Pablo Schreiber

Early life

Schreiber was born to Tell Carroll Schreiber (1941–2021), an American actor, and Lorraine Reaveley, a Canadian psychotherapist who practises body-based psychotherapy.Body-based psychotherapy is an approach that emphasizes the relationship between bodily experience and psychological processes. He was born in an intentional community in Ymir, British Columbia, and at six months of age moved with his family to the unincorporated rural community of Winlaw, British Columbia. His older paternal half-brother is actor Liev Schreiber.

Schreiber's father, who had a strong interest in literature, named him after the Chilean poet Pablo Neruda. His parents separated when he was 12, and he moved to Seattle with his father.

After graduating from high school, Schreiber enrolled at the University of San Francisco and sought to play on the university's basketball team. He later transferred to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and graduated in 2000 with a degree in theatre.

Career

Television

Schreiber's first television appearance was as Nick Sobotka in season 2 of the critically acclaimed HBO series The Wire (2003). After his final appearance in the last episode of season 2, he also made a cameo appearance in the season 5 episode "The Dickensian Aspect". He went on to play minor roles in the series Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order before playing the recurring guest role of serial rapist William Lewis on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. He appeared in an eight episode arc playing the antagonist to Olivia Benson's (Mariska Hargitay) character.

From 2008 to 2009, he appeared in multiple series including Dirt, Army Wives, The Beast, Numbers, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. In 2011, he was cast as Johnny Leary in the FX series Lights Out which only aired for one season. From 2011 to 2012, he played both Demetri Ravitch in the Showtime series Weeds and Anton Little Creek on the show A Gifted Man. BuddyTV ranked him #77 on its list of "TV's Sexiest Men of 2011".

In October 2012, Schreiber was cast in the recurring role of George "Pornstache" Mendez on the Netflix original drama series Orange Is the New Black. For his role on the show, he won the "We Love to Hate You Award" at the 2014 Young Hollywood Awards and received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Drama Series in 2015. He played the role from 2013 to 2017 and had a guest appearance in a 2019 episode.

In February 2013, he co-starred as Virgil in NBC's drama pilot Ironside, a reboot of the 1967 series of the same name. However ratings and reviews were unfavorable and it was canceled after only four episodes had aired.

Schreiber was cast as Mad Sweeney in the 2017 Starz series American Gods, based on the novel of the same name written by Neil Gaiman. His character is a self-described leprechaun unwillingly endebted to Mr. Wednesday, played by Ian McShane. By the end of season 2, Sweeney remembers that he is Buile Shuibhne, the king of the Dál nAraidi driven insane by the curse of Saint Rónán Finn. Schreiber appears in seasons 1 and 2 with flashback appearances in the third and final season. His character became a favourite of viewers during the series.

In April 2019, he was cast as Master Chief / John-117 in the Halo live-action series, based on the video game franchise of the same name. The series was released on March 24, 2022, by Paramount+ and has received mostly positive reviews with 71% on Rotten Tomatoes. To prepare for his role in the series, Schreiber worked with a trainer and a chef to bulk up adding muscle to play the supersoldier. Paramount confirmed that the series was renewed for season 2 with Schreiber reprising the main role of Master Chief.

Schreiber co-starred in the biographical crime drama streaming television miniseries Candy as Allan Gore, opposite Jessica Biel's character, Candy Montgomery. It is based on the true story of how Candy Montgomery was accused of the axe murder of her neighbor, Betty Gore in 1980 in Texas. The series premiered May 9, 2022, with the last episodes airing on May 13, 2022.

Film

Schreiber's first film was a minor role in the 2001 American black comedy film Bubble Boy. He appeared in the 2004 film The Manchurian Candidate which starred his half-brother Liev Schreiber. He had supporting roles in the films Lords of Dogtown (2005), Vicky Cristina Barcelona (2008), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), and Happythankyoumoreplease (2010). In 2016, he co-starred as Kris "Tanto" Paronto, GRS team member and former U.S. Army Ranger in the American biographical war film 13 Hours: The Secret Soldiers of Benghazi, opposite John Krasinski and James Badge Dale. The film was directed and co-produced by Michael Bay, written by Chuck Hogan, and is based on Mitchell Zuckoff's 2014 book of the same name.

In 2018, he starred in the American action heist film Den of Thieves with Gerard Butler. He played Ray Merrimen, a MARSOC Marine veteran who is the crew's leader and schemer, and one of the robbers who sets out to rob the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles. Schreiber underwent extensive military training for his role in the film, saying "... with the weapons training, we had extensive military movement, team movement, weapons training boot camp, a couple of weeks before we started shooting". In the same year he co-starred with Dwayne Johnson in the action thriller film Skyscraper. He played the role of American astronaut Jim Lovell in the biographical drama First Man which was also released in 2018.

Schreiber starred in the 2021 drama film Lorelei with Jena Malone. It received mostly positive reviews from critics. Brian Tallerico from RogerEbert.com said of Schreiber, "Schreiber uses his massive size in an interesting way in that he’s such an imposing figure but he allows himself to also be fascinatingly vulnerable at the same time... He has remarkable range".

