Aaron Sorkin ’83, award-winning screenwriter, producer and playwright, received his third Oscar nomination in screenwriting when the nominations for the 90th Academy Awards were announced Tuesday. Sorkin, a graduate of the College of Visual and Performing Arts’ (VPA) Department of Drama, was nominated in the Adapted Screenplay category for “Molly’s Game.”
Sorkin adapted “Molly’s Game” from Molly Bloom’s memoir “Molly’s Game: The True Story of the 26-Year-Old Woman Behind the Most Exclusive, High-Stakes Underground Poker Game in the World” (HarperCollins Publishers, 2014). The film, which also marked Sorkin’s directorial debut, stars Jessica Chastain, Idris Elba, Kevin Costner and Michael Cera.
Sorkin won the Academy Award in the Adapted Screenplay category in 2011 for “The Social Network.” In 2012, he was nominated in the same category for “Moneyball,” along with Steven Zaillian and Stan Chervin.
Sorkin’s work in film, television and on stage has earned him numerous awards, including two Golden Globes for Best Screenplay (“Steve Jobs,” “The Social Network”) and six Emmy Awards for “The West Wing.”
An active and dedicated Syracuse University alumnus, in 2006 Sorkin funded and launched the Sorkin in LA Learning Practicum—also known as “Sorkin Week”—which is a weeklong immersion experience for VPA drama and film students to meet with professionals working in all facets of the entertainment industry, including actors, writers, talent agents, directors and producers. He is a member of the VPA Council and has received Syracuse University’s George Arents Pioneer Medal, the highest alumni honor awarded by the University, as well as an honorary degree when he delivered the University’s 2012 Commencement address.