
Richard Schiff is an American actor. He is best known for playing Toby Ziegler on The West Wing, a role for which he received an Emmy Award. Schiff made his television directorial debut with The West Wing, directing an episode titled "Talking Points".
Biography from TMDB.
- May 27, 1955 (71)
- Bethesda, Maryland, USA
- Actor, also director
- 116 on MovieCove · 139 credits in all
What are Richard Schiff's films like?
Across their 53 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 3 · Wry 2 · Earnest 42
Light 14 · Serious 19 · Dark 14
Grounded 34 · Stylized 11 · Heightened 2
Gentle 7 · Charged 24 · Intense 16
Steady 17 · Shifting 23 · Whiplash 7
A split, not a type: Straight-faced 25 · Some laughs 14 · Funny 8
Slow burn 15 · Even-paced 29 · Relentless 3
Casual 18 · Engaged 24 · Full focus 5
A split, not a type: Easy watch 17 · Affecting 16 · Heavy 14
Resolved 26 · Open-ended 18 · Ambiguous 3
Roles they play
Usually the Threshold guardian: 6 of 23 analyzed roles.
Show the 23 rolesHide the roles
- Threshold guardianas Calvin in The Arrival (1996)
- Allyas Eddie Carr in The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)
- Tricksteras Norman in Crazy in Alabama (1999)
- Shadowas Toby Ziegler in The West Wing (1999)
- Shadowas Elliot Sharansky in People I Know (2002)
- Threshold guardianas FBI Agent Tom Hilary in Civic Duty (2006)
- Threshold guardianas Lefkowitz in Martian Child (2007)
- Heraldas Marvin in Last Chance Harvey (2008)
- Shadowas Tommy Molto in Innocent (2011)
- Shadowas Dimitris Vargas in Knife Fight (2012)
- Tricksteras Harold Gethers in Fire with Fire (2012)
- Mentoras Marty Stein in Rogue (2013)
- Mentoras Don in Take Me to the River (2015)
- Shadowas Dr. Ronald in The Automatic Hate (2015)
- Mentoras Dr. Ronald in The Automatic Hate (2015)
- Threshold guardianas Jonathan in American Fable (2016)
- Mentoras Jonathan in American Fable (2016)
- Threshold guardianas The Usual in Shock and Awe (2017)
- Mentoras Dr. Aaron Glassman in The Good Doctor (2017)
- Threshold guardianas Miles Driskoll in Alien Code (2018)
- Shadowas Jeff Cohn in After Class (2019)
- Mentoras Marty Lumetta in Clemency (2019)
- Allyas Toby Ziegler in A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
Moods and endings
- Happy12
- Bittersweet27
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous13
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Richard Schiff's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 83 of their 116 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (31).
- Tales from the Crypt (1989) · actor · free
- I Am Sam (2001) · actor · free
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) · actor · free
- Manhattan (2014) · actor · free
- Roswell (1999) · actor · free
- My Life (1993) · actor · free
- Clemency (2019) · actor · free
- Last Chance Harvey (2008) · actor · free
- The Infidel (2010) · actor · free
- Decoding Annie Parker (2013) · actor · free
- The Automatic Hate (2015) · actor · free
- Crazy in Alabama (1999) · actor · free
- All their movies on Tubi
- Monk (2002) · actor
- Bones (2005) · actor
- The Practice (1997) · actor
- The Affair (2014) · actor · free
- Manhattan (2014) · actor
- In Plain Sight (2008) · actor
- Young Guns II (1990) · actor
- Shock and Awe (2017) · actor
- Rogue (2013) · actor
- After Class (2019) · actor
- The Gambler (2014) · actor
- Alien Code (2018) · actor
- +6 more
- White Collar (2009) · actor · free
- Monk (2002) · actor · free
- I Am Sam (2001) · actor · free
- The Hudsucker Proxy (1994) · actor · free
- Manhattan (2014) · actor · free
- Mom (2013) · actor · free
- Shock and Awe (2017) · actor · free
- Rogue (2013) · actor · free
- City Hall (1996) · actor · free
- Take Me to the River (2015) · actor · free
- Love & War (1992) · actor · free
- Alien Code (2018) · actor · free
- +2 more
- Key and Peele (2012) · actor · free
- Burn Notice (2007) · actor · free
- Manhattan (2014) · actor · free
- NCIS (2003) · actor · free
- Solitary Man (2009) · actor · free
- The Arrival (1996) · actor · free
- Rogue (2013) · actor · free
- After Class (2019) · actor · free
- Tank Girl (1995) · actor · free
- Alien Code (2018) · actor · free
- Touch (1997) · actor · free
- Speed (1994) · actor
- The Practice (1997) · actor
- NYPD Blue (1993) · actor
- Eli Stone (2008) · actor
- Once Upon a Time (2011) · actor
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022) · actor
- Volcano (1997) · actor
- Doogie Howser, M.D. (1989) · actor
- Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior (2011) · actor
- Doctor Dolittle (1998) · actor
- Howdy, show their 11 titles on Howdy
- Lionsgate+, show their 4 titles on Lionsgate+
- MovieSphere+, show their 3 titles on MovieSphere+
- Sundance Now, show their 3 titles on Sundance Now
- ViX, show their 3 titles on ViX
- Cineverse, show their title on Cineverse
- Fuse+, show their title on Fuse+
- Shout! TV, show their title on Shout! TV
- Sony Pictures Core, show their title on Sony Pictures Core
Subscription and free streaming for Richard Schiff's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
139 credits, 116 with a MovieCove page; 9 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
The Auction (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

