Liev Schreiber - Master of both Shakespeare and action roles
The seeds of a successful career are often planted in childhood. Usually by loving parents who see something unique in their children. This is also true for American actor Liev Schreiber. But in his case, success on screen and on stage was not a given, as he had a very tumultuous childhood. Not to mention chaotic.
His mother, Heather Milgram, lived a somewhat debauched life in the late 60s. She was an artist and experimented with drugs. At least until a bad LSD trip sent her life into a downward spiral. This was just after her marriage to Tell Schreiber, who made his living as both an actor and a carpenter.
After the unfortunate experience with LSD, Tell moved the family to a small isolated community in British Columbia to help Heather Milgram recover. But life on the farm didn't agree with her. Instead of feeling relieved and free, she felt trapped. Therefore, she fled the place with a young Liev in tow. Chased by private investigators across several states, Heather and Liev finally settled in New York. For Liev Schreiber, it was the start of a long love affair with the city that never sleeps.
Not that the beginning was a bed of roses: they lived in an unfinished building with no water or heat, sleeping on a mattress on the floor. But even though Liev Schreiber has described his mother as a "Far-out Socialist Labor Party Bohemian Freak", it's not hard for him to see that the choices she made have also led to good things. Especially after he became a father himself. And despite a chaotic childhood, he also managed to complete his education at various creative schools in the US, including the Yale School of Drama.
The fact that growing up with an eccentric mother has also left its mark on his acting is not unknown to critics. As critic John Larch put it in 1999 in The New Yorker magazine: "To a large extent, Schreiber's professional shape-shifting and his uncanny instinct for isolating the frightened, fragile, silly parts of his characters are the result of being forced to conform to his mother's eccentricities. That is both his sorrow and his gift."
This comment came just after his performance as Hamlet in the Shakespeare production at The Public Theater in New York.
From theater to film
He made his official debut at the age of 25 in the 1992 theater comedy Goodnight Desdemona (Good Morning Juliet). But at the start of his career, it was especially the classical repertoire that caught his attention. He has played the title roles in major Shakespearean productions such as Hamlet, Macbeth and Henry V.
While studying drama at the Yale School of Drama, and later at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts in London, he envisioned a future as a screenwriter. But he ended up choosing a career as an actor.
Throughout the 90s, it was mainly on the New York theater scenes that he made his mark. But he did make his film debut as early as 1994, when he starred in Mixed Nuts. A black Christmas comedy starring, among others, Steve Martin and Adam Sandler. He initially had several supporting roles in films such as the horror trilogy Scream (1996, 1997 and 2000), the comedy His and Hers (1997) and the romantic Kate & Leopold (2001).
But it was as if Shakespeare was still pulling at him. During the 90s, he became established as a recognized film actor. And it was still in the theater, he received his greatest recognition. A review in The New York Times of his performance in the Shakespeare play Cymberline called his performance a 'revelation' and ended the article with a plea: "More Shakespeare, Mr. Schreiber!"
He didn't ignore the call. In 2000, he played the role of Laertes in Hamlet in Michael Almereyda's production. The movie has since been turned into a contemporary drama set in New York.
Genre shift
Although he has had a penchant for classic theater roles, since the turn of the millennium he has been more interested in comedies and dramas. And not least has the TV medium become increasingly important. For seven years, he was on the cast list for the American thriller series Ray Donovan. A series in which he played the lead role, wrote the script, produced and directed. The final episode aired in January 2020.
Fans who may have been expecting an eighth season were sorely disappointed. Instead, Liev Schreiber released a TV movie in 2022: Ray Donovan: The Movie. The movie received an Emmy Awayds nomination for 'Outstanding Television Movie'.
Liev Schreiber's career, however, covers many different genres, which he effortlessly switches between. He co-starred with Daniel Craig in the riveting war film Defiance (2008), which depicts Jewish refugees and their resistance struggle in the forests of Belarus during the Nazi occupation in World War II.
He himself has kept the Jewish faith close to his heart through his mother, Heather Milgram. And working with Central European history is not far from his mind either. His father's family is descended from Ukrainian immigrants who came to the United States just before the First World War.
His mother’s legacy
When Liev Schreiber says in interviews that he understands his mother's choices, even though they led to a somewhat chaotic upbringing, it explains why his life has turned out the way it has. And perhaps it also explains the choices he has made in his own life.
He describes himself as a family man with firm roots in New York City. This may also be the reason why he and his partner of 11 years - Naomi Watts - decided to split up in 2016. Naomi Watts has said in various interviews that she still felt the need to travel the world, play major roles in movies and be present on the red carpet at various festivals.
This was not exactly what Liev Schreiber had in mind. Even though he was head over heels in love with the British actress at the beginning of their relationship. They now have two children together: son Sasha, 16, and daughter Kai, 14, that both live with their father in a huge loft apartment in New York.
The year after the divorce, Taylor Neisen, 25 years younger, moved in - and in August 2023, they had their first child together. She has been named Hazel Bee.
Being present with his family despite a busy professional life is undoubtedly something that has been reinforced by Liev Schreiber's own upbringing.
Another element from his childhood - poverty - still plays a major role. From time to time, he puts on his work clothes and takes part in cooking and serving meals to poor citizens in New York.
But his Ukrainian roots are also important. In 2022, he became an ambassador for a Ukrainian initiative - United24 - which raises money to support healthcare in the war-torn country. A post on President Zelenskyj's website states that Liev Schreiber's work has provided psychological help and evacuation of 20,000 orphans in the country's easternmost regions.
His acting career is still going strong, despite family and charity commitments. This year he has premiered two feature films: Golda and Asteroid City.
Next year, New York theatergoers can catch him in Doubt at the Roundabout Theatre Company. A drama about the importance of doubt. Not that Liev Schreiber seems to have much doubt. At least not in the life choices that are still strangely guided by his eccentric mother.