Biography
Though he sports a visage that could easily suggest Brooklyn or the Bronx, character player Paul Adelstein originated in Chicago, and traveled that well-tread road of so many aspiring actors: he waited tables while working toward the proverbial big break. A stint as a server at the Windy City's Café du Midi helped him put food on the table, while -- in off-hours -- he trained with
John Cusack's New Crimes stage ensemble and at the Piven Theatre Workshop in Evanston. Following a one-episode appearance on television's
ER (1999) and involvement in the short-lived series
Cupid (1998-1999), Adelstein signed on to work for
Harold Ramis, in the director's late 2000 remake
Bedazzled -- and tackled multiple roles in the picture. Adelstein collaborated with the Coen Brothers and fellow
ER vet
George Clooney on their late 2003 divorce comedy
Intolerable Cruelty, and played opposite
John Travolta and
Vince Vaughn in the poorly received crime comedy
Be Cool (2005), then participated in two series: the 2005
Prison Break (as a federal agent) and the 2007
Private Practice (as a key member of a Santa Monica medical team). ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide