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Ben Shenkman

Ben Shenkman has built a career by moving steadily between film, television and theatre rather than settling into a single lane. Born in New York City on September 26, 1968, he graduated from Brown University and earned an MFA from New York University’s Graduate Acting Program in 1993. His professional screen career began with a small role in Robert Redford’s Quiz Show in 1994, followed by the first of seven appearances on Law & Order. At the same time, Shenkman was establishing himself onstage. He played Louis Ironson in Tony Kushner’s Angels in America at San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theater, having previously portrayed Roy Cohn in a workshop production while at NYU. Seven years later, he returned to Louis for HBO’s miniseries adaptation, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations. That ability to work across formats became the defining shape of his career. During the 1990s and early 2000s, Shenkman combined off-Broadway productions with supporting film roles in Eraser, The Siege, π, Jesus’ Son, Chasing Sleep and Requiem for a Dream. His performance opposite Mary-Louise Parker in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of Proof brought him a Tony nomination in 2001. He later returned to the company for Sight Unseen opposite Laura Linney. On film, his credits range from studio comedies such as Must Love Dogs and Just Like Heaven to independent dramas including Then She Found Me, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Solitary Man and Blue Valentine. In Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, he appeared as defense counsel Leonard Weinglass. Television has given Shenkman some of his longest-running roles. He played Dr. Jeremiah Sacani on Royal Pains, beginning as a recurring character before becoming a series regular, and Ira Schirmer on Billions. He also appeared in The Night Of, For the People and Curb Your Enthusiasm. Across all three mediums, Shenkman’s body of work reflects the career of an actor comfortable shifting between ensemble parts, recurring characters and substantial stage roles.