fbpx
Wikipedia

Aaron Sorkin

January 07, 2023

Aaron Benjamin Sorkin (born June 9, 1961)[1] is an American playwright, screenwriter and film director. Born in New York City, he developed a passion for writing at an early age. As a writer for stage, television and film, Sorkin is recognized for his trademark fast-paced dialogue and extended monologues, complemented by frequent use of the storytelling technique called the "walk and talk". Sorkin has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes.

Aaron Sorkin
Sorkin in 2016
BornAaron Benjamin Sorkin
(1961-06-09) June 9, 1961 (age 61)
Manhattan, New York City, U.S.
Occupation
  • Film director
  • screenwriter
  • playwright
  • actor
Alma materSyracuse University (BFA)
Years active1984–present
Spouse
Julia Bingham
​
​
(m. 1996; div. 2005)​
Children1

His works include the theatrical plays A Few Good Men (1989), The Farnsworth Invention (2007), and To Kill a Mockingbird (2018), as well as the television series Sports Night (1998–2000), The West Wing (1999–2006), Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006–07), and The Newsroom (2012–14).

He wrote the film screenplays for A Few Good Men (1992), The American President (1995), and several biopics including Charlie Wilson's War (2007), Moneyball (2011), and Steve Jobs (2015). For writing 2010's The Social Network, he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. He made his directorial film debut with Molly's Game (2017), followed by The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020), and Being the Ricardos (2021).

Early life

Sorkin was born in Manhattan, New York City,[2] to a Jewish family,[3][4][5][6] and was raised in the New York suburb of Scarsdale.[7] His mother was a schoolteacher and his father a copyright lawyer who had fought in WWII and went to college on the G.I. Bill; both his older sister and brother went on to become lawyers.[8][9][10] His paternal grandfather was one of the founders of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU).[10][11][12] Sorkin took an early interest in acting. During childhood, his parents took him to the theatre to see shows such as Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and That Championship Season.[13]

Sorkin attended Scarsdale High School where he became involved in the drama and theatre club.[14] In the eighth grade, he played General Bullmoose in the musical Li'l Abner.[15] At Scarsdale High, he served as vice president of the drama club in his junior and senior years, and graduated in 1979.[16][17]

In 1979, Sorkin attended Syracuse University. In his freshman year, he failed a class that was a core requirement, which caused a setback because he wanted to be an actor, and the drama department did not allow students to take the stage until they completed the core classes. Determined to do better, he returned for his sophomore year, and graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre.[18] Recalling the influence of theatre teacher Arthur Storch, Sorkin said: "Arthur's reputation as a director, and as a disciple of Lee Strasberg, was a big reason why a lot of us went to S.U. [Syracuse University]... 'You have the capacity to be so much better than you are', he started saying to me in September of my senior year. He was still saying it in May. On the last day of classes, he said it again, and I said, 'How?', and he answered, 'Dare to fail'. I've been coming through on his admonition ever since".[19]

Career

1983–1990: Early work and breakthrough

I don't want to analyze myself or anything, but I think, in fact I know this to be true, that I enter the world through what I write. I grew up believing, and continue to believe, that I am a screw-up, that growing up with my family and friends, I had nothing to offer in any conversation. But when I started writing, suddenly there was something that I brought to the party that was at a high-enough level.

—Sorkin on becoming a writer[8]

Sorkin moved to New York City where he spent much of the 1980s as a struggling, sporadically-employed actor who worked odd jobs,[15] such as delivering singing telegrams,[15] driving a limousine, touring Alabama with the children's theatre company Traveling Playhouse,[8] handing out fliers promoting a hunting-and-fishing show,[15] and bartending at Broadway's Palace Theatre.[20] One weekend, while house-sitting for a friend, he found an IBM Selectric typewriter, started typing, and "felt a phenomenal confidence and a kind of joy that [he] had never experienced before in [his] life".[8]

He continued writing and eventually put together his first play, Removing All Doubt, which he sent to his former theatre teacher, Arthur Storch, who was impressed. In 1984, Removing All Doubt was staged for drama students at his alma mater, Syracuse University. After that, he wrote Hidden in This Picture which debuted off-off-Broadway at Steve Olsen's West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in New York City in 1988. The quality of his first two plays earned him a theatrical agent.[21] Producer John A. McQuiggan saw the production of Hidden in This Picture and commissioned Sorkin to turn the one-act into a full-length play called Making Movies.[22]

Sorkin was inspired to write his next play, a courtroom drama called A Few Good Men, from a phone conversation with his sister Deborah, who had graduated from Boston University Law School and signed up for a three-year stint with the U.S. Navy Judge Advocate General's Corps. Deborah told Sorkin that she was going to Guantanamo Bay to defend a group of Marines who came close to killing a fellow Marine in a hazing ordered by a superior officer.[23] Sorkin took that information and wrote much of his story on cocktail napkins while bartending at the Palace Theatre.[24] He and his roommates had purchased a Macintosh 512K; when he returned home, he would transcribe the story and notes onto the computer, forming a basis from which he wrote many drafts for A Few Good Men.[25]

In 1988, Sorkin sold the film rights for A Few Good Men to producer David Brown before it premiered,[26] in a deal that was reportedly "well into six figures".[27] Brown had read an article in The New York Times about Sorkin's one-act play Hidden in This Picture, and found out Sorkin had a play called A Few Good Men that was having Off Broadway readings.[26] Brown produced A Few Good Men on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre. It starred Tom Hulce and was directed by Don Scardino. After opening in late 1989, it ran for 497 performances.[28] Sorkin continued writing Making Movies and in 1990 it debuted Off-Broadway at the Promenade Theatre, produced by John A. McQuiggan, and again directed by Don Scardino.[22] Meanwhile, Brown was producing for TriStar Pictures, and tried to interest them in adapting A Few Good Men into a film, but his proposal was declined due to the lack of star actor involvement. Brown later received a phone call from Alan Horn at Castle Rock Entertainment who was anxious to make the film. Rob Reiner, a Castle Rock producing partner, opted to direct.[26]

1991–1997: Writing for Castle Rock Entertainment

 
A Few Good Men at London's Theatre Royal Haymarket on August 31, 2005.

Sorkin worked under contract for Castle Rock Entertainment,[29] where he befriended colleagues William Goldman and Rob Reiner, and met his future wife Julia Bingham, who was one of Castle Rock's business affairs lawyers.[30] Sorkin wrote several drafts of the script for A Few Good Men in his Manhattan apartment,[29] learning the craft from a book about screenplay format.[21] He then spent several months at the Los Angeles offices of Castle Rock, working on the script with director Rob Reiner.[29] William Goldman (who regularly worked under contract at Castle Rock) became his mentor and helped him to adapt his stage play into a screenplay.[31] The film, directed by Reiner, starred Tom Cruise, Jack Nicholson, Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon, and was produced by Brown. A Few Good Men was released in 1992 and was a box office success, grossing $243 million worldwide.[32][33]

Goldman also approached Sorkin with a story premise, which Sorkin developed into the script for the thriller Malice. Goldman oversaw the project as creative consultant while Sorkin wrote the first two drafts. However, he had to leave the project to finish the script for A Few Good Men, so screenwriter Scott Frank stepped in and wrote two drafts of the Malice screenplay. When production on A Few Good Men was completed, Sorkin resumed working on Malice right through the final shooting script.[34] Harold Becker directed the 1993 thriller, which starred Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin. Malice had mixed reviews; Vincent Canby in The New York Times described the film as "deviously entertaining from its start through its finish".[35] Critic Roger Ebert gave it 2 out of 4 stars,[36] and Peter Travers in a 2000 Rolling Stone review summarized it as having "suspense but no staying power".[37]

Sorkin's last screenplay under Castle Rock was The American President; once again he worked with William Goldman who served as a creative consultant.[38] It took Sorkin several years to write the screenplay for The American President, which started off at 385-pages; it was eventually reduced to a standard shooting script of around 120 pages.[2] The film, also directed by Reiner, was critically acclaimed; Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described it as "genial and entertaining if not notably inspired", and believed its most interesting aspects were the "pipe dreams about the American political system and where it could theoretically be headed".[39] A Few Good Men, Malice and The American President grossed approximately $400 million worldwide.[2]

In the second half of the 1990s, Sorkin worked as a script doctor. He wrote some quips for Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in 1996's The Rock.[40] He worked on Excess Baggage, a 1997 comedy about a girl who stages her own kidnapping to get her father's attention, and rewrote some of Will Smith's scenes in Enemy of the State.[40] Sorkin collaborated with Warren Beatty on several scripts, one of which was 1998's Bulworth.[41] Beatty, known for occasionally personally financing his film projects through pre-production, also hired Sorkin to rewrite a script titled Ocean of Storms which never went into production. At one point, Sorkin sued Beatty for proper compensation for his work on the Ocean of Storms script; once the matter was settled, he resumed working on the script.[41][42][43][44]

1998–2006: Television series and theatre work

Sports Night

Sorkin conceived the idea to write about the behind-the-scenes happenings on a sports show while residing at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles writing the screenplay for The American President.[8][45] He would work late, with the television tuned into ESPN, watching continuous replays of SportsCenter.[45][46] The show inspired him to try to write a feature film about a sports show but he was unable to structure the story for film, so instead he turned his idea into a television comedy series.[47][48] Sports Night was produced by Disney and debuted on the ABC network in fall of 1998.[49]

Sorkin fought with ABC during the first season over the use of a laugh track and a live studio audience. The laugh track was widely decried by critics as jarring, with Joyce Millman of Salon magazine describing it as "the most unconvincing laugh track you've ever heard".[50][51] Sorkin commented that: "Once you do shoot in front of a live audience, you have no choice but to use the laugh track. Oftentimes [enhancing the laughs] is the right thing to do. Sometimes you do need a cymbal crash. Other times, it alienates me."[50] The laugh track was gradually dialed down and was removed by the end of the first season.[52] Sorkin was triumphant in the second season when ABC agreed to his demands, unburdening the crew of the difficulties of staging a scene for a live audience and leaving the cast with more time to rehearse.[49] Although Sports Night was critically acclaimed, ABC canceled the show after two seasons due to low ratings.[53][54] Sorkin entertained offers to continue the show on other television channels, but declined all the offers because they were dependent on his involvement and he was already working on The West Wing.[45]

The West Wing

Stockard Channing had done an episode of the show as the First Lady ... She took me out to lunch and said she really liked doing the show and wanted to do more and started asking me questions like, "Who do you think this character is?" And those aren't questions I can answer. [As a writer] I can only answer, what do they want?

—Sorkin on creating characters[55]

Sorkin conceived the political drama The West Wing in 1997 when he went unprepared to a lunch with producer John Wells; in a panic he pitched to Wells a series centered on the senior staff of the White House,[2] using leftover ideas from his script for The American President.[56] He told Wells about his visits to the White House while doing research for The American President, and they found themselves discussing public service and the passion of the people who serve. Wells took the concept and pitched it to NBC, but was told to wait due to the Clinton–Lewinsky scandal. There was a concern that television audiences would not be able to take a series about the White House seriously.[57] A year later, other networks started showing interest in The West Wing. NBC decided to give the project the green-light despite their previous reluctance.[56] The pilot debuted in the fall of 1999 and was produced by Warner Bros. Television.[56]

The West Wing garnered nine Primetime Emmy Awards for its debut season, making the series a record holder for most Emmys won by a series in a single season at the time.[58] Following the awards ceremony, there was a dispute about the acceptance speech for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series. The West Wing episode "In Excelsis Deo" won, which was awarded to Sorkin and Rick Cleveland, but The New York Times reported that Sorkin ushered Cleveland off the stage before he could say a few words.[59] The story behind "In Excelsis Deo" is based on Cleveland's father, a Korean War veteran who spent the last years of his life on the street, as Cleveland explained in an essay titled "I Was the Dumb Looking Guy with the Wire-Rimmed Glasses".[60] Sorkin and Cleveland continued their dispute in a public web forum at Mighty Big TV in which Sorkin explained that he gives his writers "Story By" credit on a rotating basis "by way of a gratuity" and that he had thrown out Cleveland's script and started from scratch.[61] Sorkin eventually apologized to Cleveland.[62] Cleveland and Sorkin also won the Writers Guild of America Award for Television: Episodic Drama at the 53rd Writer Guild of America Awards for "In Excelsis Deo".[63]

In 2001, after completing the second season of The West Wing, Sorkin had a drug relapse, and was arrested at Hollywood Burbank Airport for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, and crack cocaine. He was ordered by a court to attend a drug diversion program.[64] There was huge media interest but he did make a successful recovery.[13] In 2002, Sorkin criticized NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw's television special about a day in the life of a president, "The Bush White House: Inside the Real West Wing", comparing it to the act of sending a valentine to President George W. Bush instead of real news reporting.[65] The West Wing aired on the same network, and so at the request of NBC's Entertainment President Jeff Zucker, Sorkin apologized, but later said, "there should be a difference between what NBC News does and what The West Wing TV series does."[66][67]

Sorkin wrote 87 screenplays for The West Wing, which is nearly every episode during the show's first four Emmy-winning seasons.[68] Sorkin described his role in the creative process as "not so much [that of] a showrunner or a producer. I'm really a writer."[45] He admitted 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."[25] In 2003, at the end of the fourth season, Sorkin and fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme left the show due to internal conflicts at Warner Bros. Television, causing John Wells to serve as showrunner.[69][70] Sorkin never watched any episodes beyond his writing tenure apart from a minute of the fifth season's first episode, describing the experience as "like watching somebody make out with my girlfriend."[71] Sorkin later returned in the series finale for a cameo appearance as a guest at the inauguration of Matthew Santos.

