Aaron Sorkin is an American screenwriter, playwright, and filmmaker known for his work in film, television and theatre. Over his career he has received several awards including an Academy Award, a BAFTA Award, five Primetime Emmy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards, and two Writers Guild of America Awards, as well as a nomination for a Laurence Olivier Award and two Directors Guild of America Awards.
Sorkin gained stardom and acclaim for creating and writing the ABC drama series Sports Night (1998âÂÂ2000), the NBC political drama series The West Wing (1999âÂÂ2006), the NBC comedy-drama series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip (2006âÂÂ2007), and the HBO political comedy-drama series The Newsroom (2013âÂÂ2015). For The West Wing, Sorkin received four Primetime Emmy Awards for Outstanding Drama Series in 2000, 2001, 2002, and 2003 and the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for "In Excelsis Deo" in 2000.
On film, Sorkin won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for the David Fincher drama The Social Network (2010). He was Oscar-nominated for the sports drama Moneyball (2011), the thriller Molly's Game (2017), and the political drama The Trial of the Chicago 7 (2020). He is also known for writing the screenplays for the legal drama A Few Good Men (1992), the romantic comedy The American President (1995), the political drama Charlie Wilson's War (2007), and the biographical dramas Steve Jobs (2015), and Being the Ricardos (2021).
Sorkin made his Broadway debut in 1989 with A Few Good Men. He followed it up with his original play The Farnsworth Invention (2007) and with the stage adaptation of Harper Lee's To Kill a Mockingbird in 2018 starring Jeff Daniels as Atticus Finch. The latter play ran for a year with Daniels in the lead role and received nine Tony Award nominations. The play transferred to the West End where it was nominated for the Laurence Olivier Award for Best New Play. He adapted the Broadway musical revival of the Lerner and Loewe musical Camelot (2022).
Directed Academy Award performances<br />Under Sorkin's direction, these actors have received Academy Award nominations for their performances in their respective roles.