Paul Adelstein
Encyclopedia
Paul Adelstein is an American television and film actor, best known for the role of Agent Paul Kellerman
in the television series, Prison Break
, and his current role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman
in the series Private Practice.
, then Bowdoin College
where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with a degree in English. He began his career in theatre, working with New Crime Productions, a company founded by John Cusack
, and later with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company
.
Making his film debut in 1990 in The Grifters
, Adelstein went on to appear in several television series which include Cupid
, ER
, Without a Trace
and Scrubs
and to have a number of significant supporting roles in films such as Bedazzled
(2000), Intolerable Cruelty
(2003), Memoirs of a Geisha
(2005), and Be Cool
(2005). In 2005, he received his most significant role to date as a member of the regular cast of Prison Break
. Interestingly, though he played the role of Paul Kellerman
, he had originally auditioned for the role of Lincoln Burrows
. When he left the show in 2007, he joined the regular cast of Private Practice.
In November 2006, Adelstein married actress Liza Weil
, who played Paris Geller on Gilmore Girls
. They had their first child in April 2010, a girl named Josephine Elizabeth Weil-Adelstein. Adelstein is also lead singer and guitarist of a band called Doris.
Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman, played by Paul Adelstein, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service special agent in the series pilot but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode...
in the television series, Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
, and his current role as pediatrician Cooper Freedman
Cooper Freedman
Dr. Cooper Freedman is a fictional character on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. He is played by actor Paul Adelstein.-Character history:...
in the series Private Practice.
Life and career
Adelstein was born in Chicago, Illinois in 1969 to a Reform Jewish family. Prior to his professional acting career, Adelstein attended the progressive Francis W. Parker SchoolFrancis W. Parker School (Chicago)
Francis W. Parker School is an independent day school serving students from junior kindergarten through grade twelve of high school. Located in Chicago's Lincoln Park neighborhood, the school is based on the progressive educational philosophies of John Dewey and Colonel Francis Wayland Parker,...
, then Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College
Bowdoin College , founded in 1794, is an elite private liberal arts college located in the coastal Maine town of Brunswick, Maine. As of 2011, U.S. News and World Report ranks Bowdoin 6th among liberal arts colleges in the United States. At times, it was ranked as high as 4th in the country. It is...
where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa and summa cum laude with a degree in English. He began his career in theatre, working with New Crime Productions, a company founded by John Cusack
John Cusack
John Paul Cusack is an American film actor and screenwriter. He has appeared in more than 50 films, including The Journey of Natty Gann, Say Anything..., Grosse Point Blank, The Thin Red Line, Stand by Me, Con Air, Being John Malkovich, High Fidelity, Serendipity, Runaway Jury, The Ice Harvest,...
, and later with the Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company
Steppenwolf Theatre Company is a Tony Award-winning Chicago theatre company founded in 1974 by Gary Sinise, Terry Kinney and Jeff Perry in the basement of a church in Highland Park, Illinois. It has since relocated to Chicago's Halsted Street, in the Lincoln Park neighborhood. Its name comes from...
.
Making his film debut in 1990 in The Grifters
The Grifters (film)
The Grifters is a 1990 neo-noir film directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Martin Scorsese. It stars John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening and is based upon The Grifters, a pulp novel by Jim Thompson.-Plot:...
, Adelstein went on to appear in several television series which include Cupid
Cupid (TV series)
Cupid is a 1998–1999 American comedy-drama series created by Rob Thomas, which featured Paula Marshall as Dr. Claire Allen, a Chicago psychologist who is given charge of a man named Trevor Hale . Hale believes he is Cupid, sent down from Mt...
, ER
ER (TV series)
ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television...
, Without a Trace
Without a Trace
Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:...
and Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
and to have a number of significant supporting roles in films such as Bedazzled
Bedazzled (2000 film)
Bedazzled is a 2000 film remake of the 1967 film Bedazzled , originally written by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, which was itself a comic retelling of the Faust legend...
(2000), Intolerable Cruelty
Intolerable Cruelty
Intolerable Cruelty is a 2003 romantic comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Academy Award winners George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush and Billy Bob Thornton with Cedric the Entertainer...
(2003), Memoirs of a Geisha
Memoirs of a Geisha (film)
Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by...
(2005), and Be Cool
Be Cool
Be Cool is a 2005 crime-comedy film adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel Get Shorty about mobster Chili Palmer's entrance into the film industry.The film adaptation of Be Cool began production in 2003. It was directed by F...
(2005). In 2005, he received his most significant role to date as a member of the regular cast of Prison Break
Prison Break
Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an...
. Interestingly, though he played the role of Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman
Paul Kellerman, played by Paul Adelstein, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service special agent in the series pilot but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode...
, he had originally auditioned for the role of Lincoln Burrows
Lincoln Burrows
Lincoln Burrows, played by Dominic Purcell, is one of the main protagonists of the American television series, Prison Break. The plot of Prison Break revolves around Lincoln Burrows' setup for the murder of the vice president's brother and his brother's plan to help him escape his death sentence....
. When he left the show in 2007, he joined the regular cast of Private Practice.
In November 2006, Adelstein married actress Liza Weil
Liza Weil
Liza Rebecca Weil is an American actress. She is known for her role as Paris Geller in the television drama Gilmore Girls and has guest-starred on programs such as The Adventures of Pete & Pete, ER, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Grey's Anatomy, and The West Wing.-Early life:Weil was born in...
, who played Paris Geller on Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls
Gilmore Girls is an American family comedy-drama series created by Amy Sherman-Palladino, starring Lauren Graham and Alexis Bledel. On October 5, 2000, the series debuted on The WB and was cancelled in its seventh season, ending on May 15, 2007 on The CW...
. They had their first child in April 2010, a girl named Josephine Elizabeth Weil-Adelstein. Adelstein is also lead singer and guitarist of a band called Doris.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Grifters The Grifters (film) The Grifters is a 1990 neo-noir film directed by Stephen Frears and produced by Martin Scorsese. It stars John Cusack, Anjelica Huston and Annette Bening and is based upon The Grifters, a pulp novel by Jim Thompson.-Plot:... |
Sailor - Young Paul | |
| 1997 | Peoria Babylon Peoria Babylon Peoria Babylon is a 1997 comedy-genre film. It premiered at the Chicago Lesbian and Gay International Film Festival in November 1997.-Plot:Candy and her gay friend Jon are owners of financially troubled art gallery in Peoria, Illinois... |
Brad Kessler | |
| 1998–1999 | Cupid Cupid (TV series) Cupid is a 1998–1999 American comedy-drama series created by Rob Thomas, which featured Paula Marshall as Dr. Claire Allen, a Chicago psychologist who is given charge of a man named Trevor Hale . Hale believes he is Cupid, sent down from Mt... |
Mike | Television episodes (1x01, 1x02, 1x06, 1x07, 1x09, 1x11, 1x14) |
| 1999 | Turks | Officer Cliff Fowler | Television series |
| ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Hank Loman | Television episode (6x09) | |
| 2000 | Bedazzled Bedazzled (2000 film) Bedazzled is a 2000 film remake of the 1967 film Bedazzled , originally written by Peter Cook and Dudley Moore, which was itself a comic retelling of the Faust legend... |
Bob/Roberto/Beach Jock/Sportscaster | |
| 2002 | R.U.S./H. | Tom Epstein | Television movie |
| ER ER (TV series) ER is an American medical drama television series created by novelist Michael Crichton that aired on NBC from September 19, 1994 to April 2, 2009. It was produced by Constant c Productions and Amblin Entertainment, in association with Warner Bros. Television... |
Television episode (8x17) | ||
| Breaking News | Julian Kerbis | Television series | |
| 2002–2003 | Hack | Sergeant Aldo Rossi | Television episodes (1x13, 1x14, 1x20, 2x04, 2x10) |
| 2003 | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is an American police procedural television drama series set in New York City, where it is also primarily produced... |
Steven Kellerman | Television episode (4x14) |
| Partners and Crime | Television movie | ||
| Intolerable Cruelty Intolerable Cruelty Intolerable Cruelty is a 2003 romantic comedy film directed by Joel and Ethan Coen and starring Academy Award winners George Clooney, Catherine Zeta-Jones, Geoffrey Rush and Billy Bob Thornton with Cedric the Entertainer... |
Wrigley | ||
| The Lyon's Den The Lyon's Den The Lyon's Den is a 2003 television series set in Washington, D.C. The legal drama starred Rob Lowe as a lawyer called Jack Turner, newly appointed as partner of a long-established law firm that, as the plot revealed, harbored some dark secrets... |
Snyder | Television episode (1x09) | |
| Without a Trace Without a Trace Without a Trace is an American television drama which originally ran on CBS from September 26, 2002 to May 19, 2009. The series was set in New York City and concerned a fictitious FBI Missing Persons Unit.-Premise:... |
