Aaron Sorkin

Aaron Sorkin (born on June 9, 1961 in New York City) is an American screenwriter and producer now working in film and television. He graduated from Syracuse University with a bachelor of Fine Arts 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 aclaimed feature film in 1992, kickstarting his Hollywood career.

Sorkin is arguably best known for his high brow TV drama, the West Wing—a series originally conceived from leftover dialogue written for the American President, a 1995 feature starring Michael Douglas as the President of United States. The West Wing was honored with 13 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 has been awarded to each of the three West Wing seasons to date.

As a writer, Aaron Sorkin has received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series (West Wing). He was also nominated for the Academy Award for Writing Adapted Screenplay for A Few Good Men. In addition, he has received numerous nominations and awards at the Golden Globes, Television Critics Association Awards, Producers Guild Golden Laurel Awards and the Writers Guild of America Awards.

Sorkin was arrested on April 15, 2001 after guards at a security checkpoint at the Burbank Airport found magic mushrooms, marijuana and crack in his carry-on bag. He was later ordered to a drug-diversion program. While the public scrutiny of his drug addiction raised bad publicity for the West Wing at the time, it also lended credibility to his on-screen portrayal of addiction and substance abuse—a weakness of one of the show's lead characters.

Filmography

• The West Wing (television series; creator, writer, executive producer)
• Sports Night (television series; writer, executive producer)
• The American President (written by)
• Malice (screenplay, story)
• A Few Good Men (screenplay)

External links

• IMDb: Aaron Sorkin (http://www.imdb.com/Name?Sorkin,+Aaron)