Aaron Sorkin Biography

Aaron Sorkin is an American director, screenwriter, playwright, actor and producer. He has written some of the most intelligent, and entertaining stories for both film and television.

Sorkin was born and raised in New York City. He discovered his love for theater when he was just a child.

Sorkin would attend Syracuse University, where he would later graduate with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Musical Theater in 1983. He first tried to start a career as an actor, but realized his true passion was in writing.

In 1989, Sorkin wrote the script A Few Good Men, which would become a huge success on Broadway, where it ran for over a year. He received much praise for his dramatic writing and command of the play, despite not having any personal military or legal experience. The play earned Sorkin the Outer Critics Circle award for Outstanding American Playwright.

Sorkin would sell the script's film rights even before its Broadway debut, which later became the classic film under the same name, A Few Good Men (1992), starring Jack Nicholson and Tom Cruise.

Following the film's success, Sorkin left his theater career behind and turned to Hollywood, where he would write the screenplays for films such as Malice (1993) and The American President (1995).

Sorkin would use ideas he cut from The American President to create the series The West Wing (1999-2006). The show was an instant hit, winning nine Emmy Awards in its first season alone. Sorkin received further praise for the show's sophisticated and entertaining writing. After producing and writing for the first four seasons, Sorkin would leave the show in 2003.

Sorkin struggled for a bit on television and in theater, with Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006-2007) going out after one season, and his play The Farnsworth Invention (2007) failing to leave a lasting impression. However, he found his stride again with his adaptation of Charlie Wilson's War (2007), starring Tom Hanks and Julia Roberts.

Following Charlie Wilson's War, Sorkin adapted Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires into The Social Network (2010). The film starred Jesse Eisenberg as Mark Zuckerberg, and was directed by David Fincher. The film was a huge success, earning Sorkin an Academy Award and Golden Globe for his screenplay.

He then followed up with co-writing Moneyball (2011) with Steven Zaillian, which earned more Oscar and Golden Globe nominations.

In 2015, Sorkin used Walter Issacson's biography of Apple founder Steve Jobs to create Steve Jobs (2015). The film was directed by Danny Boyle and starred Michael Fassbender in the title role. The film earned Sorkis his second Golden Globe win for Best Screenplay.

Sorkin made his directorial debut with Molly's Game (2017), for which he also wrote the screenplay. The film earned Golden Globe and Oscar nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay.

In 2020, Sorkin wrote and directed The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). The film earned Sorkin a Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay and a nomination for Best Director, in addition to an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay.

In 1995, Sorkin married entertainment lawyer Julia Bingham. The couple had one daughter together, named Roxy, in 2000, before divorcing in 2005.

Sorkin is a workaholic, and is known to sleep in his office during busy stretches. Because of his work habits, Sorkin started using marijuana and cocaine to relieve his stress. In 2001 at the Hollywood Burbank Airport, Sorkin was arrested for possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, marijuana, and crack cocaine. Sorkin says he has remained clean since then. ~Sean Olegario 

Filmography (Actor):
The Social Network (2010)
The American President (1995)
A Few Good Men (1992)

Filmography (Director):
The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020)
Molly’s Game (2017)