Adam Arkin

Adam Arkin (born August 19, 1956) is an American actor and director whose career spans over five decades, beginning in the late 1960s and continuing to the present day. He first entered the entertainment world as a child performer with the Baby Sitters, a folk‑music group that featured his father, celebrated actor Alan Arkin, and he later honed his craft at Horace Greeley High School in Chappaqua, New York. Arkin’s breakout television role came in the early 1990s as the eccentric chef Adam on Northern Exposure, a performance that earned him an Emmy nomination and showcased his talent for blending humor with pathos. He solidified his reputation with the role of Dr. Aaron Shutt on the critically acclaimed medical drama Chicago Hope (1994‑2000), a part that brought him four SAG Ensemble nominations and further Emmy nods. In addition to dramatic series, he displayed remarkable versatility by portraying the menacing white‑separatist leader Ethan Zobelle on Sons of Anarchy and the beloved, oddly‑named Dale “The Whale” Biederbeck on Monk. Arkin’s film work includes memorable turns in Halloween H20: 20 Years Later, Hitch, and the Coen brothers’ A Serious Man. As a director, he earned a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding Directing for the children’s special My Louisiana Sky and has helmed episodes of prestige shows such as Grey’s Anatomy, The Americans, Masters of Sex, and the award‑winning second season of Fargo. His voice acting credits feature narrations for Ken Burns’s The Voyage of the Corps of Discovery and contributions to The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. Off‑screen, Arkin has been married three times—first to Linda Arkin, then to Phyllis Lyons, and currently to Michelle Dunker—and is the father of two children. He continues to act, direct, and produce, most recently serving as co‑executive producer on the series Get Shorty.