Biography
Prior to his small screen success, Rifkin was predominantly a theater actor who made occasional forays into features while starring on a seemingly endless string of short-lived television shows, beginning with the early-1970s sitcom, "Adam's Rib" (ABC, 1973). For several years, he struggled to find his footing in the acting world, as he landed numerous guest stints and small feature roles that failed to add up to a significant career. Rifkin …
Ron Rifkin SlideShow
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Career Milestones
1961 | Made Broadway debut in Neil Simon's "Come Blow Your Horn" |
1965 | Played Mel, opposite Sally Field as the title character, on the ABC sitcom, "Gidget" |
1968 | Made feature film debut in "The Devil's Eight" |
1973 | Played Roy Mendelsohn, Adam's law partner, on the short-lived CBS sitcom, "Adam's Rib" |
1975 | Cast as the evil Prince John on the short-lived ABC sitcom, "When Things Were Rotten" |
1978 | Cast as a dentist on the short-lived CBS sitcom, "Husbands, Wives and Lovers" |
1979 | Played Artie Miller, the writer-director, on the short-lived show-within-a-show, "The Mary Tyler Moore Hour" (CBS) |
1980 | Joined the hit CBS sitcom, "One Day at a Time" in the sixth season; played Nick Handris, a love interest for Bonnie Franklin's Ann |
1982 | Last feature film in nearly a decade, "The Sting II" |
1983 | Played the recurring role of Dr. Lantry for two seasons on the CBS primetime soap, "Falcon Crest" |
1984 | Briefly retired from acting to work with wife in the fashion design business |
1990 | Played Ben Meyer on the CBS drama series, "The Trials of Rosie O'Neill" |
1991 | Had a cameo appearance in Oliver Stone's controversial feature "JFK" |
1991 | Returned to the stage for writer Jon Baitz's "The Substance of Fire"; won several awards, including a Drama Desk for Best Actor |
1992 | First sizable feature film role in a decade, in Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives" |
1996 | Recreated his award winning stage role for the film adaptation of "The Substance of Fire" |
1997 | Had featured role as a district attorney in "L.A. Confidential" |
1997 | Returned to series TV in the short-lived ABC drama "Leaving L.A." |
1998 | Made Broadway musical debut in revival of "Cabaret" |
2000 | Cast as Giovanni Ribisi's father in "Boiler Room" |
2001 | Co-starred with Jim Carrey in "The Majestic" |
2001 | Played Arvin Sloane, the cold, calculating leader of SD-6 in the ABC series "Alias" |
2002 | Supported Kevin Costner in "Dragonfly" |
2005 | Cast in the New York premiere of Baitz's "The Paris Letter" |
2006 | Cast as businessman Saul Holden on ABC's "Brothers & Sisters" |
2006 | Starred in "Pulse," a remake of cult Japanese helmer Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "Kairo" |
2009 | Earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance for narrating "Jerome Robbins: Something To Dance About" episode of PBS' "American Masters" |
Awards
1998 | Tony Award for Actor (Featured Role--Musical) |