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip

 
Sorkin discussing The Farnsworth Invention at the Music Box Theatre, November 2007

In 2005, Sorkin returned to theatre; he revised his play A Few Good Men for a production at London's West End. The play opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the fall of the same year and was directed by David Esbjornson, with Rob Lowe of The West Wing in the lead role.[72] Sorkin told The Charlie Rose Show that he was developing a television series based on a late-night sketch comedy show similar to Saturday Night Live.[25][73] In October 2005, a pilot script dubbed Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip, written by him and Schlamme as producer, started circulating in Hollywood and online. In that same month, NBC bought the rights from Warner Bros. Television to air the series on their network for a near-record license fee after a bidding war with CBS.[74] The show's name was later changed to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Sorkin described the show as having "autobiographical elements" to it and "characters that are based on actual people" but said that it departs from those beginnings to look at the backstage maneuverings at a late night sketch comedy show.[75]

On September 18, 2006, the pilot for Studio 60 aired on NBC, directed by Schlamme. The pilot was critically acclaimed and viewed by an audience of over 12 million, but the show experienced a significant drop in viewership mid-season. Even before the first episode aired, there was a large amount of thoughtful and scrupulous criticism in the press, as well as negative analysis from bloggers.[76] In January 2007, Sorkin spoke out against the press for reporting heavily on the low ratings, and for using blogs and unemployed comedy writers as sources.[77] After two months hiatus, Studio 60 resumed airing the last episodes of season one, which would be its only season.[78]

The Farnsworth Invention

As early as 2003, Sorkin was writing a spec script about inventor Philo Farnsworth; he was approached by producer Fred Zollo in the 1990s about adapting Elma Farnsworth's memoir into a biographical film.[13][79] The following year, he completed the film screenplay, The Farnsworth Invention, which was acquired by New Line Cinema with Schlamme as director. The story is about the patent battle between Farnsworth and RCA tycoon David Sarnoff for the technology that allowed the first television transmissions in the United States.[80] No additional details were released about the film. Shortly, Sorkin was contacted by Jocelyn Clarke of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin, requesting he write a play for them, a commission which he accepted.[81] Sorkin decided to rewrite The Farnsworth Invention as a play.[13][81] He delivered a first draft of the play to the Abbey Theatre in early 2005, and a production was planned for 2007 with La Jolla Playhouse deciding to stage a workshop production of the play in collaboration with the Abbey Theatre. In 2006, Abbey Theatre's new management quit involvement with The Farnsworth Invention.[81] Despite this, La Jolla Playhouse carried on with Steven Spielberg serving as a producer.[82] The production opened under La Jolla's signature Page To Stage program which allowed Sorkin and director Des McAnuff to develop the play from show-to-show according to audience reactions and feedback; the play ran from February 20, 2007, through March 25, 2007.[83][84] A Broadway production followed soon after, beginning in previews, and opening on November 14, 2007; however, the play was delayed by the 2007 Broadway stagehand strike.[85][86] The Farnsworth Invention eventually opened at the Music Box Theatre on December 3, 2007, and closed on March 2, 2008.[87][88]

2007–2015: Return to film and The Newsroom

 
Sorkin interviewed William Goldman at the Screenwriting Expo, 2008

In 2007, Sorkin was commissioned by Universal Pictures to adapt George Crile's non-fiction book Charlie Wilson's War for Tom Hanks' production company Playtone.[89] The biographical comedy, Charlie Wilson's War, is about the colorful Texas congressman Charlie Wilson who funded the CIA's secret war against the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan.[90] Directed by Mike Nichols, and written by Sorkin, the film was released in 2007 and starred Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman.[91] The film earned five nominations at the Golden Globes, including Best Screenplay for Sorkin.[92]

In August 2008, Sorkin announced that he had agreed to write a script for Sony Pictures and producer Scott Rudin about the beginnings of Facebook.[93] David Fincher's The Social Network, based on Ben Mezrich's novel The Accidental Billionaires, was released on October 1, 2010. It was a critical and commercial success; Sorkin won an Academy Award, BAFTA and a Golden Globe for the screenplay.[94][95][96]

A year later, Sorkin received nominations in the same award categories for co-writing Moneyball.[96][97][98] It is based on Michael Lewis's 2003 non-fiction book of the same name, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team's 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane's attempts to assemble a competitive team. The film was directed by Bennett Miller, and starred Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, and Philip Seymour Hoffman. Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the script "dynamite", in which Sorkin's "sharply witty touch is everywhere".[99]

In 2011, Sorkin played himself on the series 30 Rock, episode "Plan B", where he did a "walk and talk" with Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey.[100] While still working on the screenplay for The Social Network, Sorkin was contemplating a television drama about the behind-the-scenes events at a cable news program.[101] Talks had been ongoing between Sorkin and HBO since 2010.[102] To research the news industry, Sorkin observed the production crew at MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann, and quizzed Parker Spitzer's staff.[103] He also spent time shadowing Hardball with Chris Matthews, as well as other programs on Fox News and CNN.[104] Sorkin told TV Guide that he intended to take a less cynical view of the media: "They're going to be trying to do well in a context where it's very difficult to do well when there are commercial concerns and political concerns and corporate concerns."[105] Sorkin decided that rather than have his characters react to fictional news events as on his earlier series, it would be set in the recent past and track real-world stories largely as they unfolded, to give a greater sense of realism.[106]

[T]he trick is to follow the rules of classic storytelling. Drama is basically about one thing: Somebody wants something, and something or someone is standing in the way of him getting it. What he wants—the money, the girl, the ticket to Philadelphia—doesn't really matter. But whatever it is, the audience has to want it for him.

—Sorkin[107]

HBO ordered a pilot episode in January 2011 with the working title More as This Story Develops, with Scott Rudin serving as an executive producer.[104] In September, HBO ordered a 10-episode series of The Newsroom with a premiere date of June 2012.[108][109][110] A day after the second episode aired, HBO renewed the series for a second season.[111] Sorkin said The Newsroom "is meant to be an idealistic, romantic, swashbuckling, sometimes comedic but very optimistic, upward-looking look at a group of people who are often looked at cynically. The same as with The West Wing, where ordinarily in popular culture our leaders are portrayed either as Machiavellian or dumb; I wanted to do something different and show a highly competent group of people."[112] The series concluded after its third season.

In 2015, Danny Boyle's biographical drama Steve Jobs was released. The screenplay by Sorkin was based on Walter Isaacson's biography of Steve Jobs,[113] and starred Michael Fassbender as Jobs, Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman, Jeff Daniels as John Sculley, and Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak. Sorkin expressed hesitation for tackling the film, saying "it was a little like writing about the Beatles—that there are so many people out there who know so much about him [Jobs] and who revere him that I just saw a minefield of disappointment. [...] Hopefully, when I'm done with my research, I'll be in the same ball park of knowledge about Steve Jobs".[114] He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay,[115] although some journalists were surprised that he did not receive an Academy Award nomination in the same category.[116]

2016–present: Film directing debut and Broadway work

In February 2016, it was announced that Sorkin would adapt Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird for the stage, and work alongside Bartlett Sher.[117] His Broadway adaptation opened on December 13, 2018, to positive reviews at the Shubert Theatre.[118][119]

Next, Sorkin made his directorial debut with Molly's Game, an adaptation of entrepreneur Molly Bloom's memoir. He also wrote the script for it, which starred Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba.[120][121][122][123] Production began in 2016 and the film was released in December 2017 to mostly positive reviews; Sorkin received his third Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.[124][125] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, Molly's Game garnered an approval rating of 81% based on 297 reviews, with an average rating of 7.07/10.[126]

Sorkin told Vanity Fair in July 2020 that Steven Spielberg offered him a job in 2006 about "a movie about the riots at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention and the trial that followed".[127] However, after meeting at Spielberg's home, Sorkin said, "I left not knowing what the hell he was talking about."[127] On July 12, 2007, Variety magazine reported that Sorkin had signed a deal with DreamWorks to write three scripts. The first was The Trial of the Chicago 7, which Sorkin was already developing with Spielberg, and Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald.[128] In March 2010, Sorkin's agent, Ari Emanuel, had stated that the project was proving "tough to get together".[129] In late July 2013, it was announced that Paul Greengrass would be directing,[130] but Sorkin eventually both wrote and directed the film.[131] Focusing on the Chicago Seven (and Bobby Seale), the film began a limited release on September 25, 2020, before streaming on Netflix.[132] At the 78th Golden Globes, Sorkin won Best Screenplay, and was nominated for Best Director.[133]

In September 2015, Entertainment Weekly reported that Sorkin was writing a biopic that will focus on the twenty-year marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, and their work on a comedy series, I Love Lucy. Cate Blanchett was originally to star as Ball.[134] In 2017, Amazon Studios acquired the rights to the film.[135] In January 2021, it was announced that Blanchett had been replaced by Nicole Kidman, and Javier Bardem had been cast as Desi Arnaz. Titled Being the Ricardos (2021), it was directed by Sorkin and received a limited release on December 10, 2021, followed by a wide release on Prime Video on December 21.[136] Paul Byrnes of The Sydney Morning Herald praised the film's dialogue,[137] while the critic from The Irish Times opined that the film lacked "spark or insight".[138]

It was announced that Sorkin would be reuniting with director Bartlett Sher to revive Camelot on Broadway. The musical was set to begin at Lincoln Center's Vivian Beaumont Theater on November 3, 2022,[139] but was moved back to April 13, 2023.[140]

Prospective projects

In March 2007, it was reported that Sorkin had signed on to write a musical adaptation of the hit 2002 record Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by psychedelic-rock band The Flaming Lips, collaborating with director Des McAnuff who had been developing the project.[141][142][143] In August 2008, McAnuff announced that Sorkin had been commissioned by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival to write an adaptation of Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard.[144] In 2010, Sorkin reportedly obtained the film rights to Andrew Young's book The Politician (about Senator John Edwards), and announced that he would make his debut as a film director while adapting the book for the screen.[145]

In November 2010, it was reported that Sorkin will write a musical based on the life of Houdini, with music by Danny Elfman.[146] In January 2012, Stephen Schwartz was reported to be writing the music and lyrics, with Sorkin making his debut as a librettist. The musical was expected for release in 2013–14; Sorkin said: "The chance to collaborate with Stephen Schwartz [the director], Jack O'Brien, and Hugh Jackman on a new Broadway musical is a huge gift."[147] In January 2013, he quit the project, citing film and television commitments.[148]

In March 2016, it was announced that Sorkin would adapt A Few Good Men for a live production on NBC, originally slated to air in 2017;[149] as of November 2017, "Sorkin is still mulling the project".[150]

Writing process and style

You almost never see how anyone travels from point A to point C [in most TV shows]. I wanted the audience to witness every journey these people took. It all had a purpose, even seeing them order lunch. It just seemed to be the proper visual rhythm with which to marry Aaron's words. I got lucky that it worked.

—Thomas Schlamme on the "walk and talk" device[68]

Sorkin has written for the theater, film, and television, and in each medium his level of collaboration with other creators has varied. He began in theater, which involved a largely solitary writing process, then moved into film, where he collaborated with director Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman, and eventually worked in television, where he collaborated very closely with director Thomas Schlamme for nearly a decade on the shows Sports Night, The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip; he now moves between all three media. He has a habit of chain smoking while he spends countless hours cooped up in his office plotting out his next scripts.[7] He describes his writing process as physical because he will often stand up and speak the dialogue he is developing.[77]

A New York Times article by Peter de Jonge explained that "The West Wing is never plotted out for more than a few weeks ahead and has no major story lines", which De Jonge believed was because "with characters who have no flaws, it is impossible to give them significant arcs".[8] Sorkin has stated: "I seldom plan ahead, not because I don't think it's good to plan ahead, there just isn't time."[55] Sorkin has also said, "As a writer, I don't like to answer questions until the very moment that I have to." The Seattle Post-Intelligencer's TV critic John Levesque has commented that Sorkin's writing process "can make for ill-advised plot developments".[2] Further complicating the matter, in television, Sorkin will have a hand in writing every episode, rarely letting other writers earn full credit on a script.[8] De Jonge reported that ex-writers of The West Wing have claimed that "even by the spotlight-hogging standards of Hollywood, Sorkin has been exceptionally ungenerous in his sharing of writing credit".[8] In a comment to GQ magazine in 2008, Sorkin said, "I'm helped by a staff of people who have great ideas, but the scripts aren't written by committee."[151]

Sorkin's long-term collaboration with Schlamme began in early 1998 when they found they shared common creative ground on the soon to be produced Sports Night.[45][152] Their successful partnership in television is one in which Sorkin focuses on writing the scripts while Schlamme executive produces and occasionally directs; they have worked together on Sports Night, The West Wing, and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. Schlamme will create the look of the shows, work with the other directors, discuss the scripts with Sorkin as soon as they are turned in, make design and casting decisions, and attend the budget meetings; Sorkin tends to stick strictly to writing.[45] In response to what he perceived as unfair criticism of The Newsroom, Jacob Drum of Digital Americana wrote, "The essential truth that the critics miss is that The Newsroom is Sorkin being Sorkin as he always has been and always will be: one part pioneer; one part self-conscious romantic; two parts actual Lewis & Clark-style pioneer, trapping his way across an old, old idea of an America that can always stand to raise its game—but most importantly, spinning a good yarn while he does so."[153]

For me, the writing experience is very much like a date. It's not unusual that I'm really funny here and really smart here and maybe showing some anger over here so she sees maybe I have this dark side. I want it to have been worth it for everyone to sit through it for however long I ask them to.

— Sorkin on his writing as characterized by mentor William Goldman[2]

As a writer, Sorkin is recognized for his trademark fast-paced dialogue and extended monologues, complemented by frequent collaborator Thomas Schlamme's storytelling technique called the "walk and talk". These sequences consist of single tracking shots of long duration involving multiple characters engaging in conversation as they move through the set; characters enter and exit the conversation as the shot continues without any cuts. Sorkin is also known for writing memorable lines and fast-paced dialogue, such as "You can't handle the truth!" from A Few Good Men and the partly Latin tirade against God in The West Wing episode "Two Cathedrals".[8] For television, one hallmark of Sorkin's writer's voice is the repartee that his characters engage in as they small talk and banter about whimsical events taking place within an episode, and interject obscure popular culture references into conversation.[154] Although his scripts are lauded for being literate,[8][15][155] Sorkin has been criticized for often turning in scripts that are overwrought.[156] His mentor William Goldman has commented that normally in visual media speeches are avoided, but that Sorkin has a talent for dialogue and gets away with breaking this rule.[38] His portrayal of women has been criticized by several commentators, with female characters in his works often subordinate, written to support the main male characters, ditzy and incompetent or ostensibly professional while still being depicted as overly emotional and needing to be rescued by men.[157][158]

Personal life

 
Sorkin at a Generation Obama event, following a screening of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 2008.

Sorkin married Julia Bingham in 1996 and divorced in 2005, with his workaholic habits and drug abuse reported to be a partial cause.[159][160] Sorkin and Bingham have one daughter, Roxy.[161] He dated Kristin Chenoweth for several years, who played Annabeth Schott on The West Wing (after Sorkin had left the show).[162] He has also reportedly dated columnist Maureen Dowd and actress Kristin Davis.[163][164] In 2021, Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova dated for a few months.[165][166]

A consistent supporter of the Democratic Party, Sorkin has made substantial political campaign contributions to candidates between 1999 and 2011, according to CampaignMoney.com.[167] During the 2004 US presidential election campaign, the liberal advocacy group MoveOn's political action committee enlisted Sorkin and Rob Reiner to create one of their anti-Bush campaign advertisements.[168] In August 2008, Sorkin was involved in a Generation Obama event at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills, California, participating in a panel discussion subsequent to a screening of Frank Capra's Mr. Smith Goes to Washington.[169] However, Sorkin does not consider himself a political activist: "I've met political activists, and they're for real. I've never marched anyplace or done anything that takes more effort than writing a check in terms of activism".[71] In 2016, after President Donald Trump won the election, Sorkin wrote an open letter to his daughter Roxy and her mother Julia.[170]

In 1987, Sorkin started using marijuana and cocaine. He said cocaine gave him relief from certain nervous tensions that occur on a regular basis.[8] In 1995, he sought rehabilitation at the Hazelden Institute in Minnesota, on the advice of Bingham to combat his addiction.[171] In early 2001, Sorkin and his colleagues John Spencer and Martin Sheen received the Phoenix Rising Award for overcoming their drug abuse. However, on April 15, 2001, Sorkin was arrested when security guards at Hollywood Burbank Airport found that he was in possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, crack cocaine, and a metal crack pipe.[8][172] He was court-ordered to a drug diversion program,[13][64] while still working on The West Wing.[159][160] In a commencement speech for Syracuse University on May 13, 2012, Sorkin said he has not used cocaine for eleven years.[173]

Filmography

Films

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1992 A Few Good Men No Yes
1993 Malice No Yes With Scott Frank
1995 The American President No Yes acting role as “Aide in Bar”
2007 Charlie Wilson's War No Yes
2010 The Social Network No Yes acting role as Ad Executive
2011 Moneyball No Yes With Steven Zaillian
2015 Steve Jobs No Yes
2017 Molly's Game Yes Yes
2020 The Trial of the Chicago 7 Yes Yes
2021 Being the Ricardos Yes Yes

Television

Year Title Writer Executive
Producer 		Creator
1998–2000 Sports Night Yes Yes Yes
1999–2003 The West Wing Yes Yes Yes
2006–07 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Yes Yes Yes
2012–14 The Newsroom Yes Yes Yes
2020 A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote Yes Yes Yes

Plays

Playwright

Acting credits

Year Title Role Notes
1992 A Few Good Men Man in bar
1995 The American President Aide in bar
1999 Sports Night Man at bar Episode: "Small Town"
2006 The West Wing Man in crowd Episode: "Tomorrow"
2009–10 Entourage Himself Two episodes
2010 The Social Network Ad executive
2011 30 Rock Himself Episode: "Plan B"
2017 Molly's Game Man in bar

Awards and nominations

Main article: List of awards and nominations received by Aaron Sorkin

Sorkin has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following films:

Sorkin has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards, winning three for Best Screenplay for: The Social Network (2011), Steve Jobs (2015), and The Trial of the Chicago Seven (2020).[182] He has also received five British Academy Film Awards nominations, winning one for The Social Network (2010).[183] He has also received fourteen Writers Guild of America Award nominations winning twice for The West Wing, and The Social Network (2010).[184][185] He has received seven Critics' Choice Movie Awards nominations winning consecutively for Best Screenplay for The Social Network and Moneyball.

