When it comes to fame, Peter Dinklage is no rookie. Since his breakthrough appearance in The Station Agent in 2003, the actor from Game of Thrones has been in a number of films and shows, including the lead part in Cyrano, the cinematic musical written by his wife, Erica Schmidt.
The actor tied the knot with Schmidt in 2005, and they now have two children together. Although Schmidt and her husband keep their private lives under wraps, she has a professional resume that is just as remarkable as her husband’s.
What about Peter Dinklage’s wife — who is she? Continue reading to learn everything there is to know about Erica Schmidt’s marriage.
Erica Schmidt Is An Award-winning Playwright And Theater Director
Erica Schmidt is mostly recognized as a playwright due to her work on Cyrano, but she has also been recognized as a skilled director.
She was honored with the Princess Grace Foundation’s 2001 Robert and Gloria Hausman Theater Honor for her contributions to the field of theatre, dance, and film.
She was nominated for a Lucille Lortel Award, the Drama Desk Award for outstanding direction, and the Drama Desk Award for outstanding revival for her work on the 2019 all-female rendition of Mac Beth.
Schmidt has also directed chashama and The Play Company (for which she was nominated for a Callaway Award) (for which she won the New York International Fringe Festival Award for best direction). She co-created, co-wrote, and directed the play Humor Abuse, for which she received a Lucille Lortel Award.
“She holds the theatre in higher regard than many others in our field, for whom movies are the pinnacle of artistic achievement.
This is art, not a form of entertainment. “What Dinklage revealed to The Guardian in 2015: “It’s easy to see why she’s so influential. She’s the creative one in the clan, for sure… Acting on television is what keeps the lights on for me.”
Dinklage Says He Begged Erica Schmidt For His Role In Cyrano
Dinklage acknowledged to CBS News in 2021 that he had begged his wife to let him play Cyrano.
“Erica said you begged her for the part?” Actor Lesley Stahl of 60 Minutes was asked.
“‘Begged’? Yeah. Yes, in a sense, that’s correct, “To which Dinklage gave an answer. “As an actor, I believe it is imperative to take on challenging roles. Simply put, I had not sung since I was a very little child.”
For Dinklage, the part was significant for a second reason as well. Edmond Rostand wrote the drama in 1897, and several actors, including Steve Martin, José Ferrer, and James Mason, have portrayed the title character, Cyrano.
“Nine times out of ten, Cyrano is played by a lovely actor with a prosthetic nose, and you know that he takes it off before they wrap,” Dinklage said to The Times of London.
“These days, it’s not just about having a strong lead performance with regards to race or otherwise. The time has come. It’s good for society to break the mold of the traditional leading man. No one is immune to the dating game.”
The duo has collaborated before, most notably in 2015 on Schmidt’s version of A Month in the Country for the theatre.
Erica Schmidt And Dinklage Met In New York City
Dinklage likened his introduction to Schmidt to something from a “crazy, romantic movie.” Dinklage mentioned their chance encounter at a friend’s apartment in New York City in an interview with The New York Times in 2021.
“That was roughly 18 years ago. Someone at a friend’s house mentioned, “They’re walking the elephants through the Queens-Midtown Tunnel.” It was snowing, and the elephants from the visiting circus were being led in a long line through the streets of Manhattan.
Like a scene from a wonderful, surreal, end-of-the-world, insane love film, “Dinklage thought back. “See? Movies are constantly on my mind. Our meeting took place on the night the elephants paraded through Manhattan, so that sums up the circumstances.”
Erica Schmidt And Dinklage Eloped In Las Vegas
Dinklage and Erica Schmidt ran away to Sin City in 2005 and were married.
For a good cause, Dinklage told The New York Times in 2016. “We just decided to do it while we were there. It seemed a little isolated. We have a VHS videocassette of the wedding that we have hidden in a box at the center of the earth so that no one will ever find it.”
Erica Schmidt And Dinklage Have Two Children Together
Schmidt and Dinklage have been parents since 2011, first to a daughter. Schmidt was pregnant when her 2017 play All the Fine Boys premiered, but the ultra-private pair has been mum on the sex of their second child.
The public has yet to learn either of their children’s names, but Dinklage has gotten some good laughs out of the various speculations made online, including the one that he called his daughter Zelig after the Woody Allen film of the same name.
As he told The New York Times, “I love that Woody Allen movie,” referring to Allen’s mockumentary from 1983. But why would you choose to give your child such a name?”
Dinklage Thanked Erica Schmidt After He Won An Emmy
The pair does not want to discuss their private lives. This does not prevent the actor from gushing about his wife in interviews and acceptance speeches.
Dinklage specifically thanked Schmidt in his victory speech after he won an Emmy for his portrayal of Tyrion Lannister on Game of Thrones in 2018. Dinklage made sure to acknowledge his wife this time around after quickly stating that he failed to thank her when he won an Emmy in 2015 “Thank you for being patient with me, Erica. In spite of my irritability, I adore you.”
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