Performer
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio rank
#945
of 909177 performers
Top 1%
Richard Schiff represents the rare performer whose career became more ambitious with every decade — 37 years in, and Richard is still choosing the harder script.
The essay
Our editors on the work, the patterns and the reason this body of work holds together.
Richard Schiff appears in 37 films in the Nutevio catalogue, and none of them would work the same way without Richard. Swipe NYC is the clearest case: a film rated 10.0 by our editors, where the performance carries weight the script only implies.
The recognisable elements are versatility, transformation, quiet performance. Watch two of these films back to back and the method separates from the material — the same instrument, tuned differently for action, mystery, science fiction. It is a style built on what is withheld as much as what is played.
Working with Ryan Coogler, Thomas Schlamme, Steve Franks and others, Richard Schiff helped set a standard other performers now audition against. Awards bodies have been slower than the work, which is usually the sign of a career built on choices rather than campaigns.
Swipe NYC (2023) as Steve · Se7en (1995) as Mark Swarr · A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020) as Toby Ziegler
Career snapshot
Ranked #945 of 909177 performers tracked in the Nutevio library.
Films in Nutevio
37
1990–2027
Career length
37 yrs
Measured across our catalogue
Academy Awards
—
Unknown
Oscar nominations
—
Unknown
Highest Nutevio score
10.0
Swipe NYC
Average Nutevio score
6.3
Across catalogue work
Highest IMDb rating
10.0
Swipe NYC
Most frequent director
Nora Ephron
2 films together
Longest collaboration
2×
With Nora Ephron
Most common genre
Drama
21 titles
Average runtime
1h 48m
Across catalogue work
Golden Globe wins
—
Unknown
Nutevio metric
Ten weighted categories, applied identically to everyone we cover.
Nutevio Performer Score
6.9
out of 10
A performer whose catalogue work here is strong, with the fuller case still to be made.
Nutevio metric
Cultural impact and legacy, measured separately from craft — how far the work travelled once it left the cinema.
Nutevio Influence Score
6.9
out of 10
A quieter influence — felt inside the films rather than across the industry.
How far the work travelled past the people who saw it first.
What survives once the release-week conversation has burned off.
Institutional acknowledgement, weighted but never decisive.
Years of chosen, relevant work rather than years merely employed.
Statuettes, read as evidence rather than verdict.
Roles named without needing the film named alongside them.
Directors who wrote parts because this performer existed.
The reading other performers now have to answer.
Actor DNA
A fingerprint derived from the roles themselves — register, range and the kind of film they carry.
The shape of a career
Every performance plotted in time. Hover a point to read the title behind it.
Peak years
Where the scores, the awards and the sheer volume of work agree with each other.
Best decade
2020s
6.4 average MV
The 2020s are where the work and the material meet. The Auction, Swipe NYC, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever — the run our editors reach for first when the argument is about range rather than fame.
Highest average Nutevio score
2020s
6.4
Across 5 catalogue films in this decade, our scores never drop below the level a career is judged on.
Highest average IMDb rating
2010s
6.4
The public agrees most strongly about this stretch — useful context, and occasionally a decade behind our own reading.
Most awarded era
1990s
0 Academy Awards
Statuettes for the films themselves, which is the honest way to read an ensemble career. Forces of Nature, Deep Impact, Doctor Dolittle.
Most productive era
1990s
16 films
The busiest stretch of the catalogue — volume that reads as appetite rather than availability.
Range, mapped
Genres down the side, decades across the top. Warmer cells mean stronger titles.
| Genre | 1990s | 2000s | 2010s | 2020s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drama | 6.48 films | 6.24 films | 6.47 films | 8.92 films |
| Action | 6.37 films | — | 6.43 films | 3.62 films |
| Thriller | 7.04 films | 5.21 film | 6.34 films | 0.01 film |
| Comedy | 5.96 films | 5.73 films | 6.43 films | 7.01 film |
| Crime | 7.42 films | 5.21 film | 6.33 films | 7.01 film |
| Romance | 6.33 films | 6.02 films | — | — |
| Horror | — | — | — | 0.01 film |
Chronology
Firsts and peaks
The turning points, in the order they happened.
First film in Nutevio
1990Young Guns II
Where our catalogue meets this career, as Rat Bag.
First Nutevio masterpiece · Highest rated performance · Career peak
2023Swipe NYC
The first film here to clear 9.0 on our scale — a threshold fewer than one film in ten reaches. 10.0 on the Nutevio scale, the top of the catalogue for this performer. Weighing billing against the film's own quality, this is the point where everything aligned at once.
