Award-winning actor and director Ron Rifkin was born on October 31, 1939 in New York City. His acting career, which surpassed film, television and stage, goes back more than four decades. He started acting in 1966, when he made a guest appearance in the comedy series Gidget. Since then, he attained an extensive list of acting credits for the screen.
After numerous guest roles, Rifkin got his first regular role on television in 1975, when he starred in the comedy When Things Were Rotten. His next regular role was in the prime time soap Falcon Crest; he was part of the cast from 1983 to 1984. He also had a recurring role in the award-winning legal drama The Trials of Rosie O’Neill. In 1995, he joined the cast of ER, playing Dr. Carl Vucelich, the mentor of Peter Benton (Eriq La Salle) whose irregular research methods are discovered.
In 2001, Rifkin joined the cast of the spy drama Alias, where he played the role of the calculating SD-6 head Arvin Sloane. This role earned him a Golden Satellite nomination in 2001. He stayed until 2006, when the show ended its run. He then joined the cast of the drama Brothers & Sisters, playing the role of Saul Holden, the older brother of Nora Walker (Sally Field).
Rifkin also has extensive film credits. His films include Silent Running, The Sunshine Boys, The Big Fix, JFK, Husbands and Wives, Wolf, L.A. Confidential, Boiler Room, Keeping the Faith, The Majestic, Dragonfly, The Sum of all Fears and Pulse.
However, he is perhaps most acclaimed for his portrayals on stage. In 1991, he played the lead role in the play The Substance of Fire, where he plays a Holocaust survivor who battles conflicts threatening his self-made success in New York. This earned him the Obie, Drama Desk, Lucille and Drama-Logue awards for Best Actor. In 1998, his performance in the Broadway musical Cabaret earned him a Tony award.
Rifkin's extensive film credits include Silent Running, The Sunshine Boys, The Big Fix, JFK, Husbands and Wives, Manhattan Murder Mystery, Wolf, L.A. Confidential, The Negotiator, Boiler Room, Keeping the Faith, The Majestic, Dragonfly, The Sum of All Fears, and Pulse.
On television, Rifkin has appeared in numerous made-for-television movies and miniseries, had regular roles on The Rockford Files, One Day at a Time, The Trials of Rosie O'Neill, and Alias, and has made guest appearances on a number of series, including Sex and the City, ER, Law & Order, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Falcon Crest, Soap, Hill Street Blues, and The Outer Limits.