Adam Arkin's prolific career spans motion pictures, television and theatre. Better known for his acting career spanning 40 plus years, he has also become one of the busiest television directors working today. Most recently, Arkin has been seen in a recurring role on ABC's State of Affairs. He also had the opportunity to work on both sides of the camera, directing multiple episodes as well as appearing in recurring roles on Showtime's Masters of Sex and FX's The Bridge.
As a director, Arkin has helmed episodes of Masters of Sex, Secrets and Lies, Backstrom, The Bridge, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, Nurse Jackie, The Americans, The Blacklist, Lie To Me, The Closer, Life, Grey's Anatomy, Boston Legal, The Riches, Dirt, Chicago Hope, Northern Exposure, Ally McBeal and Monk, among others. He won a Daytime Emmy Award for “Outstanding Directing in a Children's Special,” and a DGA nomination for the Showtime telefilm My Louisiana Sky starring Juliette Lewis and Kelsey Keel. The film won an Emmy, the Humanitas Prize, a Carnegie Award and the Children’s Jury Award from the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival. He's also had the opportunity to serve as producing director on several projects including the freshman season of the critically acclaimed FX series, The Americans and the entire 2nd season of the acclaimed Hulu web series, The Booth at the End.
Arkin is undoubtedly best known for his role on CBS’ critically-acclaimed Chicago Hope, in which he starred for six seasons. Arkin was nominated for an Emmy Award for his performance as ‘Dr. Aaron Shutt’, and the show garnered four consecutive SAG Award nominations for “Best Ensemble Cast.” Arkin also received Emmy nominations for his performances on Northern Exposure and Frasier. Among his other notable television credits are roles on State of Affairs, Newsweek, Sons of Anarchy, Justified, The Closer, Chicago Code, Life, Family Tools, Monk, The West Wing, Boston Legal, China Beach and TNT’s A Slight Case of Murder, in which he co- starred with William H. Macy.
Arkin’s film credits include the Oscar nominated films A Serious Man (Coen Brothers) and The Sessions (Ben Lewin). Additional film credits include Hitch with Will Smith, The Doctor with William Hurt and Wrestling Ernest Hemingway with Robert Duvall (both for director Randa Haines), Hanging Up, Lake Placid, Under the Rainbow, Halloween H20, With Friends Like These and Baby Blue Marine. He was nominated for Canada’s Genie Award for his screenplay of Improper Channels, a feature starring his father Alan Arkin.
On the stage, Arkin received a Tony nomination for his performance in Paul Rudnick’s comedy, “I Hate Hamlet.” He starred on Broadway in Donald Margulies’ “Brooklyn Boy,” for which he received a Drama Desk nomination, and as Nathan Detroit in Jerry Zaks production of "Guys and Dolls". His other theater credits include “An American Daughter” with Meryl Streep, “Four Dogs and a Bone” at the Manhattan Theatre Club, “12 Angry Men” at the Henry Fonda, “Wenceslas Square” at the Matrix, William Mastrosimone’s “Nanawatai” at the LATC, “The Extra Man,” “Sight Unseen” and the premiere “Encores” series production, “Fiorello.”
Arkin has provided narration for many projects, including The War, Lewis and Clark, Baseball and Jazz, all for famed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.