Most recent film
2027The Auction
The current state of the argument, as Newscaster.
Our order
Every performance in the catalogue, ordered by Nutevio Score.
Every title
Filter by genre or decade, and compare any two titles side by side.
37 of 37 films
as Mark Swarr
Directed by David Fincher
as Toby Ziegler
Directed by Thomas Schlamme
as Train Driver
Directed by Jan de Bont
From the library
Every movie and TV credit stored for this name in the Nutevio catalogue — filter by media, role or sort by rating.
Loading credits…
The defining work
#1
Steve
Swipe NYC (2023)
Performance score9.9
The performance the rest of the career is read through. Steve gives Richard Schiff a structure to work against, and the film hands over its centre of gravity without hesitation.
View movie#2
Mark Swarr
Se7en (1995)
Performance score8.3
Se7en asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Mark Swarr is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#3
Toby Ziegler
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
Performance score8.2
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Toby Ziegler is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movie#4
Mr. Turner
I Am Sam (2001)
Performance score7.7
I Am Sam asks for something the previous films did not, and gets it. Mr. Turner is played without a single line of pleading for the audience's sympathy — which is exactly why it lands.
View movieStart here
A guided path through the work, ordered so each film explains the next.
Best entry point
as Steve
Start here. Swipe NYC is the clearest statement of what Richard Schiff does — accessible, 29 minutes, and rated 10.0 by our editors. No context required.
Our editors order this path by accessibility first and chronology second. You meet Richard at the most legible performance, then move forward in time so each film reads as a response to the one before it rather than a repetition of it.
Speed (1994)
A deliberate change of key after Swipe NYC — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
Se7en (1995)
Keeps the thriller register of Speed but asks for a colder reading of it.
I Am Sam (2001)
A deliberate change of key after Se7en — same instrument, unfamiliar tuning, and the reason range gets mentioned.
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote (2020)
Keeps the drama register of I Am Sam but asks for a colder reading of it.
Company kept
The directors and performers this career keeps returning to.
Mick Jackson
Director
2 films together
Notably The Bodyguard
Nora Ephron
Director
2 films together
Notably Michael
Geoff Murphy
Director
1 film together
Notably Young Guns II
Danny DeVito
Director
1 film together
Notably Hoffa
Roger Spottiswoode
Director
1 film together
Notably Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot
Bruce Joel Rubin
Director
1 film together
Notably My Life
Joel Coen
Director
1 film together
Notably The Hudsucker Proxy
Jan de Bont
Director
1 film together
Notably Speed
Rachel Talalay
Director
1 film together
Notably Tank Girl
David Fincher
Director
1 film together
Notably Se7en
Steven Spielberg
Director
1 film together
Notably The Lost World: Jurassic Park
Betty Thomas
Director
1 film together
Notably Doctor Dolittle
Mimi Leder
Director
1 film together
Notably Deep Impact
Bronwen Hughes
Director
1 film together
Notably Forces of Nature
David Raynr
Director
1 film together
Notably Whatever It Takes
Jessie Nelson
Director
1 film together
Notably I Am Sam
Daniel Algrant
Director
1 film together
Notably People I Know
Karey Kirkpatrick
Director
1 film together
Notably Imagine That
Nigel Cole
Director
1 film together
Notably Made in Dagenham
Oliver Parker
Director
1 film together
Notably Johnny English Reborn
Zack Snyder
Director
1 film together
Notably Man of Steel
Michael Cuesta
Director
1 film together
Notably Kill the Messenger
Rupert Wyatt
Director
1 film together
Notably The Gambler
Doug Ellin
Director
1 film together
Notably Entourage
Rob Reiner
Director
1 film together
Notably Shock and Awe
Dean Devlin
Director
1 film together
Notably Geostorm
Steve Franks
Director
1 film together
Notably Psych 2: Lassie Come Home
Thomas Schlamme
Director
1 film together
Notably A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote
Ryan Coogler
Director
1 film together
Notably Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
Behind the camera
Who casts this performer, how often, and what the pairing produces.
Mick Jackson
Director
2 films together · 6.4 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
The BodyguardNora Ephron
Director
2 films together · 5.5 avg MV
A working relationship rather than a booking — 2 films, and the register shifts each time.
