The son of Havana-born author and vision scientist Jacob and social worker Marsha, Erik was born in Miami, Florida. He was mentored by Maureen Stapleton, named a YoungArts winner in high school, and trained at London's Complicité and National Theatre, where he came under the wing of Judi Dench. He received a grant to study with master clown teacher Philippe Gaulier in France, and in Los Angeles, was the face of noted improv-and-sketch-comedy school, The Groundlings.
Liberman was "discovered" by 21-time Tony Award winning director and producer Harold Prince as a winner of the Lotte Lenya Competition. Prince hired him for his Broadway debut in Lovemusik, written by Oscar winner Alfred Uhry and starring Tony winners Donna Murphy and Michael Cerveris, remarking of the actor, "Erik is the real deal. Once you've seen him, you can't forget him."
Liberman went on to receive Helen Hayes, Ovation, Garland, Connecticut Critics Circle and NYMF Awards, his onstage work reviewed as "a showcase of sheer star power." He originated the roles of The Telephone Guy in the award-winning The Band's Visit opposite Tony Shalhoub, Charles Revson opposite Patti LuPone and Christine Ebersole in War Paint, and Clopin, King of the Gypsies, in Alan Menken, Stephen Schwartz, and Peter Parnell's The Hunchback of Notre Dame.
Other theatre highlights include: Motel the Tailor in Fiddler on the Roof opposite Harvey Fierstein and the film's star, Topol, and co-direction of Raising the Roof, the show’s all-star, 50th anniversary celebration at Town Hall; acclaimed portrayals of comedian Groucho Marx Off Broadway and at The White House; major revivals of Stephen Sondheim musicals; and choreography for Mabou Mines Dollhouse, which played Off Broadway twice and toured the world. He has participated in the development of new works at Sundance Theatre Lab,, appeared in benefit concerts under the auspices of Sondheim, Lin Manuel Miranda, and Carol Burnett, on television in Transparent, Modern Family, and HBO’s Vinyl, among others, and in the upcoming film, American Dream with Alfred Molina.
Liberman has contributed essays to The Huffington Post and The Hollywood Reporter, and to books including Performance of the Century and, with his father, Wisdom From an Empty Mind (endorsed by Eckhart Tolle and Ram Dass) and Luminous Life: How the Science of Light Unlocks the Art of Living. His master class series, Bridge to Broadway, benefited 45 charities and earned him am Encore Award from The Actors Fund. He is an advocate for causes which have affected him and those he loves, including climate change, BLM, and the rights of the LGBTQIA+ and disabled communities.
Joan Juliet Buck, former editor-in-chief of French Vogue,
described Erik's work as "multifaceted, irreducible, and astonishing."