Biography
This page uses content from the Aaron Sorkin biography page on the English version of Wikipedia and is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. This list of authors can be seen in the page history. Rotten Tomatoes disclaims any and all warranties as to the accuracy or reliability of the content.
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born on June 9, 1961 in New York City) is an American screenwriter, producer and playwright. He is the author of the screenplays for the films A Few Good Men and The American President and the creator of the television series Sports Night, The West Wing, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.
Biography
Sorkin attended Scarsdale High School in Scarsdale, New York. After briefly attending the State University of New York at Purchase, he graduated from Syracuse University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Theater. After a brief stint at acting, he quickly established a reputation as a young, promising playwright on the New York theatre scene. His 1989 Broadway play A Few Good Men was made into a critically acclaimed feature film in 1992, kick-starting his Hollywood career. He actually sent A Few Good Men to producer/director Rob Reiner. Reiner read it, and set out to get the film rights.
Sorkin is probably best known for his political TV drama, The West Wing starring Martin Sheen as the President of the United States, a series originally conceived from leftover dialogue written for Sorkin's 1995 feature The American President. The West Wing was honored with 9 Emmy Awards for its debut season, making the show a record holder for most Emmys won by a series in a single season. The Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series was awarded to each of the first four West Wing seasons. Sorkin left the show in 2003 at the end of the fourth season (the subsequent fifth season failed to get the Outstanding Drama Series Emmy award, though it was still nominated every season after Sorkin's departure). Before The West Wing, Sorkin also created and wrote many of the episodes of the critically acclaimed but short lived TV dramedy Sports Night, which ran from 1998-2000 on ABC.
As a writer, Sorkin received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series (The West Wing). In addition, he has received numerous nominations and awards at the Golden Globes, Television Critics Association Awards, Producers Guild of America Golden Laurel Awards and the Writers Guild of America Awards.
Sorkin describes his role in the creative process as "not so much [that of] a showrunner or a producer. I'm really a writer." He admits that this approach can have its drawbacks, saying "Out of 88 [West Wing] episodes that I did we were on time and on budget never, not once."
Sorkin was arrested on April 15, 2001 after guards at a security checkpoint at the Burbank Airport found hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana and crack cocaine in his carry-on bag. He was later ordered to a drug-diversion program.
During The West Wing's fourth season, major shake ups occurred. Rob Lowe — initially slated to be the central character but given less and less screen time as the show went on — chose to leave the series. Soon after, Sorkin and fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme left the show in a dispute with the network.
In June 2004, Sorkin completed a screenplay based on the story of Philo Farnsworth (entitled The Farnsworth Invention), to be directed by Schlamme. While the film production appears to be on hold, in 2005, it was announced that The Farnsworth Invention was going to be rewritten as a play to be performed at the Abbey Theatre in Dublin. The La Jolla Playhouse in California announced in early 2006 that it was also going to stage a production of the play in conjunction with The Abbey. But Variety http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117937383?categoryid=15&cs=1&s=h&p=0 reported in February 2006 that The Abbey had pulled out of the joint effort due to internal disagreements and changes in the theater's management. According to the article, there is no conflict between the theater and Sorkin. The play is now scheduled to debut at the La Jolla Playhouse on February 13, 2007. A version of his play A Few Good Men opened in the West End of London in the fall of 2005, starring Rob Lowe.
On his latest writing project Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, he is working with his frequent partner, Schlamme. In it, the character Matt Albie played by Matthew Perry is partly based on him. He also said that Perry was the only one he thought of to play the part which is why the first name is Matt. The pilot episode of this project aired on NBC September 18th, 2006, after premiering the day before on CTV. In the pilot and second episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip it is revealed that Bradley Whitford's character (Danny Tripp) is unable to direct a film because of a positive drug test. The film Tripp was slated to direct is about Nikola Tesla, an influential electrical engineer similar to Farnsworth.
Sorkin has also adapted George Crile's Charlie Wilson's War for Tom Hanks's production company, with Hanks in the title role. http://www.comingsoon.net/news.php?id=5207 Reports from Variety http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117935857?categoryid=1236&cs=1&s=h&p=0 and the Hollywood Reporter http://www.ew.com/ew/article/reuters/0,24012,1147836_10_0_,00.html indicate that Julia Roberts is interested in co-starring in the film, and that Mike Nichols will be the director.
Sorkin is known for writing memorable lines and fast-paced dialogue, as well as extended soliloquies for prominent characters, such as the "I am God" piece from Malice. Another Sorkin trademark is how his characters frequently walk side by side while talking at the same time, usually while on their way to a meeting or conference related directly to whatever the discussion is, a practice that has often been referred to as the "Walk and Talk" or "pedeconference".http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=pedeconference He has also made non-speaking cameo appearances, appearing as a man at a bar in an episode of Sports Night and as one of the witnesses at the swearing-in of the new president in the final episode of The West Wing.
Filmography
Television
- Sports Night (television series, 1998-2000; creator, writer, executive producer)
- The West Wing (television series, 1999-2006; creator, writer, executive producer (1999-2003))
- Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (television series, 2006-; creator, writer, executive producer)
Films
- A Few Good Men (1992; screenplay)
- Malice (1993; screenplay, story)
- Schindler's List (1993; uncredited script doctor)
- The American President (1995; writer)
- The Rock (1996; uncredited script doctor)
- Excess Baggage (1997; uncredited script doctor)
- Bulworth (1998; uncredited script doctor)
- Enemy of the State (1998; uncredited script doctor)
- Charlie Wilson's War (2008; screenplay)
- The Farnsworth Invention (writer - Announced)
Plays
- A Few Good Men (1989; playwright)
- Hidden in this Picture (1990; playwright)
- Making Movies (1992; playwright)
- The Farnsworth Invention (writer - Announced)
Notes
References
- Considering Aaron Sorkin: Essays on the Politics, Poetics and Sleight of Hand in the Films and Television Series. Ed. Thomas Fahy. ISBN 0-7864-2120-7.
- http://westwing.bewarne.com/credits/sorkin.html
- http://b4a.healthyinterest.net/news/000043.html
External links
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