Swipe NYC (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Super Pumped(2022)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 89th percentile of all films
Clemency(2019)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
After Class(2019)
Midcredits score: 40th percentile of all films
Vandal(2019)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Counterpart (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2017)

Shock and Awe(2017)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Geostorm(2017)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
The Good Doctor(2017)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
Alien Code(2018)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Chicago Justice(2017)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all shows
American Fable(2016)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
The Automatic Hate(2015)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all films
The Grinder(2015)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all shows
Ballers(2015)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all shows
Entourage(2015)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Take Me to the River(2015)
Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
The Gambler(2014)
Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films
The Affair(2014)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all shows
Before I Disappear(2014)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
Kill the Messenger(2014)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Manhattan(2014)
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all shows
Murder in the First(2014)
Midcredits score: 51st percentile of all shows
Decoding Annie Parker(2013)
Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films
Journey of Discovery: Creating Man of Steel (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2013)

Mom(2013)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all shows
Man of Steel(2013)
Midcredits score: 78th percentile of all films
Rogue(2013)
Midcredits score: 47th percentile of all shows
Knife Fight(2012)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Beach Pillows(2014)
Midcredits score: 70th percentile of all films
The Mindy Project(2012)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all shows
Fire with Fire(2012)
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all films
Chasing the Hill (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)

Key and Peele(2012)
Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all shows
House of Lies(2012)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all shows
Innocent(2011)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Once Upon a Time(2011)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
Johnny English Reborn(2011)
Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films
Up All Night(2011)
Midcredits score: 28th percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 25th percentile of all shows
The Cape(2011)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all shows
Another Harvest Moon(2010)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
Made in Dagenham(2010)
Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
The Infidel(2010)
Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films
Past Life (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)

White Collar(2009)
Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all shows
Solitary Man(2009)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Imagine That(2009)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Last Chance Harvey(2008)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
In Plain Sight(2008)
Midcredits score: 68th percentile of all shows
Eli Stone(2008)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
In Treatment(2008)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all shows
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
Martian Child(2007)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
Burn Notice(2007)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Civic Duty(2006)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Bones(2005)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Ray(2004)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
Entourage(2004)
Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all shows
NCIS(2003)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all shows
People I Know(2002)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Monk(2002)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
I Am Sam(2001)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
The Best Damn Sports Show Period (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Lucky Numbers(2000)
Midcredits score: 14th percentile of all films
Forever Lulu(2000)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Whatever It Takes(2000)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Gun Shy(2000)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
Crazy in Alabama(1999)
Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films
Roswell(1999)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all shows
The West Wing(1999)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows
Heaven (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1999)

Forces of Nature(1999)
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
Becker (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1998)

Living Out Loud(1998)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Doctor Dolittle(1998)
Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films
Deep Impact(1998)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
The Pentagon Wars(1998)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 24th percentile of all films
Loved (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Brooklyn South (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)

Ally McBeal(1997)
Midcredits score: 41st percentile of all shows
Santa Fe (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1997)
Midcredits score: 64th percentile of all films
Volcano(1997)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films
The Practice(1997)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Touch(1997)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Michael(1996)
Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
Relativity (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1996)

Grace of My Heart(1996)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
The Trigger Effect(1996)
Midcredits score: 34th percentile of all films
The Arrival(1996)
Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
City Hall(1996)
Midcredits score: 46th percentile of all films
Seven(1995)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Murder One(1995)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all shows
Maybe This Time (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