For his work on television Sorkin has received nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning four awards for Outstanding Drama Series for The West Wing in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003. He also won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for The West Wing episode: "In Excelsis Deo" in 2000.

References

  1. ^ Jason Buchanan (2014). . The New York Times. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014. Retrieved June 2, 2012. Born: June 9, 1961
  2. ^ a b c d e f Levesque, John (March 7, 2000). . Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Archived from the original on October 19, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  3. ^ Berrin, Danielle (July 17, 2012). . Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on December 16, 2014. I'm Jewish but have never had any religious training. I never went to Hebrew school.
  4. ^ Gross, Terry (July 16, 2012). "Aaron Sorkin: The Writer Behind 'The Newsroom'". NPR. from the original on December 10, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018. Aaron Sorkin: "I'm Jewish"
  5. ^ Lipman, Jennifer (November 26, 2015). "Why Aaron Sorkin is cinema's finest talent". The Jewish Chronicle. from the original on December 11, 2018. Retrieved June 5, 2018. Sorkin, who comes from a middle-class Jewish family from Scarsdale
  6. ^ Cleveland Jewish News: "The 30-plus most influential Jews in America" March 17, 2016, at the Wayback Machine December 27, 2001
  7. ^ a b Jones, Oliver (May 28, 2001). . Us Weekly. Archived from the original on November 3, 2004. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
  8. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l De Jonge, Peter (October 28, 2001). "Aaron Sorkin Works His Way Through the Crisis". The New York Times Magazine. from the original on June 23, 2009. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  9. ^ Josef Adalian; Michael Schneider (July 26, 2000). "Sorkin to nest at WBTV". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2008. Sorkin's association with Warner Bros. follows in the footsteps of his father Bernard, a New York–based copyright expert who started with the studio 40 years ago when it was Warner Bros.-7 Arts.
  10. ^ a b "Parker/Spitzer Interview Aaron Sorkin (video: 3:05 – father: WWII vet & college on G.I. Bill)". CNN. from the original on October 9, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  11. ^ Simpson, David (November 10, 2010). "Awards Watch Roundtable: The Writers part 3 video series". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  12. ^ Buchanan, Kyle (November 11, 2010). "Aaron Sorkin's Four Big Problems With the WGA". New York. from the original on November 13, 2010. Retrieved November 13, 2010.
  13. ^ a b c d e Weber, Bruce (November 4, 2007). "Prodigal Returns, Bearing Dialogue". The New York Times. from the original on January 16, 2018. Retrieved October 27, 2014. I've been healthy for six and a half years," he said. "But like any addict I'm one phone call away from that not being true.
  14. ^ Willcox, Kathleen (May 23, 2011). "Aaron Sorkin to Revisit Scarsdale's 'Social Network'". Patch.com. from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  15. ^ a b c d e Herzog, Brad (2001). "In the Spotlight: Script Sensation". Syracuse University Magazine. 18 (2): 17–18. from the original on May 27, 2014. Retrieved May 27, 2014.
  16. ^ Banerjee, Debra (June 6, 2011). . The Scarsdale Inquirer. Archived from the original on October 24, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  17. ^ "Aaron Sorkin (SHS 1979)". Scarsdale Alumni Association. from the original on November 9, 2014. Retrieved October 24, 2014.
  18. ^ Frank Harold Trevor Rhodes (October 2001). The Creation of the Future: The Role of the American University. Cornell University Press. pp. 75–76. ISBN 978-0-8014-3937-7.
  19. ^ Vitello, Paul (March 10, 2013). "Arthur Storch, Stage Director, Dies at 87". The New York Times. from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  20. ^ Ernio Hernandez. . Playbill. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  21. ^ a b Weiss, Valerie (December 2003). . ImagineNews.com. Archived from the original on December 20, 2006. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  22. ^ a b c Gussow, Mel (March 28, 1990). "Review/Theater; 'Making Movies,' a Satire Of the Celluloid World". The New York Times. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  23. ^ Glaberson, William (September 15, 2011). "4 lawyers claim to be the hero in a few good men". The New York Times. from the original on June 12, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2018.
  24. ^ "A Few Good Men London theatre tickets and information". ThisIsTheatre.com. from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved January 22, 2007.
  25. ^ a b c Sorkin, Aaron (August 13, 2003). "About the Show, Aaron Sorkin". The Charlie Rose Show (Interview). Interviewed by Charlie Rose. New York City. from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved January 24, 2007.
  26. ^ a b c Prigge, Steven (October 2004). Movie Moguls Speak: Interviews with Top Film Producers. McFarland & Company. pp. 12–13. ISBN 978-0-7864-1929-6.
  27. ^ Henry III, William A. (November 27, 1989). . Time. Archived from the original on July 24, 2011. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  28. ^ Hernandez, Ernio (June 18, 2004). . Playbill. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved January 20, 2007.
  29. ^ a b c Weinraub, Bernard (December 6, 1992). "Rob Reiner's March To 'A Few Good Men'". The New York Times. from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2007.
  30. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (October 10, 1999). "On a Wing and a Prayer". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 2, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  31. ^ Sorkin, Aaron (May 22, 2002). . The Today Show (Interview). Interviewed by Katie Couric. New York: NBC. Archived from the original on May 12, 2006.
  32. ^ Buchanan, Jason. "Aaron Sorkin Biography". Allmovie. from the original on January 4, 2015. Retrieved October 27, 2014.
  33. ^ "A Few Good Men". Box Office Mojo. from the original on August 27, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  34. ^ Sharf, Zack (November 9, 2017). "Aaron Sorkin Was Pushed to Write a 'Steamy' Sexy Scene for Nicole Kidman in 'Malice' and Refused". IndieWire. Retrieved October 18, 2020.
  35. ^ Canby, Vincent (October 1, 1993). "Reviews/ Film; An Idyll Shattered By Rape and Murder". The New York Times. from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  36. ^ Ebert, Roger (October 1, 1993). "Malice". Chicago Sun-Times. from the original on January 1, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  37. ^ Travers, Peter (December 8, 2000). "Malice". Rolling Stone. from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved March 10, 2011. Malice is way out of that classy league. It's got suspense but no staying power.
  38. ^ a b Forrest, Emma (May 2, 2002). "Words fly down the halls of power". The Age. Melbourne. from the original on January 18, 2007. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  39. ^ Turan, Kenneth (November 17, 1995). "The American President: Boy Meets Girl, Brings Along Secret Service 'The American President' is a sentimental fantasy, mixing romance". Los Angeles Times. from the original on June 16, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  40. ^ a b Sorkin, Aaron (July 2002). The West Wing Script Book. Newmarket Press. ISBN 978-1-55704-549-2.
  41. ^ a b Bart, Peter (February 21, 2000). The Gross: The Hits, the Flops: The Summer That Ate Hollywood. St. Martin's Griffin. pp. 95–96. ISBN 978-0-312-25391-2.
  42. ^ Biskind, Peter (March 2006). "Thunder on the Left: The Making of Reds". Vanity Fair. from the original on October 8, 2014. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  43. ^ Petrikin, Chris (September 1, 1997). "Beatty's bete noir? scribe makes waves over 'Ocean.'". Variety.
  44. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (May 3, 1998). "Hanging With Warren B". Los Angeles Times. from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  45. ^ a b c d e f . Comedy Central.com. January 1, 2001. Archived from the original on March 21, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  46. ^ Levesque, John (October 13, 1998). "Quality of 'Sports Night' no Laughing Matter". Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
  47. ^ Jeff Merron (November 12, 2002). "Keeping it real on 'Sports Night'". ESPN. from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  48. ^ Richard Firstman. "Their Championship Season: In the Dugout with the MVPs of Sports Night". TV Guide. from the original on June 21, 2007. Retrieved January 19, 2007.
  49. ^ a b Bark, Ed (March 10, 1999). . Dallas Morning News. Archived from the original on September 28, 2007. Retrieved January 28, 2007.
  50. ^ a b Flint, Joe (September 25, 1998). "A Laugh Riot". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on November 19, 2008. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  51. ^ Millman, Joyce (February 22, 1999). . Salon. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  52. ^ Owen, Rob (March 18, 1999). . Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing. Archived from the original on May 18, 2011. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  53. ^ Owen, Rob (October 1, 2000). "Networks are slower to cancel TV series, but viewers are still wary". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. PG Publishing. from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved October 1, 2008.
  54. ^ Rosenberg, Howard (December 6, 1999). "News at 9:30: Reprieve for Witty 'Sports Night'". Los Angeles Times. from the original on January 5, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  55. ^ a b (PDF). On Writing Magazine, Issue 18. The Writers Guild of America, East, Inc. February 2003. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  56. ^ a b c Miller, Matthew (March 1, 2000). . Brill's Content. Archived from the original on March 13, 2007. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
  57. ^ "Pilot episode". The West Wing Episode Guide. from the original on January 22, 2007. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  58. ^ "West Wing ends seven-year TV run". BBC News Online. May 15, 2006. from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  59. ^ Weinraub, Bernard (June 26, 2001). "'West Wing' Producer, a Union Leader, Rules Out Writers' Raises". The New York Times. from the original on August 18, 2009. Retrieved January 5, 2011.
  60. ^ Cleveland, Rick. "I Was the Dumb Looking Guy with the Wire-Rimmed Glasses". FreshYarn.com. from the original on February 11, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  61. ^ Kaus, Mickey (July 3, 2001). "West Wing Web War!". Slate.com. from the original on February 8, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  62. ^ "In Excelsis Deo". The West Wing Episode Guide. from the original on January 9, 2007. Retrieved January 17, 2007.
  63. ^ "Writers Guild Awards Winners". WGA. 2010. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
  64. ^ a b . Associated Press. Archived from the original on May 4, 2007. Retrieved June 7, 2007.
  65. ^ Friend, Tad (February 25, 2002). "West Wing Watch: Snookered by Bush". The New Yorker. from the original on October 22, 2007. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
  66. ^ Elber, Lynn (March 5, 2002). "'West Wing' Creator Defends Comments". Midland Daily News. Associated Press. from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  67. ^ Dickenson, Ben (March 3, 2006). Hollywood's New Radicalism: War, Globalisation and the Movies from Reagan to George W. Bush. I. B. Tauris. pp. 111–112. ISBN 978-1-84511-103-8.
  68. ^ a b Richmond, Ray (May 12, 2006). "Finale: 'West Wing'". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on June 28, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  69. ^ Adalian, Josef (May 1, 2003). "Sorkin sulking away from 'Wing'". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
  70. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (October 15, 2005). . The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on September 30, 2007. Retrieved January 27, 2007.
  71. ^ a b Harris, Mark (June 16, 2012). "TV's Best Talker: Aaron Sorkin on The Newsroom, Sorkinism, and Sounding Smart". Vulture. from the original on June 18, 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2012.
  72. ^ Fleming, Michael (April 24, 2005). "West End boys club". Variety. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  73. ^ Scott Hettrick (September 11, 2003). "Inside Move: Sorkin scripting play, pic". Variety. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
  74. ^ Adalian, Josef (October 14, 2005). "Peacock on 'Studio' beat". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
  75. ^ Young, Kevin (August 27, 2006). "Sorkin turns his attention to TV". BBC News Online. from the original on March 7, 2008. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
  76. ^ Goldstein, Patrick (July 17, 2007). "Sorkin takes the blame for '60'". Los Angeles Times. from the original on January 7, 2009. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  77. ^ a b Ryan, Maureen (January 19, 2007). "Aaron Sorkin speaks about 'Studio 60,' the press and those pesky bloggers". Chicago Tribune. from the original on April 11, 2008. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  78. ^ Ayers, Mike (March 21, 2012). "Amanda Peet returns to television". CNN. from the original on March 8, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  79. ^ Archerd, Army (October 29, 2003). "Inside 'The Alamo'". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  80. ^ "New Line Cinema acquires Aaron Sorkin's The Farnsworth Invention, taps Thomas Schlamme to direct" (Press release). New Line Cinema. April 28, 2004. from the original on January 17, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
  81. ^ a b c Fricker, Karen (February 5, 2006). "'Farnsworth' fumble: Abbey drops ball on Sorkin commission". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  82. ^ Carter, Bill (September 11, 2006). "'West Wing' to West Coast: TV's Auteur Portrays TV". The New York Times. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved February 4, 2017. Mr. Sorkin's new play, "The Farnsworth Invention," based on the struggle of Philo T. Farnsworth to win recognition for his invention—television again—will begin rehearsals at the La Jolla Playhouse. Steven Spielberg is making his theatrical producing debut.
  83. ^ a b BWW News Desk (December 15, 2006). "Sorkin and McAnuff Collaborate on LaJolla's 'Invention'". BroadwayWorld.com. from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved January 2, 2007.
  84. ^ BWW News Desk (July 25, 2007). "Azaria & Simpson Set for Farnsworth Invention; Opens 11/14". BroadwayWorld.com. from the original on January 11, 2012. Retrieved October 24, 2008.
  85. ^ . Playbill. June 21, 2007. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved June 22, 2007.
  86. ^ Cox, Gordon (November 10, 2007). "'Invention' sparks reinvention: Sorkin's former movie pitch hits Broadway". Variety. from the original on December 11, 2007. Retrieved November 10, 2007.
  87. ^ Gans, Andrew (November 28, 2007). . Playbill. Archived from the original on November 30, 2007. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  88. ^ Gans, Andrew; Hernandez, Ernio (March 2, 2008). . Playbill. Archived from the original on January 14, 2009.
  89. ^ Fleming, Michael (June 17, 2004). "Sorkin goes from White House to front line: Playtone partners Hanks, Goetzman to produce 'War'". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  90. ^ Fleming, Michael (July 20, 2003). "Playtone goes to 'War' with U: Hanks to play former Texas congressman Wilson". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  91. ^ Martin A., Grove (January 12, 2007). "Holiday weekends will drive 2007 boxoffice". The Hollywood Reporter. Associated Press. from the original on November 5, 2013. Retrieved January 23, 2007.