Theater

Schreiber's stage work includes both Broadway and off-Broadway plays. In 2006, he starred in the Broadway play Awake and Sing!, earning him a nomination for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play. He also starred in the 2008 Broadway play reasons to be pretty with Piper Perabo and Alison Pill. For that role he won the 2009 Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Featured Actor in a Play. He played Eben in the 2009 play Desire Under the Elms opposite Carla Gugino's Abbie. In 2011, Schreiber starred in the Off-Broadway play Gruesome Playground Injuries at Second Stage Theatre.

Personal life

Schreiber married yoga teacher Jessica Monty in 2007. She filed for divorce in 2014, citing irreconcilable differences. They have two sons together, born in 2009 and 2012.

Filmography

Film

Television

Video games

Audiobooks

Explanatory notes

References

References

1. (April 26, 2017). "You only get to wear it once a year... #ItsMyBirthdaySuit".
2. (May 16, 2022). "How Pablo Schreiber Got into Master Chief Shape for 'Halo'".
3. "Island Theatre: The Best Damn Theatre Company in the World".
4. (June 17, 2014). "Winlaw-raised actor appears on Jimmy Kimmel Live!". [[Black Press]].
5. Sessums, Kevin. (February 1, 2011). "Pablo Schreiber on His New Off-Broadway Play".
6. (May 21, 2009). "BROADWAY STAR PABLO SCHREIBER MAKES HIS NAME". MSN Wonderwall.
7. (May 22, 2009). "Humble CMU grad makes name with O'Neill".
8. (January 26, 2016). "The actor who played this unforgettable role on 'The Wire' was almost fired on his very first day.".
9. (March 12, 2014). "Pablo Schreiber returning to Law & 'Order: SVU'".
10. (June 6, 2014). "'OITNB' Villain Pablo Schreiber (AKA Pornstache) Has Been Just About Everywhere On TV".
11. (March 1, 2011). "Schreiber 'relates to Lights Out role'".
12. (June 25, 2011). "Pablo Schreiber Joins Cast of CBS Series "A Gifted Man"".
13. (June 19, 2017). "Pablo Schreiber Wants To Play Wolverine".
14. (December 7, 2011). "TV's 100 Sexiest Men of 2011". [[BuddyTV]].
15. Goldberg, Lesley. (October 5, 2012). "'Weeds' Alums Join Netflix's 'Orange Is the New Black' (Exclusive)".
16. Bayley, Leanne. (July 28, 2014). "Young Hollywood Awards 2014: The FULL winners list".
17. Andreeva, Nellie. (February 26, 2013). "Patrick Flueger Cast In NBC Pilot 'Hatfields & McCoys', Pablo Schreiber Joins 'Ironside'". [[Penske Media Corporation]].
18. Bibel, Sara. (October 18, 2013). "'Ironside' & 'Welcome to the Family' Canceled by NBC; 'Community' to Premiere January 2, 'Chicago P.D.' January 8". [[TV by the Numbers]].
19. (April 22, 2019). "'American Gods': Pablo Schreiber on Mad Sweeney's true identity and [SPOILER]".
20. (April 17, 2019). "Pablo Schreiber to Play Master Chef in Showtime's 'Halo' Live-Action Series".
21. "Halo". [[Rotten Tomatoes]].
22. (June 13, 2022). "'I put on 40 pounds of muscle. Holy mackerel!' Pablo Schreiber on playing Halo's ripped hero".
23. (May 19, 2022). "Halo Season 2 - Everything You Need to Know About the Show's Renewal".
24. (May 13, 2022). "'Candy': Pablo Schreiber and Tim Simons Interview".
25. (February 3, 2015). "'Orange is the New Black' Actor Pablo Schreiber Joins Michael Bay's '13 Hours' (EXCLUSIVE)".
26. (February 1, 2018). "Pablo Schreiber had military training for Den of Thieves".
27. (March 2, 2019). "'Skyscraper' on HBO: We Need to Talk About That Boss Kitchen Fight Scene".
28. (February 10, 2017). "Pablo Schreiber Joins First Man As Jim Lovell".
29. "Lorelei movie review & film summary (2021)".
30. (April 18, 2006). "Defying Poverty's Everyday Despair in Odets's 'Awake and Sing!'".
31. (October 3, 2017). "Tony Nominee Pablo Schreiber Joins Ryan Gosling, Brian d'Arcy James, and More in First Man".
32. (November 4, 2019). "Best Performance by a Featured Actor in a Play".
33. (April 28, 2009). "'Desire Under the Elms' on Broadway: What did the critics think?".
34. (January 13, 2011). "Exclusive Photos: A Day with Gruesome Playground Injuries Star Pablo Schreiber".
35. (April 4, 2022). "'Halo' Star Pablo Schreiber's Marriage Ended in Custody Battle over 2 Sons - Inside His Messy Divorce".