American stage and screen actor Liev Schreiber has built a formidable body of work during his 30 years in acting. He rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s with his performances in independent films as well as mainstream flicks. On top of that, he is also a respected stage actor. Having played leading roles in many high-profile Shakespeare productions and appeared in major Broadway productions of the likes of Glengarry Glen Ross and A View from the Bridge, Schreiber was heralded as “the finest American theater actor of his generation” by The New York Times.
On television, he also played the title character in Ray Donovan, a critically-acclaimed Showtime drama that ran for seven seasons and won many awards. Schreiber himself is no stranger to accolades, having won Tony Awards, Drama Desk Awards, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and many others. In 2005, Schreiber made his feature directorial debut with Everything is Illuminated, which he also adapted from Jonathan Safran Foer’s best-selling novel of the same name. The film was named one of the year’s 10 Best by the National Board of Review.
After completing his undergraduate studies, Schreiber decided to apply for Yale University's prestigious drama school. Although his early ambitions were focused on a literary career as a playwright, he won a place at Yale by applying for a performing slot. Once there, he was surprised to find that he actually enjoyed the challenge of performing and moved quickly into stage roles. It was at Yale that Schreiber cut his teeth on stage by studying with Earle R. Gister and starring in Charles Evered's The Size of the World, directed by Walton Jones. In 1992, Schreiber earned his Master of Fine Arts degree from the Yale School of Drama.
As a member of the Yale community, Schreiber has continued to support his alma mater over the years. In fact, he currently serves on the Board of Advisors at the Yale School of Drama. He has also been asked to return to campus for special events. In 2006, Schreiber agreed to take part in "A Conversation with Liev Schreiber." Hosted by the dean of the School of Drama at Yale, the evening included the award-winning actor reading from Shakespeare, a writer he was already on very good terms with.
Then in 2011 Schreiber was back at Yale to deliver the 20th annual Maynard Mack Lecture, marking the 100th anniversary of the founding of New Haven’s Elizabethan Club, a private organization that maintains a library and serves as a meeting place for conversation and discussion relating to literature and the arts. Presented in the form of a conversation between the actor and Dean of the Yale School of Drama James Bundy, the event drew a crowd of 100 people and included his advice for aspiring thespians. Schreiber spoke humbly of his achievements and critical reception as an artist, while attributing his initial interest in acting with his time spent at Yale.