Born on March 30, 1957, in New York City into a Jewish American family, Reiser actually formally trained as a musician rather than an actor or writer, having graduated from Binghamton University with a bachelor’s degree in music, with a focus on piano and composition. However, during his college years, he did spend a considerable amount of time with campus theater productions, founding the on-campus community theater organization he dubbed The Little Theater That Could. Reiser also made a habit of performing regularly in comedy clubs throughout New York, particularly during the summers between college semesters.
Before he became known as his alter ago Paul Buchman, Reiser had been acting already for ten years and screenwriting for four. His acting debut came in the 1982 film Diner, co-starring Steve Guttenberg, Daniel Stern, Mickey Rourke, Kevin Bacon, Tim Daly, and Ellen Barkin, with the role Modell, a role he reprised in the TV version of the film a year later. He also appeared in an episode of Remington Steele, Pierce Brosnan’s famous show, and landed a supporting role in Beverly Hills Cop in 1984 and Beverly Hills Cop II in 1987, both starring Eddie Murphy and Judge Reinhold.
From 1987 until 1990, Reiser starred as Michael Taylor in the TV series My Two Dads, alongside Greg Evigan and Staci Keanan. Then, in 1992, the same year in which he began testing the waters as a producer, Reiser hit the big time in creating—and starring alongside Helen Hunt in—the TV comedy Mad About You. By the time the mega-successful series ended in 1999, Reiser and Hunt, who played his wife Jamie Buchman, were being paid a cool million for each episode, just like our beloved Friends.
Reiser has also written two quite popular books: Couplehood (about relationships), which interestingly starts on page 145 (Reiser has said the reason is so readers feel a false sense of accomplishment), as well as Babyhood (about—you guessed it—babyhood!).
Although many Mad About You fans can’t picture Reiser with anyone but Helen Hunt, the reality is that this actor, producer, and writer has been married to Paula Ravets since 1988, and has two children with her: Leon, born in 2000, and Ezra, born in 1995.
YUDDY
