Раul іѕ an American асtоr, television prоduсеr, and an award-winning scriptwriter. Не’s probably bеѕt knоwn аѕ thе рrоduсеr and wrіtеr оf thе television ѕіtсоm series “Тhе Оffісе“, аnd portraying the role of Тоbу Flеndеrѕоn.

Early life, family, and educational background

Paul Bevan Lieberstein was born in Westport, Connecticut, USA, on 22 February 1967 into a Jewish family. Stanley and Judith Lieberstein are his parents, and he has two siblings, Susanne and Warren. He matriculated from Staples High School, and graduated from Hamilton College in Clinton, New York, wіth а bасhеlоr’ѕ dеgrее іn Есоnоmісѕ in 1989.

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His sister Susanne is the president of YouTube Premium, and married screenwriter and producer Greg Daniels. Warren, their youngest sibling, is a writer and producer who was once married to actress Angela Kinsey.

After graduating from college, his first work was as an audіtоr аt Реаt Маrwісk Іntеrnаtіоnаl in New York, whісh lаѕtеd fоr only ѕіх mоnthѕ. Then hе tооk а раrt-tіmе job аt hіѕ fаthеr’ѕ lаw fіrm, whісh еvеntuаllу hеlреd hіm tо рurѕuе а саrееr аѕ а ѕсrееnwrіtеr, because what he’s always done in his work is to write.

Career

Screenwriter

He started his career as a writer when his agent William Morris gave him a job in Hollywood to work on “Clarissa Explains It All,” an adolescent sitcom.

However, when he and his writing partner parted ways, they left the show after one season. He then had brief writing stints, such as the movie “Weird Science” and the television show “The Naked Truth.”

His career as a screenwriter blossomed when his brother-in-law asked him to co-write and co-produce the animated series “King of the Hill“, aired for 13 seasons from 1997 to 2010. The plot revolves around a middle-class American family residing in the fictional Texas town of Arlen. Following, he co-wrote eight more television shows, including “The Office,” in which he also played a supporting role in the show describing the everyday lives of paper mill company employees. He also ventured out co-writing and directing the film “Song of Back and Neck” in 2018.

Acting

Paul has appeared in four films – “The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard,” “Song of Back and Neck,” “Big Break” (short film), and “Top Shelf Singles” (short film). In addition to his role in “The Office” and its adaptation series, he also portrayed other characters in five television shows since 2005.

Directing

Since 2007 he’s also directed several episodes of his three TV shows, and one film “Song of Back and Neck,” which was screened at the Tribeca Film Festival. On 3 April 2020, he announced his plan to produce a sitcom about office life while isolated due to the pandemic.

Producing

Paul has also produced six sitcoms, two comedy series, a drama and a film, including 50 episodes of “King of the Hill”, and two episodes of the “Greg and the Bunny.”

Awards and nominations

Paul is also known as an award-winning screenwriter. He won his first Emmy award in 1999 for “Outstanding Animated Program”. The animated show the “King of the Hill,” was nominated for seven Emmy Awards, winning two. Its success saw it listed by Time magazine as one of the 100 greatest TV shows of all time.

His “Office Work” series, which aired for nine seasons, gained critical acclaim and was nominated for a total of 42 Emmy Awards, with Paul winning two for his work in the series. He was also given awards by the Writers Guild of America, and the Screen Actors Guild.

Personal life: wife, children, and cancer rumors

Paul married Janine Poreba on 19 July 2008, at the Battery Gardens restaurant in New York.

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Their family currently lives in the Brentwood neighborhood in Los Angeles, California. She is Paul’s second wife – his first marriage ended in divorce, but there is no other information.

Who is Janine Poreba?

Janine Serafin Poreba is also an American actress, and a teacher of English, born in 1973, exact date unknown. Her mother, Elizabeth Poreba, was an English teacher at Bard High School Early College, while her father, John Poreba, taught science at Columbia Grammar and Preparatory School. She graduated from Harvard University as Magna Cum Laude, then earned a Master’s degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages from the Monterey Institute of International Studies in Monterey, California. She is currently an English instructor at Santa Monica College in California.

Aside from her achievements and outstanding academic career, she’s also an actress, and appeared in TV series such as “Law & Order” and “The Office.” Paul and Janine met on the latter show and dated for a couple of years before marrying.

Rumored cancer diagnosis

In 2013, many viewers noticed Paul’s changes in body shape on the set of the last episodes of the show “The Office.” According to reports, he was experiencing dizziness and nausea on set, and was having chemotherapy at the New York Cancer Hospital. In 2019, he had two months leave, which fueled rumors that he had lung cancer due to his smoking habit, but other sources claimed that he had leukemia.

There is no confirmation whether Paul has cancer or is simply stressed or overworked, but his family told the media that he’s not sick and is in good health.

Interesting facts

• When he was in high school, he wrote his first sitcom with some friends.
• He was a member of the Chi Psi fraternity in college and was mentioned in the plot of the TV program “The Office,” where one of the characters, Andy Bernard, is also a member of Chi Psi from Cornell University.
• Paul is part of the advisory board of Young Storytellers, a nonprofit arts education organization based in Los Angeles.

Physical appearance

Paul stands at 5ft 9ins (1.77m) tall and weighs about 145lbs (66kgs); he has brown hair and brown eyes.

Net worth

Paul’s net worth is projected to be $15 million as of early 2022, while his wife’s wealth is rumored to be more than $2 million. He’s benefited from screenwriting, acting, and producing, whereas Janine has earned her wealth through both her acting and teaching careers.

Clifton Powell is an actor-comedian, producer, director, and voice actor, perhaps known best for his roles as Jeff Brown in the biographical film “Ray”, and Big Mike in his latest comedy series, “The Last O.G.”