Rough Magic(1995)
Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films
Tank Girl(1995)
Midcredits score: 35th percentile of all films
Speechless(1994)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
ER(1994)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all shows
Chicago Hope (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1994)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all films
Speed(1994)
Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
Major League II(1994)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
The Hudsucker Proxy(1994)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Ghost in the Machine(1993)
Midcredits score: 9th percentile of all films
My Life(1993)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Skinner(1993)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
NYPD Blue(1993)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all shows
The John Larroquette Show (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)

Wild Palms (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1993)
Midcredits score: 65th percentile of all films
Hoffa(1992)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
The Bodyguard(1992)
Midcredits score: 59th percentile of all films
Malcolm X(1992)
Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
The Public Eye(1992)
Midcredits score: 62nd percentile of all films
Love & War(1992)
Midcredits score: 37th percentile of all shows
Picket Fences(1992)
Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all shows
Rapid Fire(1992)
Midcredits score: 57th percentile of all films
Cruel Doubt (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films
Till Death Us Do Part(1992)
Midcredits score: 19th percentile of all films
Young Guns II(1990)
Midcredits score: 63rd percentile of all films
Trenchcoat in Paradise (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1989)

Doogie Howser, M.D.(1989)
Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all shows
Tales from the Crypt(1989)
Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows
Murphy Brown (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

Medium Straight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1988)

Arena Brains (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1987)

L.A. Law(1986)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
Newsnight (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1980)
Career shape
Star power in the 99th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 139 titles, 138 of them dated from 1980 to 2023; peak year 1997.

Biggest box office
Man of Steel (2013)

Highest rated
The West Wing (1999)

Most popular right now
The Good Doctor (2017)
Film career
Peak 1997 · back in prominent film roles after a quiet stretch. Top draw in 7 MovieCove titles. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
- 1990Screen debut· Young Guns II
- 1999Primetime Emmy win· The West Wing
- 2001Career best· I Am Sam
- 2017Career best· The Good Doctor
Billing
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.
Awards
a Primetime Emmy and 2 Screen Actors Guild Awards from 10 major nominations, 2000–2019.
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award, nominated · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, nominated · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
- Screen Actors Guild Award, won · Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
- Primetime Emmy, won · Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Richard Schiff's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 75; across their 47 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 47th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up37
- 50th to 74th34
- 25th to 49th30
- Below 25th15
Shape of the crowd
56 of their 116 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved14
- Divisive1
- Cult Classic1
- Crowd Pleaser56
- Broadly Agreed13
- Mixed31
Reviewers score the acting 71/100 in their films, across 47 reviewed titles; fans 81, detractors 49. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Richard Schiff's work okay for kids?
Across up to 26 MovieCove titles with content scores, profanity runs heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Richard Schiff work with?
People who share at least 2 of Richard Schiff's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Danny DeVito shares the most, 4.
Actors
- Danny DeVitoShared titles: Solitary Man (2009), What's the Worst That Could Happen? (2001), Living Out Loud (1998), The Pentagon Wars (1998)See all 4 shared titles with Danny DeVito

- Bradley WhitfordShared titles: A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020), Decoding Annie Parker (2013), The West Wing (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Bradley Whitford

- Dulé HillShared titles: A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020), Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020), The West Wing (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Dulé Hill

- Rob LoweShared titles: A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020), Knife Fight (2012), The West Wing (1999)See all 3 shared titles with Rob Lowe

Composers and cinematographers
- Robert D. YeomanShared titles: Martian Child (2007), The Pentagon Wars (1998)See all 2 shared titles with Robert D. Yeoman

- Elliot DavisShared titles: I Am Sam (2001), Forces of Nature (1999)See all 2 shared titles with Elliot Davis

- John PowellShared titles: I Am Sam (2001), Forces of Nature (1999)See all 2 shared titles with John Powell

- George FentonShared titles: Lucky Numbers (2000), Living Out Loud (1998)See all 2 shared titles with George Fenton

Producers
- Corey LargeShared titles: The Automatic Hate (2015), Fire with Fire (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Corey Large

- Avi LernerShared titles: Solitary Man (2009), Forever Lulu (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Avi Lerner

- Boaz DavidsonShared titles: Solitary Man (2009), Forever Lulu (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Boaz Davidson

- Danny DimbortShared titles: Solitary Man (2009), Forever Lulu (2000)See all 2 shared titles with Danny Dimbort