  92. ^ "Winners & Nominees 2008". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  93. ^ Guynn, Jessica (August 28, 2008). "Coming soon: 'Facebook: The Movie'?". Los Angeles Times. from the original on October 20, 2008. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  94. ^ "The 83rd Academy Awards | 2011". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. from the original on March 18, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  95. ^ "2011 Film Adapted Screenplay | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. from the original on March 25, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  96. ^ a b "Aaron Sorkin". www.goldenglobes.com. from the original on March 28, 2020. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  97. ^ "The 84th Academy Awards | 2012". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. from the original on April 17, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  98. ^ "2012 Film Adapted Screenplay | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. from the original on March 24, 2019. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  99. ^ Travers, Peter (September 22, 2011). "Moneyball". Rolling Stone. Retrieved October 26, 2020.
  100. ^ Forcella, Dan (March 18, 2011). "30 Rock Review: "Queen of Jordan"". TV Fanatic. from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  101. ^ Rice, Lynette (April 10, 2009). "Aaron Sorkin: Come back to TV!". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on December 7, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  102. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (January 23, 2011). "Aaron Sorkin's Cable News Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on October 25, 2011. Retrieved December 23, 2011.
  103. ^ Weprin, Alex (January 24, 2011). "Aaron Sorkin's Next TV Show Tackling Cable News". TV Newser. from the original on January 8, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  104. ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (January 28, 2011). "Aaron Sorkin's Cable News Drama Is A Go At HBO With Pilot Order, Scott Rudin Producing". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on January 5, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  105. ^ Huver, Scott (February 1, 2011). "Aaron Sorkin Teases Details on His New HBO Pilot". TV Guide. from the original on January 9, 2012. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  106. ^ Sepinwall, Alan (June 19, 2012). "The Newsroom creator Aaron Sorkin on Keith Olbermann and his return to TV". HitFix. from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 11, 2012.
  107. ^ Christine Canabou; Pamela Kruger; Cathy Olofson (May 2001). "What's on Your Agenda?: Ten senior executives and thinkers explain the most crucial item on their leadership agenda". Fast Company. from the original on January 3, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2008.
  108. ^ Hibberd, James (September 8, 2011). "Aaron Sorkin's HBO cable news drama ordered to series". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on December 9, 2014. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  109. ^ Zakarin, Jordan (September 8, 2011). "Aaron Sorkin HBO Cable News Pilot Ordered To Series". The Huffington Post. from the original on December 22, 2011. Retrieved December 22, 2011.
  110. ^ Hibberd, James (December 14, 2011). "Jane Fonda joins Aaron Sorkin's HBO drama". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved December 27, 2011.
  111. ^ Rice, Lynette (July 2, 2012). "Breaking: HBO renews 'Newsroom,' 'True Blood'". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on July 3, 2012. Retrieved July 2, 2012.
  112. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (June 21, 2012). "The Newsroom's' Aaron Sorkin on Idealism, Keith Olbermann and His Private Screening for the Media Elite". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on September 25, 2012. Retrieved September 6, 2012.
  113. ^ Kit, Borys (May 15, 2012). "Aaron Sorkin to Write 'Steve Jobs' Movie for Sony". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on May 20, 2012. Retrieved May 20, 2012.
  114. ^ WSJDigitalNetwork (May 30, 2012). "Aaron Sorkin Talks Steve Jobs Movie, His Digital Life and His New Show "The Newsroom"" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. from the original on January 10, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  115. ^ "Golden Globes 2016 winners list: Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant, Brie Larson & more". www.ew.com. from the original on January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  116. ^ "Oscar nominations 2016: the 7 most surprising snubs of this year's awards". Vox. January 14, 2016. from the original on March 19, 2017. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  117. ^ "Aaron Sorkin and Bartlett Sher Adapt 'To Kill a Mockingbird' to the Stage". Classicalite. February 12, 2016. from the original on February 14, 2016. Retrieved February 23, 2016.
  118. ^ To Kill A Mockingbird. Playbill July 1, 2018, at the Wayback Machine, July 1, 2018
  119. ^ McPhee, Ryan (December 13, 2018). "Read the Reviews for Broadway's 'To Kill a Mockingbird'". Playbill. from the original on December 15, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2018.
  120. ^ Kit, Borys (January 7, 2016). "Aaron Sorkin to Make Directorial Debut With Underground Poker Drama 'Molly's Game'". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on January 10, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
  121. ^ Hipes, Patrick (May 6, 2016). "Idris Elba Just Upped Ante Of Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game' Ahead Of Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  122. ^ Kroll, Justin (May 6, 2016). "Idris Elba in Talks to Join Jessica Chastain in Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. from the original on November 10, 2016. Retrieved November 10, 2016.
  123. ^ Seetoodeh, Ramin (May 13, 2016). "Cannes: Aaron Sorkin's 'Molly's Game' Nears $9 Million Deal With STX". Variety. from the original on November 11, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  124. ^ . Entertainment One. November 9, 2016. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved November 9, 2016.
  125. ^ "The 90th Academy Awards | 2018". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. from the original on March 10, 2018. Retrieved September 24, 2020.
  126. ^ "Molly's Game (2018)", Rotten Tomatoes, from the original on January 11, 2018, retrieved September 25, 2020
  127. ^ a b Ansen, David (July 22, 2020). "First Look at Aaron Sorkin's The Trial of the Chicago 7". Vanity Fair. from the original on August 3, 2020. Retrieved August 8, 2020.
  128. ^ Michael Fleming; Pamela McClintock (July 12, 2007). "Sorkin on 'Trial' at DreamWorks: Duo to team on possible Spielberg project". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  129. ^ Sabbagh, Dan (March 17, 2011). "Natalie Portman sparks Hollywood battle". The Guardian. London. from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  130. ^ Ford, Rebecca (July 23, 2013). "Paul Greengrass in Talks for Aaron Sorkin-Penned 'The Trial of the Chicago 7'". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  131. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 26, 2018). "Aaron Sorkin to Direct 'Trial of the Chicago 7' With Sacha Baron Cohen in Talks to Star". Variety. from the original on August 14, 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2019.
  132. ^ Beresford, Trilby (May 1, 2020). "Latest 'Transformers' Lands 2022 Release Date | Hollywood Reporter". www.hollywoodreporter.com. from the original on September 10, 2020. Retrieved September 25, 2020.
  133. ^ "Golden Globes 2021: The winners and nominees in full". BBC News. February 28, 2021. Retrieved March 17, 2021.
  134. ^ Robinson, Will (September 2, 2015). "Cate Blanchett to star in Lucille Ball biopic written by Aaron Sorkin". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on September 5, 2015. Retrieved September 6, 2015.
  135. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 7, 2017). "Amazon Studios Boards Lucy And Desi: Aaron Sorkin Scripting, Cate Blanchett To Play Lucille Ball". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved August 7, 2017.
  136. ^ Lenker, Maureen Lee (October 19, 2021). "Aaron Sorkin shows a new side of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in 'Being the Ricardos' teaser". EW.com. from the original on October 19, 2021. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  137. ^ Byrnes, Paul (December 13, 2021). "Being the Ricardos is near flawless - and Nicole Kidman is magnificent". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  138. ^ Brady, Tara. "Being the Ricardos: A sticky situation but not much comedy". The Irish Times. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  139. ^ "Aaron Sorkin, Bartlett Sher Team for 'Camelot' Revival". Variety. March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  140. ^ "Aaron Sorkin 'Camelot' Postpones Broadway Opening Until Spring 2023". Deadline Hollywood. June 29, 2022. Retrieved October 1, 2022.
  141. ^ Endelman, Michael (March 20, 2007). "Sorkin Will Script Flaming Lips Musical". Entertainment Weekly. from the original on June 11, 2007. Retrieved June 9, 2007.
  142. ^ Cox, Gordon (August 13, 2006). "McAnuff tries northern exposure: After B'way boom, helmer sets sights on Shakespeare". Variety. from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  143. ^ Cox, Gordon (June 24, 2007). "Sorkin eyes Lips show: Writer mulls 'Yoshimi' musical". Variety. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  144. ^ Ouzounian, Richard (August 19, 2008). "Top talent in place at Stratford for 2009". Toronto Star. from the original on September 4, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  145. ^ Marino, Mark (July 16, 2010). "'West Wing' creator takes on John Edwards". CNN. from the original on July 23, 2010. Retrieved December 25, 2010.
  146. ^ Vozick-Levinson, Simon (November 2, 2010). . Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on December 5, 2010. Retrieved December 4, 2010.
  147. ^ Potts, Kimberly (January 4, 2012). "Hugh Jackman, Aaron Sorkin Teaming for 'Houdini' Musical". The Wrap Media. from the original on June 26, 2012. Retrieved June 2, 2012.
  148. ^ Couch, Aaron (January 30, 2013). "Aaron Sorkin Exits Broadway Musical About Houdini". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on July 25, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  149. ^ Kissell, Rick (March 30, 2016). "NBC Sets Live Production of Aaron Sorkin's 'A Few Good Men' for 2017". from the original on June 2, 2016. Retrieved June 10, 2016.
  150. ^ Rose, Lacey (November 19, 2017). "Aaron Sorkin Goes Off Script: Fears, the Critics and His Private Battles Behind 'Molly's Game'". The Hollywood Reporter. from the original on November 27, 2018. Retrieved November 26, 2018.
  151. ^ Rapkin, Mickey (August 12, 2008). . GQ. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 26, 2008.
  152. ^ Elif Cercel (November 11, 1999). . Directors World. Archived from the original on June 26, 2007. Retrieved January 21, 2007.
  153. ^ "The Digital Americana Wall". thedigitalamericana.com. from the original on October 29, 2016. Retrieved October 16, 2016.
  154. ^ "West Wing votes in new writers". BBC News Online. July 25, 2003. from the original on December 11, 2006. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  155. ^ Berardinelli, James (1993). "Malice: A Film Review". Reelviews.net. from the original on February 20, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  156. ^ Holmes, Linda (November 26, 2006). "'Studio 60' doesn't take comedy seriously: Show's flailing by focusing on issues, not craziness of the writers' room". mbnbc.com. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 25, 2007.
  157. ^ Srivastava, Utkarsh (June 9, 2018). "Decoding Aaron Sorkin: A 'competence porn' expert with a possible 'woman problem'". Firstpost. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  158. ^ Izadi, Elahe (March 27, 2017). "Analysis | Aaron Sorkin, reportedly unaware of Hollywood's diversity problem, had many chances to become aware". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
  159. ^ a b Rayner, Jay (July 10, 2005). "Wing and a prayer". The Guardian. London. from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  160. ^ a b Gumbel, Andrew (October 22, 2005). The Independent. London. Archived from the original on April 10, 2009. Retrieved February 19, 2009.
  161. ^ Bromley, Melanie; Malkin, Marc (May 23, 2012). "Sources: Kristin Davis Dating Oscar-Winning Writer Aaron Sorkin". from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved May 23, 2012.
  162. ^ Chenoweth, Kristin (2009). A Little Bit Wicked: Life, Love, and Faith in Stages. Simon & Schuster. ISBN 978-1-4165-8055-3.
  163. ^ Kurtz, Howard (November 5, 2005). "Sex & the Single Stiletto". The Washington Post. from the original on July 26, 2008. Retrieved September 25, 2008.
  164. ^ Chen, Joyce (June 21, 2012). "Kristin Davis, Aaron Sorkin kiss on red carpet, glow with love as they confirm romance". Daily News. New York. from the original on June 25, 2012. Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  165. ^ D'Zurilla, Christie (April 25, 2021). "Oscars 2021: Aaron Sorkin, Paulina Porizkova make it red carpet official as a couple". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved June 27, 2021.
  166. ^ Ross, Martha (July 20, 2021). "Paulina Porizkova splits from 'funny and sexy' Aaron Sorkin: 'We're a duck and a goose'". The Mercury News. Retrieved July 20, 2021.
  167. ^ "Aaron Sorkin Biography and Political Campaign Contributions". CampaignMoney.com. from the original on February 3, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  168. ^ Cooper, Matthew (July 3, 2004). . Time. Archived from the original on August 29, 2006. Retrieved January 29, 2007.
  169. ^ Johnson, Ted (August 28, 2008). "Obama's fresh Hollywood faces: Hollywood team: Vitality and donations". Variety. Retrieved September 15, 2008.
  170. ^ Sorkin, Aaron (November 10, 2016). "Read the Letter Aaron Sorkin Wrote His Daughter After Donald Trump Was Elected President". Vanity Fair. from the original on May 12, 2020. Retrieved April 17, 2020.
  171. ^ Rayner, Jay (July 31, 2005). "West Wing creator brings his play to West End". The Guardian. London. from the original on August 29, 2013. Retrieved January 14, 2007.
  172. ^ Cieply, Michael (September 2001). "The Crack-Up". Talk magazine.
  173. ^ Syracuse (May 14, 2012). "Aaron Sorkin's Commencement Speech - 13 May 2012" (Video upload). YouTube. Google, Inc. from the original on July 14, 2013. Retrieved July 15, 2013.
  174. ^ Mel Gussow (August 24, 1988). "Review/Theater; Three Plays on Desire". The New York Times. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  175. ^ Frank Rich (November 16, 1989). "Review/Theater; Honor, Bullying and Conformity in the Trial in 'A Few Good Men'". The New York Times. from the original on September 25, 2020. Retrieved January 12, 2007.
  176. ^ "How Aaron Sorkin reworked 'To Kill a Mockingbird' for Broadway". PBS. May 9, 2019. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  177. ^ "Aaron Sorkin & Bartlett Sher To Reunite For Broadway Revival Of 'Camelot'". Deadline Hollywood. March 28, 2022. Retrieved April 3, 2022.
  178. ^ "The 83rd Academy Awards | 2011". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  179. ^ "The 84th Academy Awards | 2012". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  180. ^ "The 89th Academy Awards | 2018". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. from the original on October 29, 2017. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  181. ^ "The 93rd Academy Awards | 2021". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  182. ^ "Aaron Sorkin". www.goldenglobes.com. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  183. ^ "BAFTA Awards Search | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org. Search for "Aaron Sorkin". from the original on February 13, 2013. Retrieved January 8, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  184. ^ "Writers Guild Awards Winners 2012-2006". awards.wga.org. Retrieved January 8, 2022.
  185. ^ "Writers Guild Awards Winners 2005-1996". awards.wga.org. Retrieved January 8, 2022.

