Paul Adelstein

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