Paul Lieberstein

Paul Bevan Lieberstein (born February 22, 1967) is an American television writer, producer, director, and actor, best known for his extensive contributions to the NBC sitcom The Office (2005–2013), where he served as a writer, executive producer, showrunner, and recurring cast member portraying the beleaguered human resources representative Toby Flenderson.

Born in Westport, Connecticut, to parents Stanley and Judith Lieberstein, he grew up in a family with strong ties to the entertainment industry; his sister Susanne Daniels is a prominent television executive, married to The Office co-creator Greg Daniels, while his brother Warren Lieberstein is also a television producer and writer who collaborated on The Office and was formerly married to actress Angela Kinsey. Lieberstein graduated from Hamilton College in 1989 with a degree in economics before transitioning to writing, starting with a spec script for The Simpsons that led to his first staff position as a writer on the Nickelodeon series Clarissa Explains It All (1991–1994).

Lieberstein grew up in a Jewish household, which shaped his early cultural environment in the affluent suburb of Westport.