Further reading

  • Aaron Sorkin (July 2002). The West Wing Script Book. Newmarket Press. ISBN 978-1-55704-549-2.
  • Aaron Sorkin (February 2004). The West Wing Seasons 3 & 4: The Shooting Scripts: Eight Teleplays. Newmarket Press. ISBN 978-1-55704-612-3.
  • (PDF). On Writing Magazine, Issue 18. The Writers Guild of America, East, Inc. February 2003. p. 6. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 28, 2007. Retrieved January 10, 2007.
  • Aaron Sorkin. . Archived from the original on October 25, 2009. Retrieved February 1, 2007.
  • Aaron Sorkin and Rob Reiner (2001). From Stage to Screen with Aaron Sorkin and Rob Reiner, A Few Good Men (Special Edition DVD) (Documentary).
  • Aaron Barnhart (January 21, 2007). . TV Barn (Podcast). Archived from the original on February 21, 2007.

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to Aaron Sorkin.
 
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aaron Sorkin.

January 07, 2023
aaron, sorkin, aaron, benjamin, sorkin, born, june, 1961, american, playwright, screenwriter, film, director, born, york, city, developed, passion, writing, early, writer, stage, television, film, sorkin, recognized, trademark, fast, paced, dialogue, extended,. Aaron Benjamin Sorkin born June 9 1961 1 is an American playwright screenwriter and film director Born in New York City he developed a passion for writing at an early age As a writer for stage television and film Sorkin is recognized for his trademark fast paced dialogue and extended monologues complemented by frequent use of the storytelling technique called the walk and talk Sorkin has earned numerous accolades including an Academy Award a BAFTA Award five Primetime Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes Aaron SorkinSorkin in 2016BornAaron Benjamin Sorkin 1961 06 09 June 9 1961 age 61 Manhattan New York City U S OccupationFilm directorscreenwriterplaywrightactorAlma materSyracuse University BFA Years active1984 presentSpouseJulia Bingham m 1996 div 2005 wbr Children1His works include the theatrical plays A Few Good Men 1989 The Farnsworth Invention 2007 and To Kill a Mockingbird 2018 as well as the television series Sports Night 1998 2000 The West Wing 1999 2006 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 2006 07 and The Newsroom 2012 14 He wrote the film screenplays for A Few Good Men 1992 The American President 1995 and several biopics including Charlie Wilson s War 2007 Moneyball 2011 and Steve Jobs 2015 For writing 2010 s The Social Network he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay He made his directorial film debut with Molly s Game 2017 followed by The Trial of the Chicago 7 2020 and Being the Ricardos 2021 Contents 1 Early life 2 Career 2 1 1983 1990 Early work and breakthrough 2 2 1991 1997 Writing for Castle Rock Entertainment 2 3 1998 2006 Television series and theatre work 2 3 1 Sports Night 2 3 2 The West Wing 2 3 3 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip 2 3 4 The Farnsworth Invention 2 4 2007 2015 Return to film and The Newsroom 2 5 2016 present Film directing debut and Broadway work 3 Prospective projects 4 Writing process and style 5 Personal life 6 Filmography 6 1 Films 6 2 Television 6 3 Plays 6 4 Acting credits 7 Awards and nominations 8 References 9 Further reading 10 External linksEarly life EditSorkin was born in Manhattan New York City 2 to a Jewish family 3 4 5 6 and was raised in the New York suburb of Scarsdale 7 His mother was a schoolteacher and his father a copyright lawyer who had fought in WWII and went to college on the G I Bill both his older sister and brother went on to become lawyers 8 9 10 His paternal grandfather was one of the founders of the International Ladies Garment Workers Union ILGWU 10 11 12 Sorkin took an early interest in acting During childhood his parents took him to the theatre to see shows such as Who s Afraid of Virginia Woolf and That Championship Season 13 Sorkin attended Scarsdale High School where he became involved in the drama and theatre club 14 In the eighth grade he played General Bullmoose in the musical Li l Abner 15 At Scarsdale High he served as vice president of the drama club in his junior and senior years and graduated in 1979 16 17 In 1979 Sorkin attended Syracuse University In his freshman year he failed a class that was a core requirement which caused a setback because he wanted to be an actor and the drama department did not allow students to take the stage until they completed the core classes Determined to do better he returned for his sophomore year and graduated in 1983 with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theatre 18 Recalling the influence of theatre teacher Arthur Storch Sorkin said Arthur s reputation as a director and as a disciple of Lee Strasberg was a big reason why a lot of us went to S U Syracuse University You have the capacity to be so much better than you are he started saying to me in September of my senior year He was still saying it in May On the last day of classes he said it again and I said How and he answered Dare to fail I ve been coming through on his admonition ever since 19 Career Edit1983 1990 Early work and breakthrough Edit I don t want to analyze myself or anything but I think in fact I know this to be true that I enter the world through what I write I grew up believing and continue to believe that I am a screw up that growing up with my family and friends I had nothing to offer in any conversation But when I started writing suddenly there was something that I brought to the party that was at a high enough level Sorkin on becoming a writer 8 Sorkin moved to New York City where he spent much of the 1980s as a struggling sporadically employed actor who worked odd jobs 15 such as delivering singing telegrams 15 driving a limousine touring Alabama with the children s theatre company Traveling Playhouse 8 handing out fliers promoting a hunting and fishing show 15 and bartending at Broadway s Palace Theatre 20 One weekend while house sitting for a friend he found an IBM Selectric typewriter started typing and felt a phenomenal confidence and a kind of joy that he had never experienced before in his life 8 He continued writing and eventually put together his first play Removing All Doubt which he sent to his former theatre teacher Arthur Storch who was impressed In 1984 Removing All Doubt was staged for drama students at his alma mater Syracuse University After that he wrote Hidden in This Picture which debuted off off Broadway at Steve Olsen s West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar in New York City in 1988 The quality of his first two plays earned him a theatrical agent 21 Producer John A McQuiggan saw the production of Hidden in This Picture and commissioned Sorkin to turn the one act into a full length play called Making Movies 22 Sorkin was inspired to write his next play a courtroom drama called A Few Good Men from a phone conversation with his sister Deborah who had graduated from Boston University Law School and signed up for a three year stint with the U S Navy Judge Advocate General s Corps Deborah told Sorkin that she was going to Guantanamo Bay to defend a group of Marines who came close to killing a fellow Marine in a hazing ordered by a superior officer 23 Sorkin took that information and wrote much of his story on cocktail napkins while bartending at the Palace Theatre 24 He and his roommates had purchased a Macintosh 512K when he returned home he would transcribe the story and notes onto the computer forming a basis from which he wrote many drafts for A Few Good Men 25 In 1988 Sorkin sold the film rights for A Few Good Men to producer David Brown before it premiered 26 in a deal that was reportedly well into six figures 27 Brown had read an article in The New York Times about Sorkin s one act play Hidden in This Picture and found out Sorkin had a play called A Few Good Men that was having Off Broadway readings 26 Brown produced A Few Good Men on Broadway at the Music Box Theatre It starred Tom Hulce and was directed by Don Scardino After opening in late 1989 it ran for 497 performances 28 Sorkin continued writing Making Movies and in 1990 it debuted Off Broadway at the Promenade Theatre produced by John A McQuiggan and again directed by Don Scardino 22 Meanwhile Brown was producing for TriStar Pictures and tried to interest them in adapting A Few Good Men into a film but his proposal was declined due to the lack of star actor involvement Brown later received a phone call from Alan Horn at Castle Rock Entertainment who was anxious to make the film Rob Reiner a Castle Rock producing partner opted to direct 26 1991 1997 Writing for Castle Rock Entertainment Edit A Few Good Men at London s Theatre Royal Haymarket on August 31 2005 Sorkin worked under contract for Castle Rock Entertainment 29 where he befriended colleagues William Goldman and Rob Reiner and met his future wife Julia Bingham who was one of Castle Rock s business affairs lawyers 30 Sorkin wrote several drafts of the script for A Few Good Men in his Manhattan apartment 29 learning the craft from a book about screenplay format 21 He then spent several months at the Los Angeles offices of Castle Rock working on the script with director Rob Reiner 29 William Goldman who regularly worked under contract at Castle Rock became his mentor and helped him to adapt his stage play into a screenplay 31 The film directed by Reiner starred Tom Cruise Jack Nicholson Demi Moore and Kevin Bacon and was produced by Brown A Few Good Men was released in 1992 and was a box office success grossing 243 million worldwide 32 33 Goldman also approached Sorkin with a story premise which Sorkin developed into the script for the thriller Malice Goldman oversaw the project as creative consultant while Sorkin wrote the first two drafts However he had to leave the project to finish the script for A Few Good Men so screenwriter Scott Frank stepped in and wrote two drafts of the Malice screenplay When production on A Few Good Men was completed Sorkin resumed working on Malice right through the final shooting script 34 Harold Becker directed the 1993 thriller which starred Nicole Kidman and Alec Baldwin Malice had mixed reviews Vincent Canby in The New York Times described the film as deviously entertaining from its start through its finish 35 Critic Roger Ebert gave it 2 out of 4 stars 36 and Peter Travers in a 2000 Rolling Stone review summarized it as having suspense but no staying power 37 Sorkin s last screenplay under Castle Rock was The American President once again he worked with William Goldman who served as a creative consultant 38 It took Sorkin several years to write the screenplay for The American President which started off at 385 pages it was eventually reduced to a standard shooting script of around 120 pages 2 The film also directed by Reiner was critically acclaimed Kenneth Turan of the Los Angeles Times described it as genial and entertaining if not notably inspired and believed its most interesting aspects were the pipe dreams about the American political system and where it could theoretically be headed 39 A Few Good Men Malice and The American President grossed approximately 400 million worldwide 2 In the second half of the 1990s Sorkin worked as a script doctor He wrote some quips for Sean Connery and Nicolas Cage in 1996 s The Rock 40 He worked on Excess Baggage a 1997 comedy about a girl who stages her own kidnapping to get her father s attention and rewrote some of Will Smith s scenes in Enemy of the State 40 Sorkin collaborated with Warren Beatty on several scripts one of which was 1998 s Bulworth 41 Beatty known for occasionally personally financing his film projects through pre production also hired Sorkin to rewrite a script titled Ocean of Storms which never went into production At one point Sorkin sued Beatty for proper compensation for his work on the Ocean of Storms script once the matter was settled he resumed working on the script 41 42 43 44 1998 2006 Television series and theatre work Edit Sports Night Edit Sorkin conceived the idea to write about the behind the scenes happenings on a sports show while residing at the Four Seasons Hotel in Los Angeles writing the screenplay for The American President 8 45 He would work late with the television tuned into ESPN watching continuous replays of SportsCenter 45 46 The show inspired him to try to write a feature film about a sports show but he was unable to structure the story for film so instead he turned his idea into a television comedy series 47 48 Sports Night was produced by Disney and debuted on the ABC network in fall of 1998 49 Sorkin fought with ABC during the first season over the use of a laugh track and a live studio audience The laugh track was widely decried by critics as jarring with Joyce Millman of Salon magazine describing it as the most unconvincing laugh track you ve ever heard 50 51 Sorkin commented that Once you do shoot in front of a live audience you have no choice but to use the laugh track Oftentimes enhancing the laughs is the right thing to do Sometimes you do need a cymbal crash Other times it alienates me 50 The laugh track was gradually dialed down and was removed by the end of the first season 52 Sorkin was triumphant in the second season when ABC agreed to his demands unburdening the crew of the difficulties of staging a scene for a live audience and leaving the cast with more time to rehearse 49 Although Sports Night was critically acclaimed ABC canceled the show after two seasons due to low ratings 53 54 Sorkin entertained offers to continue the show on other television channels but declined all the offers because they were dependent on his involvement and he was already working on The West Wing 45 The West Wing Edit Stockard Channing had done an episode of the show as the First Lady She took me out to lunch and said she really liked doing the show and wanted to do more and started asking me questions like Who do you think this character is And those aren t questions I can answer As a writer I can only answer what do they want Sorkin on creating characters 55 Sorkin conceived the political drama The West Wing in 1997 when he went unprepared to a lunch with producer John Wells in a panic he pitched to Wells a series centered on the senior staff of the White House 2 using leftover ideas from his script for The American President 56 He told Wells about his visits to the White House while doing research for The American President and they found themselves discussing public service and the passion of the people who serve Wells took the concept and pitched it to NBC but was told to wait due to the Clinton Lewinsky scandal There was a concern that television audiences would not be able to take a series about the White House seriously 57 A year later other networks started showing interest in The West Wing NBC decided to give the project the green light despite their previous reluctance 56 The pilot debuted in the fall of 1999 and was produced by Warner Bros Television 56 The West Wing garnered nine Primetime Emmy Awards for its debut season making the series a record holder for most Emmys won by a series in a single season at the time 58 Following the awards ceremony there was a dispute about the acceptance speech for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series The West Wing episode In Excelsis Deo won which was awarded to Sorkin and Rick Cleveland but The New York Times reported that Sorkin ushered Cleveland off the stage before he could say a few words 59 The story behind In Excelsis Deo is based on Cleveland s father a Korean War veteran who spent the last years of his life on the street as Cleveland explained in an essay titled I Was the Dumb Looking Guy with the Wire Rimmed Glasses 60 Sorkin and Cleveland continued their dispute in a public web forum at Mighty Big TV in which Sorkin explained that he gives his writers Story By credit on a rotating basis by way of a gratuity and that he had thrown out Cleveland s script and started from scratch 61 Sorkin eventually apologized to Cleveland 62 Cleveland and Sorkin also won the Writers Guild of America Award for Television Episodic Drama at the 53rd Writer Guild of America Awards for In Excelsis Deo 63 In 2001 after completing the second season of The West Wing Sorkin had a drug relapse and was arrested at Hollywood Burbank Airport for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms marijuana and crack cocaine He was ordered by a court to attend a drug diversion program 64 There was huge media interest but he did make a successful recovery 13 In 2002 Sorkin criticized NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw s television special about a day in the life of a president The Bush White House Inside the Real West Wing comparing it to the act of sending a valentine to President George W Bush instead of real news reporting 65 The West Wing aired on the same network and so at the request of NBC s Entertainment President Jeff Zucker Sorkin apologized but later said there should be a difference between what NBC News does and what The West Wing TV series does 66 67 Sorkin wrote 87 screenplays for The West Wing which is nearly every episode during the show s first four Emmy winning seasons 68 Sorkin described his role in the creative process as not so much that of a showrunner or a producer I m really a writer 45 He admitted 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 25 In 2003 at the end of the fourth season Sorkin and fellow executive producer Thomas Schlamme left the show due to internal conflicts at Warner Bros Television causing John Wells to serve as showrunner 69 70 Sorkin never watched any episodes beyond his writing tenure apart from a minute of the fifth season s first episode describing the experience as like watching somebody make out with my girlfriend 71 Sorkin later returned in the series finale for a cameo appearance as a guest at the inauguration of Matthew