Paul Lieberstein

Paul Bevan Lieberstein (born February 22, 1967) is an American actor, screenwriter, television director and television producer. A Primetime Emmy Award winner, he is best known as a writer, executive producer, and supporting cast member on the NBC sitcom The Office, playing the role of Toby Flenderson. He served as the series' showrunner from seasons five to eight.

Early life Lieberstein grew up in Westport, Connecticut, He is Jewish. He attended Staples High School where he wrote his first comedy script with some friends; he also played the vibraphone in the band. In November 2017, it was announced that he would replace Kevin Etten as showrunner of Ghosted. In 2018, Lieberstein wrote and directed his first feature film, Song of Back and Neck, which made it into Tribeca Film Festival. He worked in the writer's room from the start of the American adaptation and was asked by Greg Daniels to act as well, as Daniels wanted some of the writers to know what it was like on the other side of the camera. Lieberstein was set to be the showrunner, but in October 2012, it was announced that NBC was not accepting the series.

In a SuicideGirls interview, Lieberstein said that "as an actor, which is just a very small percentage of me, I don't feel Toby while I'm writing. It's the hardest of the characters to access". In an interview for his alma mater, Hamilton College, he commented on the bigger picture:

Personal life Lieberstein's sister, Susanne, was the president of programming for YouTube Premium (previously holding this position at MTV), and is married to screenwriter and producer Greg Daniels.

Awards Lieberstein's first Emmy Award was as a producer, sharing a 1999 Emmy for "Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less)" for his work in King of the Hill.

Lieberstein's work on The Office has resulted in numerous awards. In June 2007, he shared in a Daytime Emmy Award for "Outstanding Broadband Program – Comedy", for his work on The Office: Accountants webisodes. As an actor, Lieberstein shared in a 2006 Screen Actors Guild Award for "Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series"; as a writer, he shared a 2006 Writers Guild of America Award for the series, in addition to a WGA Award nomination for "The Coup". As co-executive producer, he shared a 2006 Emmy Award for "Outstanding Comedy Series".

Lieberstein received an Honorary Doctorate of Fine Arts degree from Hamilton College on May 22, 2011.

Filmography Acting

Directing, producing, writing Year Title Role Notes Director Producer Writer 1992 Clarissa Explains It All Episode "President Ferguson" 1994 Weird Science 3 episodes 1995–1996 The Naked Truth 3 episodes 1997–2000 King of the Hill Produced 50 episodes, wrote 12 episodes 2000–2001 The Drew Carey Show Produced 27 episodes, wrote 3 episodes 2002 Greg the Bunny Produced 2 episodes, wrote "Greg Gets Puppish" 2002–2003 The Bernie Mac Show Produced 22 episodes, wrote 2 episodes 2003 Dead Like Me Episode "The Bicycle Thief" 2005–2013 The Office Directed 7 episodesProduced 166 episodesWrote 16 episodes 2006 The Office: The Accountants 10 episodes 2013–2014 The Mindy Project 3 episodes 2014 The Newsroom Directed "Oh Shenandoah", produced 6 episodes2018 Song of Back and Neck Ghosted Produced 6 episodes, wrote "The Wire" 2020 Space Force Produced 4 episodes, wrote "It's Good to Be Back on the Moon" 2022 Out of Office 2023 Lucky Hank Co-wrote three episodes; also co-developer 2025 The Paper Directed "TTT vs the Blogger", wrote "The Ohio Journalism Awards"