Richard Schiff
City College '83 graduate Richard Schiff has won an Emmy Award for his portrayal of a White House aide in the NBC hit TV series The West Wing. Mr. Schiff, who was the guest speaker at CCNY's 18th Annual Honors Convocation this year, was named "Best Supporting Actor" in a drama series at the 2000 Emmy Awards presentation in Los Angeles. He co-stars as Toby Ziegler, the communications director for a fictional U.S. President and his staff. The West Wing, which portrays the backroom drama of life in the White House, won nine awards overall, a record for a prime-time program in a single season. Mr. Schiff's Emmy comes ahead of another honor that he will receive from his Alma Mater at CCNY's 120th Annual Alumni Dinner next month. He will be one of seven recipients of CCNY's Townsend Harris Medal, presented to alumni for outstanding post-graduate achievement. The dinner will be held at The New York Marriott Marquis on October 25, 2000.
Mr. Schiff began his career in New York, where he founded and served as the artistic director of the Manhattan Repertory Theater, directing both on and off-Broadway productions.After moving to Los Angeles, he rose to prominence on the big screen by landing roles in feature films such as David Fincher's Seven with Brad Pitt and Morgan Freeman; and City Hall with Al Pacino.
Photo © 2000 WARNER BROS.
He has appeared in over 40 films including Spike Lee's Malcolm X, Danny DeVito's Hoffa, Nora Ephron's Michael, and co-starred as the heroic Eddie Carr in Steven Spielberg's Lost World. In 1998 Mr. Schiff co-starred in two of the year's biggest hits, Deep Impact and Dr. Dolittle, and received critical acclaim for his role in Living Out Loud with Danny DeVito. More recently, he starred in the films Heaven and Forces of Nature. On television, Mr. Schiff is best remembered for his stirring portrayal of the struggling Barry Roth on the critically acclaimed series Relativity. He has also carved a niche as a guest star, with memorable performances on such shows as Ally McBeal, The Practice, Chicago Hope and NBC's ER.