Santos Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Edit Sorkin discussing The Farnsworth Invention at the Music Box Theatre November 2007 In 2005 Sorkin returned to theatre he revised his play A Few Good Men for a production at London s West End The play opened at the Theatre Royal Haymarket in the fall of the same year and was directed by David Esbjornson with Rob Lowe of The West Wing in the lead role 72 Sorkin told The Charlie Rose Show that he was developing a television series based on a late night sketch comedy show similar to Saturday Night Live 25 73 In October 2005 a pilot script dubbed Studio 7 on the Sunset Strip written by him and Schlamme as producer started circulating in Hollywood and online In that same month NBC bought the rights from Warner Bros Television to air the series on their network for a near record license fee after a bidding war with CBS 74 The show s name was later changed to Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Sorkin described the show as having autobiographical elements to it and characters that are based on actual people but said that it departs from those beginnings to look at the backstage maneuverings at a late night sketch comedy show 75 On September 18 2006 the pilot for Studio 60 aired on NBC directed by Schlamme The pilot was critically acclaimed and viewed by an audience of over 12 million but the show experienced a significant drop in viewership mid season Even before the first episode aired there was a large amount of thoughtful and scrupulous criticism in the press as well as negative analysis from bloggers 76 In January 2007 Sorkin spoke out against the press for reporting heavily on the low ratings and for using blogs and unemployed comedy writers as sources 77 After two months hiatus Studio 60 resumed airing the last episodes of season one which would be its only season 78 The Farnsworth Invention Edit As early as 2003 Sorkin was writing a spec script about inventor Philo Farnsworth he was approached by producer Fred Zollo in the 1990s about adapting Elma Farnsworth s memoir into a biographical film 13 79 The following year he completed the film screenplay The Farnsworth Invention which was acquired by New Line Cinema with Schlamme as director The story is about the patent battle between Farnsworth and RCA tycoon David Sarnoff for the technology that allowed the first television transmissions in the United States 80 No additional details were released about the film Shortly Sorkin was contacted by Jocelyn Clarke of the Abbey Theatre in Dublin requesting he write a play for them a commission which he accepted 81 Sorkin decided to rewrite The Farnsworth Invention as a play 13 81 He delivered a first draft of the play to the Abbey Theatre in early 2005 and a production was planned for 2007 with La Jolla Playhouse deciding to stage a workshop production of the play in collaboration with the Abbey Theatre In 2006 Abbey Theatre s new management quit involvement with The Farnsworth Invention 81 Despite this La Jolla Playhouse carried on with Steven Spielberg serving as a producer 82 The production opened under La Jolla s signature Page To Stage program which allowed Sorkin and director Des McAnuff to develop the play from show to show according to audience reactions and feedback the play ran from February 20 2007 through March 25 2007 83 84 A Broadway production followed soon after beginning in previews and opening on November 14 2007 however the play was delayed by the 2007 Broadway stagehand strike 85 86 The Farnsworth Invention eventually opened at the Music Box Theatre on December 3 2007 and closed on March 2 2008 87 88 2007 2015 Return to film and The Newsroom Edit Sorkin interviewed William Goldman at the Screenwriting Expo 2008 In 2007 Sorkin was commissioned by Universal Pictures to adapt George Crile s non fiction book Charlie Wilson s War for Tom Hanks production company Playtone 89 The biographical comedy Charlie Wilson s War is about the colorful Texas congressman Charlie Wilson who funded the CIA s secret war against the former Soviet Union in Afghanistan 90 Directed by Mike Nichols and written by Sorkin the film was released in 2007 and starred Tom Hanks Julia Roberts and Philip Seymour Hoffman 91 The film earned five nominations at the Golden Globes including Best Screenplay for Sorkin 92 In August 2008 Sorkin announced that he had agreed to write a script for Sony Pictures and producer Scott Rudin about the beginnings of Facebook 93 David Fincher s The Social Network based on Ben Mezrich s novel The Accidental Billionaires was released on October 1 2010 It was a critical and commercial success Sorkin won an Academy Award BAFTA and a Golden Globe for the screenplay 94 95 96 A year later Sorkin received nominations in the same award categories for co writing Moneyball 96 97 98 It is based on Michael Lewis s 2003 non fiction book of the same name an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team s 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane s attempts to assemble a competitive team The film was directed by Bennett Miller and starred Brad Pitt Jonah Hill and Philip Seymour Hoffman Peter Travers of Rolling Stone called the script dynamite in which Sorkin s sharply witty touch is everywhere 99 In 2011 Sorkin played himself on the series 30 Rock episode Plan B where he did a walk and talk with Liz Lemon played by Tina Fey 100 While still working on the screenplay for The Social Network Sorkin was contemplating a television drama about the behind the scenes events at a cable news program 101 Talks had been ongoing between Sorkin and HBO since 2010 102 To research the news industry Sorkin observed the production crew at MSNBC s Countdown with Keith Olbermann and quizzed Parker Spitzer s staff 103 He also spent time shadowing Hardball with Chris Matthews as well as other programs on Fox News and CNN 104 Sorkin told TV Guide that he intended to take a less cynical view of the media They re going to be trying to do well in a context where it s very difficult to do well when there are commercial concerns and political concerns and corporate concerns 105 Sorkin decided that rather than have his characters react to fictional news events as on his earlier series it would be set in the recent past and track real world stories largely as they unfolded to give a greater sense of realism 106 T he trick is to follow the rules of classic storytelling Drama is basically about one thing Somebody wants something and something or someone is standing in the way of him getting it What he wants the money the girl the ticket to Philadelphia doesn t really matter But whatever it is the audience has to want it for him Sorkin 107 HBO ordered a pilot episode in January 2011 with the working title More as This Story Develops with Scott Rudin serving as an executive producer 104 In September HBO ordered a 10 episode series of The Newsroom with a premiere date of June 2012 108 109 110 A day after the second episode aired HBO renewed the series for a second season 111 Sorkin said The Newsroom is meant to be an idealistic romantic swashbuckling sometimes comedic but very optimistic upward looking look at a group of people who are often looked at cynically The same as with The West Wing where ordinarily in popular culture our leaders are portrayed either as Machiavellian or dumb I wanted to do something different and show a highly competent group of people 112 The series concluded after its third season In 2015 Danny Boyle s biographical drama Steve Jobs was released The screenplay by Sorkin was based on Walter Isaacson s biography of Steve Jobs 113 and starred Michael Fassbender as Jobs Kate Winslet as Joanna Hoffman Jeff Daniels as John Sculley and Seth Rogen as Steve Wozniak Sorkin expressed hesitation for tackling the film saying it was a little like writing about the Beatles that there are so many people out there who know so much about him Jobs and who revere him that I just saw a minefield of disappointment Hopefully when I m done with my research I ll be in the same ball park of knowledge about Steve Jobs 114 He won a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay 115 although some journalists were surprised that he did not receive an Academy Award nomination in the same category 116 2016 present Film directing debut and Broadway work Edit In February 2016 it was announced that Sorkin would adapt Harper Lee s To Kill a Mockingbird for the stage and work alongside Bartlett Sher 117 His Broadway adaptation opened on December 13 2018 to positive reviews at the Shubert Theatre 118 119 Next Sorkin made his directorial debut with Molly s Game an adaptation of entrepreneur Molly Bloom s memoir He also wrote the script for it which starred Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba 120 121 122 123 Production began in 2016 and the film was released in December 2017 to mostly positive reviews Sorkin received his third Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay 124 125 On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes Molly s Game garnered an approval rating of 81 based on 297 reviews with an average rating of 7 07 10 126 Sorkin told Vanity Fair in July 2020 that Steven Spielberg offered him a job in 2006 about a movie about the riots at the 1968 Chicago Democratic Convention and the trial that followed 127 However after meeting at Spielberg s home Sorkin said I left not knowing what the hell he was talking about 127 On July 12 2007 Variety magazine reported that Sorkin had signed a deal with DreamWorks to write three scripts The first was The Trial of the Chicago 7 which Sorkin was already developing with Spielberg and Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald 128 In March 2010 Sorkin s agent Ari Emanuel had stated that the project was proving tough to get together 129 In late July 2013 it was announced that Paul Greengrass would be directing 130 but Sorkin eventually both wrote and directed the film 131 Focusing on the Chicago Seven and Bobby Seale the film began a limited release on September 25 2020 before streaming on Netflix 132 At the 78th Golden Globes Sorkin won Best Screenplay and was nominated for Best Director 133 In September 2015 Entertainment Weekly reported that Sorkin was writing a biopic that will focus on the twenty year marriage of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz and their work on a comedy series I Love Lucy Cate Blanchett was originally to star as Ball 134 In 2017 Amazon Studios acquired the rights to the film 135 In January 2021 it was announced that Blanchett had been replaced by Nicole Kidman and Javier Bardem had been cast as Desi Arnaz Titled Being the Ricardos 2021 it was directed by Sorkin and received a limited release on December 10 2021 followed by a wide release on Prime Video on December 21 136 Paul Byrnes of The Sydney Morning Herald praised the film s dialogue 137 while the critic from The Irish Times opined that the film lacked spark or insight 138 It was announced that Sorkin would be reuniting with director Bartlett Sher to revive Camelot on Broadway The musical was set to begin at Lincoln Center s Vivian Beaumont Theater on November 3 2022 139 but was moved back to April 13 2023 140 Prospective projects EditIn March 2007 it was reported that Sorkin had signed on to write a musical adaptation of the hit 2002 record Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots by psychedelic rock band The Flaming Lips collaborating with director Des McAnuff who had been developing the project 141 142 143 In August 2008 McAnuff announced that Sorkin had been commissioned by the Stratford Shakespeare Festival to write an adaptation of Chekhov s The Cherry Orchard 144 In 2010 Sorkin reportedly obtained the film rights to Andrew Young s book The Politician about Senator John Edwards and announced that he would make his debut as a film director while adapting the book for the screen 145 In November 2010 it was reported that Sorkin will write a musical based on the life of Houdini with music by Danny Elfman 146 In January 2012 Stephen Schwartz was reported to be writing the music and lyrics with Sorkin making his debut as a librettist The musical was expected for release in 2013 14 Sorkin said The chance to collaborate with Stephen Schwartz the director Jack O Brien and Hugh Jackman on a new Broadway musical is a huge gift 147 In January 2013 he quit the project citing film and television commitments 148 In March 2016 it was announced that Sorkin would adapt A Few Good Men for a live production on NBC originally slated to air in 2017 149 as of November 2017 update Sorkin is still mulling the project 150 Writing process and style EditYou almost never see how anyone travels from point A to point C in most TV shows I wanted the audience to witness every journey these people took It all had a purpose even seeing them order lunch It just seemed to be the proper visual rhythm with which to marry Aaron s words I got lucky that it worked Thomas Schlamme on the walk and talk device 68 Sorkin has written for the theater film and television and in each medium his level of collaboration with other creators has varied He began in theater which involved a largely solitary writing process then moved into film where he collaborated with director Rob Reiner and screenwriter William Goldman and eventually worked in television where he collaborated very closely with director Thomas Schlamme for nearly a decade on the shows Sports Night The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip he now moves between all three media He has a habit of chain smoking while he spends countless hours cooped up in his office plotting out his next scripts 7 He describes his writing process as physical because he will often stand up and speak the dialogue he is developing 77 A New York Times article by Peter de Jonge explained that The West Wing is never plotted out for more than a few weeks ahead and has no major story lines which De Jonge believed was because with characters who have no flaws it is impossible to give them significant arcs 8 Sorkin has stated I seldom plan ahead not because I don t think it s good to plan ahead there just isn t time 55 Sorkin has also said As a writer I don t like to answer questions until the very moment that I have to The Seattle Post Intelligencer s TV critic John Levesque has commented that Sorkin s writing process can make for ill advised plot developments 2 Further complicating the matter in television Sorkin will have a hand in writing every episode rarely letting other writers earn full credit on a script 8 De Jonge reported that ex writers of The West Wing have claimed that even by the spotlight hogging standards of Hollywood Sorkin has been exceptionally ungenerous in his sharing of writing credit 8 In a comment to GQ magazine in 2008 Sorkin said I m helped by a staff of people who have great ideas but the scripts aren t written by committee 151 Sorkin s long term collaboration with Schlamme began in early 1998 when they found they shared common creative ground on the soon to be produced Sports Night 45 152 Their successful partnership in television is one in which Sorkin focuses on writing the scripts while Schlamme executive produces and occasionally directs they have worked together on Sports Night The West Wing and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Schlamme will create the look of the shows work with the other directors discuss the scripts with Sorkin as soon as they are turned in make design and casting decisions and attend the budget meetings Sorkin tends to stick strictly to writing 45 In response to what he perceived as unfair criticism of The Newsroom Jacob Drum of Digital Americana wrote The essential truth that the critics miss is that The Newsroom is Sorkin being Sorkin as he always has been and always will be one part pioneer one part self conscious romantic two parts actual Lewis amp Clark style pioneer trapping his way across an old old idea of an America that can always stand to raise its game but most importantly spinning a good yarn while he does so 153 For me the writing experience is very much like a date It s not unusual that I m really funny here and really smart here and maybe showing some anger over here so she sees maybe I have this dark side I want it to have been worth it for everyone to sit through it for however long I ask them to Sorkin on his writing as characterized by mentor William Goldman 2 As a writer Sorkin is recognized for his trademark fast paced dialogue and extended monologues complemented by frequent collaborator Thomas Schlamme s storytelling technique called the walk and talk These sequences consist of single tracking shots of long duration involving multiple characters engaging in conversation as they move through the set characters enter and exit the conversation as the shot continues without any cuts Sorkin is also known for writing memorable lines and fast paced dialogue such as You can t handle the truth from A Few Good Men and the partly Latin tirade against God in The West Wing episode Two Cathedrals 8 For television one hallmark of Sorkin s writer s voice is the repartee that his characters engage in as they small talk and banter about whimsical events taking place within an episode and interject obscure popular culture references into conversation 154 Although his scripts are lauded for being literate 8 15 155 Sorkin has been criticized for often turning in scripts that are overwrought 156 His mentor William Goldman has commented that normally in visual media speeches are avoided but that Sorkin has a talent for dialogue and gets away with breaking this rule 38 His portrayal of women has been criticized by several commentators with female characters in his works often subordinate written to support the main male characters ditzy and incompetent or ostensibly professional while still being depicted as overly emotional and needing to be rescued by men 157 158 Personal life Edit Sorkin at a