Liev (pronounced Lee-ev) is the son of Tell Schreiber, a theatrical actor with some film roles. His mother, Heather, was a painter. At age 1, the family moved from San Francisco to Canada. His parents divorced when he was 4 or 5. He and his mother then moved to New York, where she drove a cab. During that time, they lived as squatters in an abandoned building. His mother now lives in an ashram in Virginia. His mother taught him to read. She also forbade him from seeing color movies. Thus he grew up seeing movies at a local revival house, particularly those of Charlie Chaplin. Started acting at Hampshire College in Amherst, Massachusetts. Then graduated from the Yale School of Drama in 1992. He originally wanted to be a playwright, but his teacher encouraged him to become an actor.


Grew up in Lower East Side New York. Graduated from Friends Seminary High School in Manhattan. Son of actor Tell Schreiber and Heather. Has four half brothers and one half sister, including brother Pablo Schreiber. Attended high school with actress Amanda Peet when he was a senior and she was a freshman. Frequently does voice-over and narration work for advertisements and documentaries. Has worked with actress Rose McGowan in two different horror films - Scream (1996/I) and Phantoms (1998). After his parents divorced, he and his siblings saw their father very little during childhood. Won the 2005 Tony Award best featured actor in a play for Glengarry Glen Ross. Growing up, his mother didn't allow him to watch color movies. The first color movie he saw was Star Wars in 1977. Is a good friend of Dustin Hoffman. The actor and his fiancée, Naomi Watts, welcomed their first child, a healthy baby boy, on July 25, 2007. Alexander Pete Schreiber, who was born at 3:59 p.m. in Los Angeles, weighed 8 lbs., 4 oz, and was 22.5 inches long (Alexander is for his grandfather and Peter is for her father, Peter Watts). Second son is named Samuel Kai. Close friends with Hugh Jackman.