Aaron Sorkin is a playwright and screenwriter known for his fast-paced dialogue. He wrote for TV shows including The West Wing and Sports Night, and movies such as A Few Good Men and The American President. He began his career as an actor but turned to writing after struggling to find work. His breakthrough came with A Few Good Men, which he adapted for the screen. Sorkin has had a successful career, but his personal life has been marred by drug addiction.
Aaron Sorkin is a playwright and screenwriter known for his use of dense, cultured dialogue and lightning-fast banter between characters. His television credits include The West Wing, Sports Night and Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. He also wrote the screenplays for The American President, Malice, and the film version of his play, A Few Good Men. There is also some evidence that he worked with Steven Spielberg on the final drafts of Schindler’s List.
Born in New York City in 1961, Sorkin grew up in the affluent New York suburb of Scarsdale. His first interest was in the acting profession, and to that end he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts from Syracuse University. However, finding work as an actor proved to be a challenge, leading him to embark on a different career path as a writer. Many of his early plays were produced in smaller theaters to some critical acclaim, but a chance argument with his sister inspired his first major success.
Sorkin’s sister worked for a military legal office tasked with defending soldiers accused of murder in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The details of the case formed the basic plot for her comedy A Few Good Men. The play would later be produced on Broadway, providing a much needed break. He would also be involved in the film adaptation with Tom Cruise, Demi Moore and Jack Nicholson.
Following the success of A Few Good Men, he wrote the script for a politically tinged romantic comedy called The American President, starring Michael Douglas as a widowed president who attempts to date a lobbyist played by Annette Bening. The film received solid reviews for its cultured dialogue and realistic treatment of the Washington political scene.
Meanwhile, several television networks began competing for his writing services. ABC kicked off its realistic comedy Sports Night in 1998, which became a critical favorite for its intelligent interplay and dialogue, but a failure in the ratings due to variable time slots and cerebral humor.
In 1999, NBC premiered The West Wing, a drama about the inner workings of the executive branch of the White House. Sorkin, Thomas Schlamme, and John Wells wrote many of the show’s most popular episodes. His proprietary machine gun dialogue and blend of pop culture references brought real life to the idiosyncratic characters. Originally written as a vehicle for actor Rob Lowe as a presidential speechwriter, The West Wing has evolved into a strong ensemble cast who lead parallel lives with attendees of the real White House.
His career was threatened in 2001, however, after he was detained at an airport for possession of marijuana, rock cocaine and hallucinogenic mushrooms. He has stepped away from the day-to-day writing responsibilities of The West Wing to pursue rehabilitation. After several years away from the Hollywood spotlight, Sorkin returned to begin work on a new project with many of the actors from his previous shows. Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip is loosely based on backstage stories from NBC’s live musical/comedy show Saturday Night Live. Sorkin also wrote two other screenplays, Charlie Wilson’s War and The Farnsworth Invention, chronicling the race to invent television.
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