Generation Obama event following a screening of Mr Smith Goes to Washington 2008 Sorkin married Julia Bingham in 1996 and divorced in 2005 with his workaholic habits and drug abuse reported to be a partial cause 159 160 Sorkin and Bingham have one daughter Roxy 161 He dated Kristin Chenoweth for several years who played Annabeth Schott on The West Wing after Sorkin had left the show 162 He has also reportedly dated columnist Maureen Dowd and actress Kristin Davis 163 164 In 2021 Sorkin and Paulina Porizkova dated for a few months 165 166 A consistent supporter of the Democratic Party Sorkin has made substantial political campaign contributions to candidates between 1999 and 2011 according to CampaignMoney com 167 During the 2004 US presidential election campaign the liberal advocacy group MoveOn s political action committee enlisted Sorkin and Rob Reiner to create one of their anti Bush campaign advertisements 168 In August 2008 Sorkin was involved in a Generation Obama event at the Fine Arts Theater in Beverly Hills California participating in a panel discussion subsequent to a screening of Frank Capra s Mr Smith Goes to Washington 169 However Sorkin does not consider himself a political activist I ve met political activists and they re for real I ve never marched anyplace or done anything that takes more effort than writing a check in terms of activism 71 In 2016 after President Donald Trump won the election Sorkin wrote an open letter to his daughter Roxy and her mother Julia 170 In 1987 Sorkin started using marijuana and cocaine He said cocaine gave him relief from certain nervous tensions that occur on a regular basis 8 In 1995 he sought rehabilitation at the Hazelden Institute in Minnesota on the advice of Bingham to combat his addiction 171 In early 2001 Sorkin and his colleagues John Spencer and Martin Sheen received the Phoenix Rising Award for overcoming their drug abuse However on April 15 2001 Sorkin was arrested when security guards at Hollywood Burbank Airport found that he was in possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms marijuana crack cocaine and a metal crack pipe 8 172 He was court ordered to a drug diversion program 13 64 while still working on The West Wing 159 160 In a commencement speech for Syracuse University on May 13 2012 Sorkin said he has not used cocaine for eleven years 173 Filmography EditFilms Edit Year Title Director Writer Notes1992 A Few Good Men No Yes1993 Malice No Yes With Scott Frank1995 The American President No Yes acting role as Aide in Bar 2007 Charlie Wilson s War No Yes2010 The Social Network No Yes acting role as Ad Executive2011 Moneyball No Yes With Steven Zaillian2015 Steve Jobs No Yes2017 Molly s Game Yes Yes2020 The Trial of the Chicago 7 Yes Yes2021 Being the Ricardos Yes YesTelevision Edit Year Title Writer ExecutiveProducer Creator1998 2000 Sports Night Yes Yes Yes1999 2003 The West Wing Yes Yes Yes2006 07 Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip Yes Yes Yes2012 14 The Newsroom Yes Yes Yes2020 A West Wing Special to Benefit When We All Vote Yes Yes YesPlays Edit Playwright Year Title Venue Ref 1984 Removing All Doubt Syracuse University1988 Hidden in This Picture West Bank Cafe Downstairs Theatre Bar 174 1989 A Few Good Men Music Box Theatre Broadway 175 1990 Making Movies Promenade Theatre 22 2007 The Farnsworth Invention La Jolla Playhouse San Diego 83 2018 To Kill a Mockingbird Shubert Theatre Broadway 176 2022 Camelot Vivian Beaumont Theater Broadway 177 Acting credits Edit Year Title Role Notes1992 A Few Good Men Man in bar1995 The American President Aide in bar1999 Sports Night Man at bar Episode Small Town 2006 The West Wing Man in crowd Episode Tomorrow 2009 10 Entourage Himself Two episodes2010 The Social Network Ad executive2011 30 Rock Himself Episode Plan B 2017 Molly s Game Man in barAwards and nominations EditMain article List of awards and nominations received by Aaron Sorkin Sorkin has been recognized by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for the following films 83rd Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay win The Social Network 2010 178 84th Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay nomination Moneyball 2011 179 90th Academy Awards Best Adapted Screenplay nomination Molly s Game 2017 180 93rd Academy Awards Best Original Screenplay nomination The Trial of the Chicago 7 2020 181 Sorkin has been nominated for ten Golden Globe Awards winning three for Best Screenplay for The Social Network 2011 Steve Jobs 2015 and The Trial of the Chicago Seven 2020 182 He has also received five British Academy Film Awards nominations winning one for The Social Network 2010 183 He has also received fourteen Writers Guild of America Award nominations winning twice for The West Wing and The Social Network 2010 184 185 He has received seven Critics Choice Movie Awards nominations winning consecutively for Best Screenplay for The Social Network and Moneyball For his work on television Sorkin has received nine Primetime Emmy Award nominations winning four awards for Outstanding Drama Series for The West Wing in 2000 2001 2002 and 2003 He also won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for The West Wing episode In Excelsis Deo in 2000 References Edit Jason Buchanan 2014 Aaron Sorkin biography The New York Times Archived from the original on March 11 2014 Retrieved June 2 2012 Born June 9 1961 a b c d e f Levesque John March 7 2000 Aaron Sorkin is a man of many words Seattle Post Intelligencer Archived from the original on October 19 2010 Retrieved January 10 2007 Berrin Danielle July 17 2012 A small glimpse into Aaron Sorkin s Jewish story Jewish Journal Archived from the original on December 16 2014 I m Jewish but have never had any religious training I never went to Hebrew school Gross Terry July 16 2012 Aaron Sorkin The Writer Behind The Newsroom NPR Archived from the original on December 10 2018 Retrieved June 5 2018 Aaron Sorkin I m Jewish Lipman Jennifer November 26 2015 Why Aaron Sorkin is cinema s finest talent The Jewish Chronicle Archived from the original on December 11 2018 Retrieved June 5 2018 Sorkin who comes from a middle class Jewish family from Scarsdale Cleveland Jewish News The 30 plus most influential Jews in America Archived March 17 2016 at the Wayback Machine December 27 2001 a b Jones Oliver May 28 2001 A Troubled Genius Us Weekly Archived from the original on November 3 2004 Retrieved January 22 2007 a b c d e f g h i j k l De Jonge Peter October 28 2001 Aaron Sorkin Works His Way Through the Crisis The New York Times Magazine Archived from the original on June 23 2009 Retrieved January 12 2007 Josef Adalian Michael Schneider July 26 2000 Sorkin to nest at WBTV Variety Retrieved September 26 2008 Sorkin s association with Warner Bros follows in the footsteps of his father Bernard a New York based copyright expert who started with the studio 40 years ago when it was Warner Bros 7 Arts a b Parker Spitzer Interview Aaron Sorkin video 3 05 father WWII vet amp college on G I Bill CNN Archived from the original on October 9 2010 Retrieved November 13 2010 Simpson David November 10 2010 Awards Watch Roundtable The Writers part 3 video series The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on November 13 2010 Retrieved November 13 2010 Buchanan Kyle November 11 2010 Aaron Sorkin s Four Big Problems With the WGA New York Archived from the original on November 13 2010 Retrieved November 13 2010 a b c d e Weber Bruce November 4 2007 Prodigal Returns Bearing Dialogue The New York Times Archived from the original on January 16 2018 Retrieved October 27 2014 I ve been healthy for six and a half years he said But like any addict I m one phone call away from that not being true Willcox Kathleen May 23 2011 Aaron Sorkin to Revisit Scarsdale s Social Network Patch com Archived from the original on October 24 2014 Retrieved October 24 2014 a b c d e Herzog Brad 2001 In the Spotlight Script Sensation Syracuse University Magazine 18 2 17 18 Archived from the original on May 27 2014 Retrieved May 27 2014 Banerjee Debra June 6 2011 Scarsdale turns out to hear Aaron Sorkin The Scarsdale Inquirer Archived from the original on October 24 2014 Retrieved October 24 2014 Aaron Sorkin SHS 1979 Scarsdale Alumni Association Archived from the original on November 9 2014 Retrieved October 24 2014 Frank Harold Trevor Rhodes October 2001 The Creation of the Future The Role of the American University Cornell University Press pp 75 76 ISBN 978 0 8014 3937 7 Vitello Paul March 10 2013 Arthur Storch Stage Director Dies at 87 The New York Times Archived from the original on March 12 2013 Retrieved March 12 2013 Ernio Hernandez Encounter with Peter Krause Playbill Archived from the original on January 14 2009 Retrieved December 25 2010 a b Weiss Valerie December 2003 Three days 15 seminars one great experience ImagineNews com Archived from the original on December 20 2006 Retrieved January 12 2007 a b c Gussow Mel March 28 1990 Review Theater Making Movies a Satire Of the Celluloid World The New York Times Archived from the original on September 25 2020 Retrieved January 12 2007 Glaberson William September 15 2011 4 lawyers claim to be the hero in a few good men The New York Times Archived from the original on June 12 2018 Retrieved August 9 2018 A Few Good Men London theatre tickets and information ThisIsTheatre com Archived from the original on June 8 2011 Retrieved January 22 2007 a b c Sorkin Aaron August 13 2003 About the Show Aaron Sorkin The Charlie Rose Show Interview Interviewed by Charlie Rose New York City Archived from the original on July 16 2011 Retrieved January 24 2007 a b c Prigge Steven October 2004 Movie Moguls Speak Interviews with Top Film Producers McFarland amp Company pp 12 13 ISBN 978 0 7864 1929 6 Henry III William A November 27 1989 Marine Life Time Archived from the original on July 24 2011 Retrieved January 12 2007 Hernandez Ernio June 18 2004 Aaron Sorkin Working on A Few Good Men for London and New Play for Dublin s Abbey Playbill Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved January 20 2007 a b c Weinraub Bernard December 6 1992 Rob Reiner s March To A Few Good Men The New York Times Archived from the original on November 8 2012 Retrieved September 26 2007 Goldstein Patrick October 10 1999 On a Wing and a Prayer Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 2 2008 Retrieved September 26 2008 Sorkin Aaron May 22 2002 Aaron Sorkin The Today Show Interview Interviewed by Katie Couric New York NBC Archived from the original on May 12 2006 Buchanan Jason Aaron Sorkin Biography Allmovie Archived from the original on January 4 2015 Retrieved October 27 2014 A Few Good Men Box Office Mojo Archived from the original on August 27 2020 Retrieved September 25 2020 Sharf Zack November 9 2017 Aaron Sorkin Was Pushed to Write a Steamy Sexy Scene for Nicole Kidman in Malice and Refused IndieWire Retrieved October 18 2020 Canby Vincent October 1 1993 Reviews Film An Idyll Shattered By Rape and Murder The New York Times Archived from the original on February 23 2012 Retrieved September 26 2008 Ebert Roger October 1 1993 Malice Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on January 1 2009 Retrieved September 26 2008 Travers Peter December 8 2000 Malice Rolling Stone Archived from the original on June 28 2011 Retrieved March 10 2011 Malice is way out of that classy league It s got suspense but no staying power a b Forrest Emma May 2 2002 Words fly down the halls of power The Age Melbourne Archived from the original on January 18 2007 Retrieved January 12 2007 Turan Kenneth November 17 1995 The American President Boy Meets Girl Brings Along Secret Service The American President is a sentimental fantasy mixing romance Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on June 16 2008 Retrieved September 26 2008 a b Sorkin Aaron July 2002 The West Wing Script Book Newmarket Press ISBN 978 1 55704 549 2 a b Bart Peter February 21 2000 The Gross The Hits the Flops The Summer That Ate Hollywood St Martin s Griffin pp 95 96 ISBN 978 0 312 25391 2 Biskind Peter March 2006 Thunder on the Left The Making of Reds Vanity Fair Archived from the original on October 8 2014 Retrieved April 17 2020 Petrikin Chris September 1 1997 Beatty s bete noir scribe makes waves over Ocean Variety Goldstein Patrick May 3 1998 Hanging With Warren B Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 7 2009 Retrieved September 26 2008 a b c d e f Interview with Aaron Sorkin Creator and Executive Producer of Sports Night and The West Wing Comedy Central com January 1 2001 Archived from the original on March 21 2007 Retrieved January 10 2007 Levesque John October 13 1998 Quality of Sports Night no Laughing Matter Seattle Post Intelligencer Jeff Merron November 12 2002 Keeping it real on Sports Night ESPN Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved December 25 2010 Richard Firstman Their Championship Season In the Dugout with the MVPs of Sports Night TV Guide Archived from the original on June 21 2007 Retrieved January 19 2007 a b Bark Ed March 10 1999 Huffman is game for Sports Night but is ABC Dallas Morning News Archived from the original on September 28 2007 Retrieved January 28 2007 a b Flint Joe September 25 1998 A Laugh Riot Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on November 19 2008 Retrieved January 25 2007 Millman Joyce February 22 1999 Why are Dilbert and Sports Night like a day at the office Because watching them is a grind Salon Archived from the original on January 14 2009 Retrieved December 25 2010 Owen Rob March 18 1999 Redundant Sports Night loses its momentum Pittsburgh Post Gazette PG Publishing Archived from the original on May 18 2011 Retrieved January 25 2007 Owen Rob October 1 2000 Networks are slower to cancel TV series but viewers are still wary Pittsburgh Post Gazette PG Publishing Archived from the original on May 22 2011 Retrieved October 1 2008 Rosenberg Howard December 6 1999 News at 9 30 Reprieve for Witty Sports Night Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 5 2016 Retrieved April 17 2020 a b Interview with Aaron Sorkin PDF On Writing Magazine Issue 18 The Writers Guild of America East Inc February 2003 p 6 Archived from the original PDF on January 28 2007 Retrieved January 10 2007 a b c Miller Matthew March 1 2000 The Real White House Brill s Content Archived from the original on March 13 2007 Retrieved January 18 2007 Pilot episode The West Wing Episode Guide Archived from the original on January 22 2007 Retrieved January 23 2007 West Wing ends seven year TV run BBC News Online May 15 2006 Archived from the original on May 12 2009 Retrieved February 19 2009 Weinraub Bernard June 26 2001 West Wing Producer a Union Leader Rules Out Writers Raises The New York Times Archived from the original on August 18 2009 Retrieved January 5 2011 Cleveland Rick I Was the Dumb Looking Guy with the Wire Rimmed Glasses FreshYarn com Archived from the original on February 11 2007 Retrieved January 17 2007 Kaus Mickey July 3 2001 West Wing Web War Slate com Archived from the original on February 8 2007 Retrieved January 17 2007 In Excelsis Deo The West Wing Episode Guide Archived from the original on January 9 2007 Retrieved January 17 2007 Writers Guild Awards Winners WGA 2010 Archived from the original on May 25 2012 Retrieved April 15 2010 a b Aaron Sorkin Says He Used Drugs Associated Press Archived from the original on May 4 2007 Retrieved June 7 2007 Friend Tad February 25 2002 West Wing Watch Snookered by Bush The New Yorker Archived from the original on October 22 2007 Retrieved January 14 2007 Elber Lynn March 5 2002 West Wing Creator Defends Comments Midland Daily News Associated Press Archived from the original on November 11 2016 Retrieved November 10 2016 Dickenson Ben March 3 2006 Hollywood s New Radicalism War Globalisation and the Movies from Reagan to George W Bush I B Tauris pp 111 112 ISBN 978 1 84511 103 8 a b Richmond Ray May 12 2006 Finale West Wing The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on June 28 2012 Retrieved September 26 2008 Adalian Josef May 1 2003 Sorkin sulking away from Wing Variety Retrieved January 14 2007 Wallenstein Andrew October 15 2005 Sorkin back at NBC with Studio deal NBC gets Sorkin show The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on September 30 2007 Retrieved January 27 2007 a b Harris Mark June 16 2012 TV s Best Talker Aaron Sorkin on The Newsroom Sorkinism and Sounding Smart Vulture Archived from the original on June 18 2012 Retrieved January 24 2012 Fleming Michael April 24 2005 West End boys club Variety Retrieved January 10 2007 Scott Hettrick September 11 2003 Inside Move Sorkin scripting play pic Variety Retrieved January 14 2007 Adalian Josef October 14 2005 Peacock on Studio beat Variety Retrieved January 21 2007 Young Kevin August 27 2006 Sorkin turns his attention to TV BBC News Online Archived from the original on March 7 2008 Retrieved January 21 2007 Goldstein Patrick July 17 2007 Sorkin takes the blame for 60 Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on January 7 2009 Retrieved September 26 2008 a b Ryan Maureen January 19 2007 Aaron Sorkin speaks about Studio 60 the press and those pesky bloggers Chicago Tribune Archived from the original on April 11 2008 Retrieved February 19 2009 Ayers Mike March 21 2012 Amanda Peet returns to television CNN Archived from the original on March 8 2016 Retrieved September 25 2020 Archerd Army October 29 2003 Inside The Alamo Variety Retrieved January 23 2007 New Line Cinema acquires Aaron Sorkin s The Farnsworth Invention taps Thomas Schlamme to direct Press release New Line Cinema April 28 2004 Archived from the original on January 17 2007 Retrieved January 21 2007 a b c Fricker Karen February 5 2006 Farnsworth fumble Abbey drops ball on Sorkin commission Variety Retrieved September 26 2008 Carter Bill September 11 2006 West Wing to West Coast TV s Auteur Portrays TV The New York Times Archived from the