Eric Schaeffer (born January 22, 1962) is an American actor, writer, and director.[2]

Eric Schaeffer
Born (1962-01-22) January 22, 1962 (age 62)
Alma materBard College
Occupation(s)Actor, film director, screenwriter
Years active1993–present
Height5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)[1]

Early life and education

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Schaeffer was born in New York City, New York, and later graduated with a degree in drama and dance from Bard College. After graduating, he drove a New York City taxi for nine years, during which time he wrote two stage plays, a novel, twenty screenplays and various other works.

Career

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Schaeffer rose to fame with fellow actor/writer/director Donal Lardner Ward on the independent film My Life's in Turnaround (1993), which was made in fifteen days for only $200,000. Schaeffer and Ward parlayed the film's success into Too Something (1995–1996), a short-lived sitcom that was briefly renamed New York Daze.

He signed on as a client of Creative Artists Agency and made a deal to direct the 1996 romantic comedy If Lucy Fell for a budget of $3.5 million for Columbia TriStar.[3][4]

Schaeffer starred opposite model Amanda de Cadenet in the 1997 romantic drama Fall, about a cab driver who begins a passionate affair with a model he first met in his cab.

In 2000, he released the comedy Wirey Spindell, a semi-autobiographical tale. This was followed by the 2001 romantic comedy Never Again, starring Jill Clayburgh and Jeffrey Tambor, and Mind the Gap in 2004.

In recent years Schaeffer has been writing an autobiographical blog, I Can't Believe I'm Still Single, about his relationships and ongoing search for love. Schaeffer has turned the blog into a book, I Can't Believe I'm Still Single – Sane, Slightly Neurotic (But in a Sane Way) Filmmaker into Good Yoga, Bad Reality TV, Too Much Chocolate, and a Little Kinky Sex Seeks Smart, Emotionally Evolved ... Oh Hell, At This Point Anyone Who'll Let Me Watch Football.

In 2008, Schaeffer debuted a reality television series on Showtime, also called I Can't Believe I'm Still Single.[5]

In 2009, Schaeffer and Jill Franklyn created the half-hour dramedy series Gravity for Starz. The series, which was about people who failed at suicide – originally titled Failure to Fly – starred Schaeffer along with Krysten Ritter, Ivan Sergei, Ving Rhames and Rachel Hunter. It began airing in April 2010 and on June 30, 2010, the show was cancelled.[6][7][8]

Filmography and television work

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Actor, director and screenwriter

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Year Title Genre Role Notes
1993 My Life's in Turnaround romantic comedy drama Splick
1995–1996 Too Something situation comedy Eric McDougal television series
1996 If Lucy Fell romantic comedy Joe MacGonaughgill
1997 Fall romantic drama Michael Shiver
2000 Wirey Spindell comedy Wirey Spindell
2001 Never Again romantic comedy no acting
2004 Mind the Gap comedy drama Sam Blue
2005 Starved situation comedy Sam television series
2008-2011 I Can't Believe I'm Still Single reality television Himself television series
2010 Gravity comedy drama Detective Miller television series
2011 They're Out of the Business comedy Splick sequel
2011 After Fall, Winter romantic drama Michael Shiver sequel
2012 Eric Schaeffer: Life Coach situation comedy Eric Schaeffer web series
2014 Boy Meets Girl romantic comedy drama Police Officer
2021 Before I Go comedy drama uncredited cameo

Actor (only)

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Year Title Genre Role Notes
1995 The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes Rich Prentiss
1998 Gunshy crime drama Gwynne
1999 Everything's Relative Marty Gorelick television series
2001 First Years Sam O'Donnell television series
2001 One Night at McCool's dark comedy neo-noir Greg Spradling
2003 The Dead Zone science-fiction suspense Francis Ritter television series
episode: "Valley of the Shadow" (January 5, 2003)
2004 Century City science-fiction legal drama Darwin McNeil television series
2004 Marmalade comedy Dan
2004 Spanglish comedy drama Rabid Sports Fan

Books

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  • Schaeffer, Eric (2007). I Can't Believe I'm Still Single – Sane, Slightly Neurotic (But in a Sane Way) Filmmaker into Good Yoga, Bad Reality TV, Too Much Chocolate, and a Little Kinky Sex Seeks Smart, Emotionally Evolved ... Oh Hell, At This Point Anyone Who'll Let Me Watch Football. New York City: Thunder's Mouth Press. ISBN 978-1-56858-337-2.

See also

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References

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