Best film together
MichaelDavid Fincher
Director
1 film together · 8.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Se7enThomas Schlamme
Director
1 film together · 7.9 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All VoteJessie Nelson
Director
1 film together · 7.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
I Am SamJan de Bont
Director
1 film together · 7.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
SpeedRyan Coogler
Director
1 film together · 7.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Black Panther: Wakanda ForeverJoel Coen
Director
1 film together · 7.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Hudsucker ProxySteve Franks
Director
1 film together · 7.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Psych 2: Lassie Come HomeZack Snyder
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Man of SteelNigel Cole
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Made in DagenhamBruce Joel Rubin
Director
1 film together · 6.7 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
My LifeMichael Cuesta
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Kill the MessengerSteven Spielberg
Director
1 film together · 6.6 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The Lost World: Jurassic ParkGeoff Murphy
Director
1 film together · 6.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Young Guns IIMimi Leder
Director
1 film together · 6.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Deep ImpactRob Reiner
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Shock and AweOliver Parker
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Johnny English RebornDanny DeVito
Director
1 film together · 6.3 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
HoffaDoug Ellin
Director
1 film together · 6.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
EntourageDean Devlin
Director
1 film together · 6.1 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
GeostormRupert Wyatt
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
The GamblerKarey Kirkpatrick
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Imagine ThatBetty Thomas
Director
1 film together · 6.0 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Doctor DolittleDavid Raynr
Director
1 film together · 5.8 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Whatever It TakesBronwen Hughes
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Forces of NatureRachel Talalay
Director
1 film together · 5.5 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Tank GirlRoger Spottiswoode
Director
1 film together · 5.4 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
Stop! Or My Mom Will ShootDaniel Algrant
Director
1 film together · 5.2 avg MV
One film, but the kind that reorganises how a performer is cast afterwards.
Best film together
People I KnowSix degrees
Follow the thread outward — director, film, co-star, and the film after that.
Categories of our own
Six editorial categories we apply to every performer we cover.
Most rewatchable
Se7en
as Mark Swarr
The one that survives a fourth viewing. Nothing in the performance depends on surprise, which is why it keeps paying out.
Most emotional performance
My Life
as Young Bill Ivanovich
Grief played at conversational volume. The film never asks the audience to cry; the performance simply makes it difficult not to.
Most influential performance
Swipe NYC
as Steve
You can hear this reading in other actors' auditions a decade later — the surest measure of influence there is.
Best ensemble performance
Entourage
as Director
Work that makes everyone else in the frame better without ever pulling the camera towards itself.
Career defining performance
Swipe NYC
as Steve
If the career had to be argued in a single scene, our editors would pick one from this film and rest the case.
In their films' words
“You can build a whole film around a performer who knows when not to speak. Richard Schiff has known it for a long time.”
Head to head
Put two careers on the same scale and see where the argument actually sits.
Ours alone
Recognitions handed out by this desk, on criteria no awards body uses.
Career Achievement
Awarded
37 years of relevant work — not merely a long career, but a long career of choices.
Modern Classic Performer
Awarded
Defining performances delivered inside the last twenty-five years, in films already being taught rather than merely remembered.
Drama Legend
Awarded
21 catalogue titles in drama, each one a reference point for the films that followed.
Our desk
Best ending, best opening, best twist and the rest — categories we apply to everyone we cover.
Best ending
Swipe NYC
as Steve
The last five minutes reorganise everything before them, and hold up when you already know what's coming.
Best opening
Se7en
as Mark Swarr
A first sequence that states the rules of the film without explaining a single one of them.
Most emotional
Shock and Awe
as The Usual
The film where the technique steps aside and lets the feeling arrive undefended.
Best twist
Se7en
as Mark Swarr
A reversal earned by information the film gave you and trusted you to misread.
Best visual achievement
Swipe NYC
as Steve
Images that would survive with the sound switched off.
Best action sequence
Man of Steel
as Dr. Emil Hamilton
Geography, stakes and consequence held in the same frame — spectacle you can follow.
Best dialogue
Made in Dagenham
as Robert Tooley
Lines written to be spoken, staged so the pauses do half the work.
Most underrated film
Doctor Dolittle
as Dr. Gene Reiss
The public vote sits below ours on this one, and the direction is the reason for the gap.
If you like this performer
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Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Robert Downey Jr.
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Matt Damon
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Michael Caine
Built a career in the same territory: adventure and drama
Edward Norton
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Zach Grenier
Works with the same directors — David Fincher
Have your say
Community
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Reference
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