Guide Note

Aaron Sorkin is a screenwriter, producer and playwright. Sorkin created the Emmy Award-winning The West Wing and the short-lived 2006 series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip.

Sorkin's big break came when his stage play A Few Good Men caught Hollywood's attention. Sorkin was hired to adapt his play for the screen and followed it with screenplays for Malice and An American President.

In 1998, Sorkin created the television series Sports Night for ABC. Sports Night lasted two seasons. His next television outing was longer lasting, the critically-acclaimed The West Wing. Sorkin stayed with The West Wing for four of its seven seasons.

Next up was the 2006 drama Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, the screenplay for Charlie Wilson's War and Broadway play The Farnsworth Invention about the invention of television.

Sorkin is known for writing rapid-fire dialogue delivered by characters as they "walk and talk."

Fast Facts

1. Birthday: June 9, 1961
2. Birthplace: New York City
3. Alma mater: Syracuse University
4. Awards: Outer Critics Circle Awards for "Outstanding American Playwright" (1989), 3 Humanitas Prizes (1999, 2000, 2002), Emmy Award (2002)
5. Primary Collaborator: Thomas Schlamme
6. Had a highly-publicized cocaine addiction