Dave | Television episode (2x05) | |
| 2004 | Lawrence Melm | ||
| Bandwagon | Joe Rice | ||
| Collateral Collateral (film) Collateral is a 2004 crime thriller film starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx. It was directed by Michael Mann and written by Stuart Beattie. It was Mann's first feature film to be shot mostly with high-definition cameras. Mann had previously used the format for portions of Ali and for his CBS drama... |
Fed #3 | ||
| Las Vegas Las Vegas (TV series) Las Vegas was an American television series broadcast by NBC from September 22, 2003 to February 15, 2008. The show focuses on a team of people working at the ficticional Montecito Resort & Casino dealing with issues that arise within the working environment, ranging from valet parking and... |
Alex Brooks | Television episode (2x11) | |
| 2005 | Medium Medium (TV series) Medium is an American television drama series that premiered on NBC on January 3, 2005, and ended on CBS on January 21, 2011. Themed on supernatural gifts, its lead character, Allison DuBois , is a medium employed as a consultant for the Phoenix, Arizona district attorney's office... |
Craig | Television episode (1x14) |
| Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law is an American animated television series comedy created by Williams Street and produced by Cartoon Network Studios that aired on Cartoon Network during its Adult Swim late night programming block. The series' pilot first aired in 2000, and later became a series in... |
Murro | Television episode (3x02) | |
| Memoirs of a Geisha Memoirs of a Geisha (film) Memoirs of a Geisha is a 2005 film adaptation of the novel of the same name, produced by Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment and Spyglass Entertainment and by Douglas Wick's Red Wagon Productions. It was directed by Rob Marshall. It was released in the United States on December 9, 2005 by... |
Lieutenant Hutchins | ||
| Be Cool Be Cool Be Cool is a 2005 crime-comedy film adapted from Elmore Leonard's 1999 novel of the same name and the sequel to Leonard's 1990 novel Get Shorty about mobster Chili Palmer's entrance into the film industry.The film adaptation of Be Cool began production in 2003. It was directed by F... |
Hy Gordon | ||
| 2005–2007, 2009 | Prison Break Prison Break Prison Break is an American television serial drama created by Paul Scheuring, that was broadcast on the Fox Broadcasting Company for four seasons, from 2005 until 2009. The series revolves around two brothers; one has been sentenced to death for a crime he did not commit, and the other devises an... |
Paul Kellerman Paul Kellerman Paul Kellerman, played by Paul Adelstein, is a fictional character from the American television series, Prison Break. The character was introduced to the series as a Secret Service special agent in the series pilot but the actor was not listed as a regular cast member until the third episode... |
Series regular |
| 2006 | Nobody's Watching Nobody's Watching Nobody's Watching is a television program that was never aired. It originated with and was written by Scrubs creator Bill Lawrence, as well as Neil Goldman and Garrett Donovan, writers for Scrubs and Family Guy.- Program history :... |
Jeff Tucker | Television series |
| Scrubs Scrubs (TV series) Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes... |
Dr. Stone | Television episode (5x21) | |
| 2007 | Grey's Anatomy Grey's Anatomy Grey's Anatomy is an American medical drama television series created by Shonda Rhimes. The series premiered on March 27, 2005 on ABC; since then, seven seasons have aired. The series follows the lives of interns, residents and their mentors in the fictional Seattle Grace Mercy West Hospital in... |
Cooper Freedman Cooper Freedman Dr. Cooper Freedman is a fictional character on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. He is played by actor Paul Adelstein.-Character history:... |
Television episodes (3x22, 3x23) |
| 2007–present | Private Practice | Cooper Freedman Cooper Freedman Dr. Cooper Freedman is a fictional character on the Grey's Anatomy spin-off, Private Practice. He is played by actor Paul Adelstein.-Character history:... |
Series Regular |
| 2009 | Land of the Lost Land of the Lost (film) Land of the Lost is a 2009 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Brad Silberling and starring Will Ferrell, Danny McBride and Anna Friel, based on the 1974 Sid and Marty Krofft TV series of the same name.-Plot:... |
Astronaut (voice) | |
| The Missing Person The Missing Person (film) The Missing Person is a 2009 dramedy-mystery film written and directed by American independent filmmaker Noah Buschel and starring Academy Award-nominees Michael Shannon and Amy Ryan... |
Drexler Hewitt | ||
| 2010 | Happy Sushi | short | |
| Glenn Martin DDS | Earl (voice) | Television episode ("Courtney's Pony") |