He has been in films such as Mr. Saturday Night, Quiz Show, Searching for Bobby Fischer, City Slickers, Crazy People, State and Main, Payback, Get Shorty, Carpool, The American President, The Hurricane, Ocean's Thirteen, and Drag Me to Hell.
[2] Paymer is Jewish; his mother was born in Belgium and left for the United States to escape the Nazi occupation.
[3] Paymer has a brother, Steve, and graduated from the University of Michigan with a Bachelor of Arts in theater and psychology.
His voice-over work includes Sheldon in the Kids' WB cartoon series Channel Umptee-3, and neurotic Welsh Terrier Mel in Balto 3: Wings of Change.
Paymer has directed episodes of several popular television series, including Gilmore Girls, Grey's Anatomy, One Tree Hill, Melrose Place, Everwood, Brothers & Sisters, and Bunheads.