original on September 25 2020 Retrieved February 4 2017 Mr Sorkin s new play The Farnsworth Invention based on the struggle of Philo T Farnsworth to win recognition for his invention television again will begin rehearsals at the La Jolla Playhouse Steven Spielberg is making his theatrical producing debut a b BWW News Desk December 15 2006 Sorkin and McAnuff Collaborate on LaJolla s Invention BroadwayWorld com Archived from the original on January 11 2012 Retrieved January 2 2007 BWW News Desk July 25 2007 Azaria amp Simpson Set for Farnsworth Invention Opens 11 14 BroadwayWorld com Archived from the original on January 11 2012 Retrieved October 24 2008 Aaron Sorkin s Farnsworth Invention to Open on Broadway in November Playbill June 21 2007 Archived from the original on June 26 2007 Retrieved June 22 2007 Cox Gordon November 10 2007 Invention sparks reinvention Sorkin s former movie pitch hits Broadway Variety Archived from the original on December 11 2007 Retrieved November 10 2007 Gans Andrew November 28 2007 It s Over Labor Dispute Resolved as Stagehands Strike Ends Playbill Archived from the original on November 30 2007 Retrieved September 25 2008 Gans Andrew Hernandez Ernio March 2 2008 Farnsworth Invention Ends Broadway Run March 2 Playbill Archived from the original on January 14 2009 Fleming Michael June 17 2004 Sorkin goes from White House to front line Playtone partners Hanks Goetzman to produce War Variety Retrieved January 23 2007 Fleming Michael July 20 2003 Playtone goes to War with U Hanks to play former Texas congressman Wilson Variety Retrieved January 23 2007 Martin A Grove January 12 2007 Holiday weekends will drive 2007 boxoffice The Hollywood Reporter Associated Press Archived from the original on November 5 2013 Retrieved January 23 2007 Winners amp Nominees 2008 www goldenglobes com Retrieved October 26 2020 Guynn Jessica August 28 2008 Coming soon Facebook The Movie Los Angeles Times Archived from the original on October 20 2008 Retrieved April 17 2020 The 83rd Academy Awards 2011 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Archived from the original on March 18 2020 Retrieved September 24 2020 2011 Film Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Awards awards bafta org Archived from the original on March 25 2019 Retrieved September 24 2020 a b Aaron Sorkin www goldenglobes com Archived from the original on March 28 2020 Retrieved September 24 2020 The 84th Academy Awards 2012 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Archived from the original on April 17 2018 Retrieved September 24 2020 2012 Film Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Awards awards bafta org Archived from the original on March 24 2019 Retrieved September 24 2020 Travers Peter September 22 2011 Moneyball Rolling Stone Retrieved October 26 2020 Forcella Dan March 18 2011 30 Rock Review Queen of Jordan TV Fanatic Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved September 25 2020 Rice Lynette April 10 2009 Aaron Sorkin Come back to TV Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on December 7 2011 Retrieved December 22 2011 Andreeva Nellie January 23 2011 Aaron Sorkin s Cable News Network Project Awaits Greenlight At HBO Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on October 25 2011 Retrieved December 23 2011 Weprin Alex January 24 2011 Aaron Sorkin s Next TV Show Tackling Cable News TV Newser Archived from the original on January 8 2012 Retrieved December 22 2011 a b Andreeva Nellie January 28 2011 Aaron Sorkin s Cable News Drama Is A Go At HBO With Pilot Order Scott Rudin Producing Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on January 5 2012 Retrieved December 22 2011 Huver Scott February 1 2011 Aaron Sorkin Teases Details on His New HBO Pilot TV Guide Archived from the original on January 9 2012 Retrieved December 22 2011 Sepinwall Alan June 19 2012 The Newsroom creator Aaron Sorkin on Keith Olbermann and his return to TV HitFix Archived from the original on July 11 2012 Retrieved July 11 2012 Christine Canabou Pamela Kruger Cathy Olofson May 2001 What s on Your Agenda Ten senior executives and thinkers explain the most crucial item on their leadership agenda Fast Company Archived from the original on January 3 2009 Retrieved October 2 2008 Hibberd James September 8 2011 Aaron Sorkin s HBO cable news drama ordered to series Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on December 9 2014 Retrieved December 22 2011 Zakarin Jordan September 8 2011 Aaron Sorkin HBO Cable News Pilot Ordered To Series The Huffington Post Archived from the original on December 22 2011 Retrieved December 22 2011 Hibberd James December 14 2011 Jane Fonda joins Aaron Sorkin s HBO drama Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on January 6 2012 Retrieved December 27 2011 Rice Lynette July 2 2012 Breaking HBO renews Newsroom True Blood Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on July 3 2012 Retrieved July 2 2012 Goldberg Lesley June 21 2012 The Newsroom s Aaron Sorkin on Idealism Keith Olbermann and His Private Screening for the Media Elite The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on September 25 2012 Retrieved September 6 2012 Kit Borys May 15 2012 Aaron Sorkin to Write Steve Jobs Movie for Sony The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on May 20 2012 Retrieved May 20 2012 WSJDigitalNetwork May 30 2012 Aaron Sorkin Talks Steve Jobs Movie His Digital Life and His New Show The Newsroom Video upload YouTube Google Inc Archived from the original on January 10 2013 Retrieved July 15 2013 Golden Globes 2016 winners list Leonardo DiCaprio The Revenant Brie Larson amp more www ew com Archived from the original on January 11 2016 Retrieved January 11 2016 Oscar nominations 2016 the 7 most surprising snubs of this year s awards Vox January 14 2016 Archived from the original on March 19 2017 Retrieved August 5 2020 Aaron Sorkin and Bartlett Sher Adapt To Kill a Mockingbird to the Stage Classicalite February 12 2016 Archived from the original on February 14 2016 Retrieved February 23 2016 To Kill A Mockingbird Playbill Archived July 1 2018 at the Wayback Machine July 1 2018 McPhee Ryan December 13 2018 Read the Reviews for Broadway s To Kill a Mockingbird Playbill Archived from the original on December 15 2018 Retrieved December 15 2018 Kit Borys January 7 2016 Aaron Sorkin to Make Directorial Debut With Underground Poker Drama Molly s Game The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on January 10 2016 Retrieved January 8 2016 Hipes Patrick May 6 2016 Idris Elba Just Upped Ante Of Aaron Sorkin s Molly s Game Ahead Of Cannes Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on November 11 2016 Retrieved November 10 2016 Kroll Justin May 6 2016 Idris Elba in Talks to Join Jessica Chastain in Aaron Sorkin s Molly s Game EXCLUSIVE Variety Archived from the original on November 10 2016 Retrieved November 10 2016 Seetoodeh Ramin May 13 2016 Cannes Aaron Sorkin s Molly s Game Nears 9 Million Deal With STX Variety Archived from the original on November 11 2016 Retrieved November 9 2016 Principal photography begins on Aaron Sorkin s Molly s Game starring Jessica Chastain and Idris Elba Entertainment One November 9 2016 Archived from the original on November 27 2016 Retrieved November 9 2016 The 90th Academy Awards 2018 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Archived from the original on March 10 2018 Retrieved September 24 2020 Molly s Game 2018 Rotten Tomatoes archived from the original on January 11 2018 retrieved September 25 2020 a b Ansen David July 22 2020 First Look at Aaron Sorkin s The Trial of the Chicago 7 Vanity Fair Archived from the original on August 3 2020 Retrieved August 8 2020 Michael Fleming Pamela McClintock July 12 2007 Sorkin on Trial at DreamWorks Duo to team on possible Spielberg project Variety Retrieved September 26 2008 Sabbagh Dan March 17 2011 Natalie Portman sparks Hollywood battle The Guardian London Archived from the original on February 2 2017 Retrieved December 10 2016 Ford Rebecca July 23 2013 Paul Greengrass in Talks for Aaron Sorkin Penned The Trial of the Chicago 7 The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on July 25 2020 Retrieved April 17 2020 Kroll Justin October 26 2018 Aaron Sorkin to Direct Trial of the Chicago 7 With Sacha Baron Cohen in Talks to Star Variety Archived from the original on August 14 2019 Retrieved August 13 2019 Beresford Trilby May 1 2020 Latest Transformers Lands 2022 Release Date Hollywood Reporter www hollywoodreporter com Archived from the original on September 10 2020 Retrieved September 25 2020 Golden Globes 2021 The winners and nominees in full BBC News February 28 2021 Retrieved March 17 2021 Robinson Will September 2 2015 Cate Blanchett to star in Lucille Ball biopic written by Aaron Sorkin Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on September 5 2015 Retrieved September 6 2015 Fleming Mike Jr August 7 2017 Amazon Studios Boards Lucy And Desi Aaron Sorkin Scripting Cate Blanchett To Play Lucille Ball Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on August 7 2017 Retrieved August 7 2017 Lenker Maureen Lee October 19 2021 Aaron Sorkin shows a new side of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz in Being the Ricardos teaser EW com Archived from the original on October 19 2021 Retrieved January 8 2022 Byrnes Paul December 13 2021 Being the Ricardos is near flawless and Nicole Kidman is magnificent The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved January 8 2022 Brady Tara Being the Ricardos A sticky situation but not much comedy The Irish Times Retrieved January 8 2022 Aaron Sorkin Bartlett Sher Team for Camelot Revival Variety March 28 2022 Retrieved April 3 2022 Aaron Sorkin Camelot Postpones Broadway Opening Until Spring 2023 Deadline Hollywood June 29 2022 Retrieved October 1 2022 Endelman Michael March 20 2007 Sorkin Will Script Flaming Lips Musical Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on June 11 2007 Retrieved June 9 2007 Cox Gordon August 13 2006 McAnuff tries northern exposure After B way boom helmer sets sights on Shakespeare Variety Archived from the original on December 4 2008 Retrieved September 26 2008 Cox Gordon June 24 2007 Sorkin eyes Lips show Writer mulls Yoshimi musical Variety Retrieved September 26 2008 Ouzounian Richard August 19 2008 Top talent in place at Stratford for 2009 Toronto Star Archived from the original on September 4 2008 Retrieved September 25 2008 Marino Mark July 16 2010 West Wing creator takes on John Edwards CNN Archived from the original on July 23 2010 Retrieved December 25 2010 Vozick Levinson Simon November 2 2010 Aaron Sorkin writing Hugh Jackman s Houdini musical Composer Danny Elfman has high hopes Entertainment Weekly Archived from the original on December 5 2010 Retrieved December 4 2010 Potts Kimberly January 4 2012 Hugh Jackman Aaron Sorkin Teaming for Houdini Musical The Wrap Media Archived from the original on June 26 2012 Retrieved June 2 2012 Couch Aaron January 30 2013 Aaron Sorkin Exits Broadway Musical About Houdini The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on July 25 2020 Retrieved April 17 2020 Kissell Rick March 30 2016 NBC Sets Live Production of Aaron Sorkin s A Few Good Men for 2017 Archived from the original on June 2 2016 Retrieved June 10 2016 Rose Lacey November 19 2017 Aaron Sorkin Goes Off Script Fears the Critics and His Private Battles Behind Molly s Game The Hollywood Reporter Archived from the original on November 27 2018 Retrieved November 26 2018 Rapkin Mickey August 12 2008 Why Does Aaron Sorkin Feel So Guilty GQ Archived from the original on September 13 2008 Retrieved September 26 2008 Elif Cercel November 11 1999 Interview with Thomas Schlamme Director and Executive Producer Sports Night Directors World Archived from the original on June 26 2007 Retrieved January 21 2007 The Digital Americana Wall thedigitalamericana com Archived from the original on October 29 2016 Retrieved October 16 2016 West Wing votes in new writers BBC News Online July 25 2003 Archived from the original on December 11 2006 Retrieved January 25 2007 Berardinelli James 1993 Malice A Film Review Reelviews net Archived from the original on February 20 2007 Retrieved January 10 2007 Holmes Linda November 26 2006 Studio 60 doesn t take comedy seriously Show s flailing by focusing on issues not craziness of the writers room mbnbc com Archived from the original on September 25 2020 Retrieved January 25 2007 Srivastava Utkarsh June 9 2018 Decoding Aaron Sorkin A competence porn expert with a possible woman problem Firstpost Retrieved March 31 2022 Izadi Elahe March 27 2017 Analysis Aaron Sorkin reportedly unaware of Hollywood s diversity problem had many chances to become aware Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved March 31 2022 a b Rayner Jay July 10 2005 Wing and a prayer The Guardian London Archived from the original on August 29 2013 Retrieved February 19 2009 a b Gumbel Andrew October 22 2005 After the West Wing The Independent London Archived from the original on April 10 2009 Retrieved February 19 2009 Bromley Melanie Malkin Marc May 23 2012 Sources Kristin Davis Dating Oscar Winning Writer Aaron Sorkin Archived from the original on May 25 2012 Retrieved May 23 2012 Chenoweth Kristin 2009 A Little Bit Wicked Life Love and Faith in Stages Simon amp Schuster ISBN 978 1 4165 8055 3 Kurtz Howard November 5 2005 Sex amp the Single Stiletto The Washington Post Archived from the original on July 26 2008 Retrieved September 25 2008 Chen Joyce June 21 2012 Kristin Davis Aaron Sorkin kiss on red carpet glow with love as they confirm romance Daily News New York Archived from the original on June 25 2012 Retrieved June 26 2012 D Zurilla Christie April 25 2021 Oscars 2021 Aaron Sorkin Paulina Porizkova make it red carpet official as a couple Los Angeles Times Retrieved June 27 2021 Ross Martha July 20 2021 Paulina Porizkova splits from funny and sexy Aaron Sorkin We re a duck and a goose The Mercury News Retrieved July 20 2021 Aaron Sorkin Biography and Political Campaign Contributions CampaignMoney com Archived from the original on February 3 2007 Retrieved January 29 2007 Cooper Matthew July 3 2004 I m Rob Reiner and I Approve this Message Time Archived from the original on August 29 2006 Retrieved January 29 2007 Johnson Ted August 28 2008 Obama s fresh Hollywood faces Hollywood team Vitality and donations Variety Retrieved September 15 2008 Sorkin Aaron November 10 2016 Read the Letter Aaron Sorkin Wrote His Daughter After Donald Trump Was Elected President Vanity Fair Archived from the original on May 12 2020 Retrieved April 17 2020 Rayner Jay July 31 2005 West Wing creator brings his play to West End The Guardian London Archived from the original on August 29 2013 Retrieved January 14 2007 Cieply Michael September 2001 The Crack Up Talk magazine Syracuse May 14 2012 Aaron Sorkin s Commencement Speech 13 May 2012 Video upload YouTube Google Inc Archived from the original on July 14 2013 Retrieved July 15 2013 Mel Gussow August 24 1988 Review Theater Three Plays on Desire The New York Times Archived from the original on September 25 2020 Retrieved January 12 2007 Frank Rich November 16 1989 Review Theater Honor Bullying and Conformity in the Trial in A Few Good Men The New York Times Archived from the original on September 25 2020 Retrieved January 12 2007 How Aaron Sorkin reworked To Kill a Mockingbird for Broadway PBS May 9 2019 Retrieved April 3 2022 Aaron Sorkin amp Bartlett Sher To Reunite For Broadway Revival Of Camelot Deadline Hollywood March 28 2022 Retrieved April 3 2022 The 83rd Academy Awards 2011 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Retrieved January 8 2022 The 84th Academy Awards 2012 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Retrieved January 8 2022 The 89th Academy Awards 2018 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Archived from the original on October 29 2017 Retrieved January 8 2022 The 93rd Academy Awards 2021 Oscars org Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Retrieved January 8 2022 Aaron Sorkin www goldenglobes com Retrieved January 8 2022 BAFTA Awards Search BAFTA Awards awards bafta org Search for Aaron Sorkin Archived from the original on February 13 2013 Retrieved January 8 2022 a href Template Cite web html title Template Cite web cite web a CS1 maint others link Writers Guild Awards Winners 2012 2006 awards wga org Retrieved January 8 2022 Writers Guild Awards Winners 2005 1996 awards wga org Retrieved January 8 2022 Further reading EditAaron Sorkin July 2002 The West Wing Script Book Newmarket Press ISBN 978 1 55704 549 2 Aaron Sorkin February 2004 The West Wing Seasons 3 amp 4 The Shooting Scripts Eight Teleplays Newmarket Press ISBN 978 1 55704 612 3 Interview with Aaron Sorkin PDF On Writing Magazine Issue 18 The Writers Guild of America East Inc February 2003 p 6 Archived from the original PDF on January 28 2007 Retrieved January 10 2007 Aaron Sorkin Early draft of the Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip pilot script Archived from the original on October 25 2009 Retrieved February 1 2007 Aaron Sorkin and Rob Reiner 2001 From Stage to Screen with Aaron Sorkin and Rob Reiner A Few Good Men Special Edition DVD Documentary Aaron Barnhart January 21 2007 Aaron Sorkin in his own words TV Barn Podcast Archived from the original on February 21 2007 External links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to Aaron Sorkin Wikimedia Commons has media related to Aaron Sorkin Aaron Sorkin at IMDb Aaron Sorkin at Moviefone Aaron Sorkin at Rotten Tomatoes Blog Entries by Aaron Sorkin at HuffPost Aaron Sorkin collected news and commentary at The Guardian Aaron Sorkin collected news and commentary at The New York Times Works by or about Aaron Sorkin in libraries WorldCat catalog Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Aaron Sorkin amp oldid 1132074743, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.