David Gordon Green's George Washington and starred in All the Real Girls. 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.
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. That year, he was named one of "Ten Actors to Watch" by Variety. In 2008, he made his directorial debut with the independent film Pretty Bird. Also in 2008, Schneider played President William Henry Harrison in episode No. 4 of the web series Drunk History.
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. He portrayed Courtney Farlander in Away We Go.
In arguably his most mainstream role, Schneider co-starred as Mark Brendanawicz in the NBC series Parks and Recreation, appearing in the first two seasons from 2009 to 2010 before leaving the series. In an April 2014 interview with ScreenCrush, Schneider said that he had felt sidelined:
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.
Personal life 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. The couple have two daughters, Lou and Rae. Schneider is an Innocence Project Ambassador.
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1997 Pleasant Grove Bedford Short film 1998 Physical Pinball Short film 2000 George Washington Rico Rice2003 Security, Colorado Paul Filmed in the Dogme 95 style. All the Real Girls Paul Also writer Crude Gabe 2004 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Owen McCabe2005 Elizabethtown Jesse Baylor The Family Stone Brad Stevenson 2006 Live Free or Die Jeff Lagrand2007 The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford Dick Liddil Lars and the Real Girl Gus 2008 Pretty Bird Beach Dog Jogger Also writer, director2009 Bright Star Charles Armitage Brown Away We Go Courtney Farlander2011 Water for Elephants Charlie O'Brien Beloved Henderson2012 The Flowers of War Terry The Babymakers Tommy Macklin2013 Hello Carter Aaron2014 Goodbye to All That Otto Wall Black Eyed Dog Straight Men/Same BedShort filmWriter, director, producer2015 The DaughterChristian2016 Café Society Steve Rules Don't Apply Richard Miskin 2020 Brothers by Blood Jimmy 2021 A House on the Bayou John Chambers 2022 AbandonedDr. Carver American Murderer David Brown2025 Train Dreams Apostle Frank XenoChase
Television Year Title Role Notes 2003 Third Watch Thomas Warner Guest role; 3 episodes 2008 Drunk History William Henry Harrison Episode No. 4 2009–2010 Parks and Recreation Mark Brendanawicz Main role (seasons 1–2); 30 episodes 2012 The Newsroom Brian Brenner Guest role; 2 episodes 2014 The Divide Clark Rylance Main role; 6 episodes2016 The Tunnel Artem Baturin Guest role; 4 episodes Channel Zero: Candle Cove Mike Painter Main role; 6 episodes 2017 Chance Ryan Winter Main role (season 2); 9 episodes 2018 The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story Paul Beck Episode: "Ascent"2020 Tales from the Loop George 6 episodes NOS4A2 Jonathan "The Hourglass" Beckett 3 episodes 2022 A Friend of the Family Marty Episode: "Revelation"2023 Law & Order Daniel Strawn Episode: "Bias" Florida Man Officer Andy Boone Recurring role2025 The Righteous GemstonesOfficer PowellEpisode: "Prelude" The RunaroundsHenry Kinney3 episodes Murdaugh: Death in the FamilyBilly4 episodes 2026 Cape Fear Grayson Recurring role
Awards and nominations Year Award Category Work Result 2003 Gotham Awards Breakthrough ActorAll the Real Girls 2004 Chlotrudis Awards Best Original Screenplay (shared with David Gordon Green) 2008 Sundance Film Festival Dramatic Pretty Bird 2009 Alliance of Women Film Journalists Best Supporting Actor Bright Star Hollywood Film Awards Spotlight Award Indiewire Critics' Poll Best Supporting Performance Bright Star San Diego Film Critics Society Awards Dramatic Pretty Bird Village Voice Film Poll Best Supporting ActorBright Star 2010 National Society of Film Critics Awards Best Supporting Actor 2012 RiverRun International Film Festival Emerging Master 2014 Tribeca Film Festival Best Actor in a Narrative Feature Goodbye to All That 2017 Fangoria Chainsaw Awards Best TV Actor Channel Zero: Candle Cove
References
External links
Paul Schneider Biography - Yahoo! Movies