Early life, family, and educational background

Clifton Powell’s date of birth is 16 March 1956, in Washington, D.C., USA, into a family of African-American descent. He grew up in the Mayfair Mansions neighborhood in Northeast D.C., with his parents Naomi and Ashford Powell, and his other siblings, about whom there’s no available information, but sources say he has 12!

In Clifton’s conversation with Pierre Edward in his podcast “Pierre’s Panic Room,” he mentioned that he first dreamed of being a football player.

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However, when he attended DeMatha High School in Hyattsville, Maryland, and started playing it, he realized that it was not his passion, until he transferred to St. Anthony Catholic School, when he saw the play “My Fair Lady,” and asked the director if he could join a performance, and was given the role of General Bullmoose in “Li’l Abner”. That was when he found out that he wanted to be an actor. Then, he was accepted into the Workshops for Careers in the Arts (WCA) for high school students held at George Washington University. WCA was expanded and merged with Western High School and became Duke Ellington School of Arts.

Before its emergence with Western High School, he went to Emerson College in Boston from 1974 until 1979, where he got his degree in speech and education.

Career

TV and movie acting

After finishing his studies, he was unemployed, and it took him nearly two decades before he set foot in Hollywood. In 1981, his acting career started when he landed his first role in a television movie, entitled “Ephraim McDowell’s Kentucky Ride.” In 1984, he was cast as his first film character – Ramon in “Alphabet City.” Since then, he’s appeared in over 100 films and television shows, including well-known films such as “Menace II Society,” “Rush Hour,” “Next Friday” – its sequel “Friday After Next” – and “Ray.”

Despite his success in the television and film industry, he hasn’t been exempted from discrimination and racism during his 30-year career. In a virtual interview with Robin Mayers on her blo, “The Jasmin’s Brand,” he lamented that he was turned down for many movies because the executives thought he was too black for the role, and which might terrify the viewers.

However, his stellar acting skills still brought him various movie types, including dramas, crime films, urban comedies, and culturally themed films. In an interview with Alexus Renée in the “Celebrity Myxer” show, he mentioned that he always practices method acting to portray naturally how the character feels and thinks, which approach encourages the performers or actors to immerse themselves in the role to understand their emotions.

He added that he conceals his true nature, and acts like a ‘character’ to move the audience.

Voice acting

He debuted as a voice actor in 2004, when he became the voice of Big Smoke, the villain in “Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas.” The following year, he was cast as Prisoner in “Boondocks,” an adult animated sitcom series. In 2011, he became a voice actor in another animated TV series, “Black Dynamite”, as Crenshaw the Slime and Daddy Dynamite.

Directing for Film and Television

Clifton has directed two comedy films, “Man of Her Dreams” and “There’s a Stranger in my House,” as well as television shows such as “Chase Street” and “Chase Street: Back Door Pilot.”

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Producing Movie and Television Series

In addition to acting and directing, Clifton began working as a producer/consulting producer in 2005, and has produced multiple movies and series, the first one the 2005 film “Golden Empire”, in which he was also a cast member.

Nominations and awards received

Clifton won Best Performance in the Actor category for the film “Civil Brand” at the Black Film Festival in 2002. He was also named in the Jury Award at the Top Shorts Film Festival in 2017, as the Best Supporting Actor for his character in “Chasing Titles Vol. 1.”

He was nominated for his roles in “Woman Thou Art Loosed” and “Ray” at the Black Reel Award and Image Award in 2005. His performance in the film “Ray” earned him nominations for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture Category at the Joint Screen Actors Guild Award and Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Award both in 2005.

Acting mentoring

Clifton has been invited to various workshops and boot camps to share his experiences and life story. The two examples are the “Behind The Lenz Actors Bootcamp,” a two-day workshop that enhances the aspiring actors’ skills in acting, and the “On The Set Summer Film Camp,” which teaches kids ages 8–18 years old about film-making. Clifton said that he loves sharing his experiences in acting and movie making in workshops like these, because he attended one when he was young, before landing a Hollywood role that changed his life.

Personal life: wife, kids, new partner, and issues

Kimberly Crooms, wife of Clifton

Kimberly Crooms is the wife of Clifton Powell, and they have two children, namely Clifton Jr. and Mary. Clifton Jr. is a basketball player at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

There are no details on the date of their marriage and how they met, but several sites claim they met before Clifton became a celebrity, and dated for several years before they married.

She is famous not just as the wife Clifton Powell but also as a designer and a chef. She’s created two Instagram accounts: one for posting her paintings and designs, and another for communicating with her clients for catering and dieting consulting.

Many websites state that the two have already separated because of Clifton’s adultery issue, but there’s no confirmation if they have divorced.

Partner Kita McSwain

Around 2018, Clifton was rumored to be dating model and rapper Marquita “Kita” McSwain, the mother of a 12-year-old child.

Despite their age difference, they both proudly flaunt their love story with their children on their social media accounts. However, there was speculations that the two had already broken up.

Sexual assault issue

In August 2012, a casino cocktail waitress sued Clifton Powell for rape, battery, and emotional distress. The court charged him $150,000 for the damage and $3,095 for the victim’s medical expenses.

After five years, the lead detective found inconsistencies in the plaintiff’s testimony, and the court eventually cleared him of the rape case, and learned that he was not provided a proper lawsuit.

Physical appearance and clothing style

Clifton has black hair and brown eyes, his height is 5ft 8ins (1.73m), and he weighs around 165lbs (75kgs). He likes wearing suits and sunglasses.

Net worth

Many reports estimate that his net worth is more than $1 million. He has earned his wealth through acting, directing, producing, and voice acting, since he’s been in the entertainment industry for almost four decades.