Background
Shenkman was born in New York City, the son of Katherine, who was an associate at a law firm, and Shepard A. Sheinkman, who worked for a consulting company.
Shenkman was born in New York City, the son of Katherine, who was an associate at a law firm, and Shepard A. Sheinkman, who worked for a consulting company.
He graduated from Brown University, and obtained a Masters of Fine Arts in 1993 from New York University"s Graduate Acting Program at the Tisch School of the Arts.
He began his professional acting career with a small role in the 1994 film Quiz Show directed by Robert Redford and a guest-starring role on Law & Order, his first of seven appearances throughout the run of the show. He also began working in theatre, portraying Louis Ironson in Tony Kushner"s play Angels in America at San Francisco"s American Conservatory Theatre. While still at New York University, Shenkman played the role of Roy Cohn in a workshop production of the play, and he would reprise the role of Louis eight years later in the Home Box Office miniseries adaptation, earning Emmy and Golden Globe nominations.
Throughout the 1990s, Shenkman combined work in off-Broadway productions in New York with small roles in films such as Eraser (1996), The Siege (1998), π (1998), and Jesus" Son (1999), Chasing Sleep (2000), and Requiem for a Dream (2000).
In 2000, Shenkman gained success in the theatre, co-starring with Mary-Louise Parker in the Manhattan Theatre Club production of Proof, for which he received a 2001 Tony nomination. After the release of Home Box Office"s Angels in America miniseries, he returned to Manhattan Theatre club in 2004 in Sight Unseen opposite Laura Linney.
As his career continued, Shenkman moved between studio films such as Must Love Dogs (2005) and Just Like Heaven (2005), and independent movies such as Then She Foundation Maine (2008), Brief Interviews with Hideous Men (2008), and Breakfast with Scot (2008), a gay-themed film made in Canada for which the National Hockey League notably endorsed the use of a team"s logo and uniforms. In 2010, he appeared with Michael Douglas in Solitary Manitoba and the Sundance premiere Blue Valentine.
He also acted on television as a series regular in the 2008 Julianna Margulies legal drama Canterbury"s Law on Fox, and in recurring roles on Grey"s Anatomy, Burn Notice, Damages, Drop Dead Diva, and Forex"s Lights Out.
He co-starred in the short-lived National Broadcasting Company sitcom The Paul Reiser Show, which was a midseason replacement for the 2010-2011 television season. In 2012 he joined United States of America network"s "Royal Pains" as the recurring character Doctor Jeremiah Sacani, and was promoted to series regular the following season, the show"s fifth. In fall 2015 the series wrapped production of its final season, which will air in Summer of 2016.
2015 also saw Shenkman on Broadway opposite Larry David, and later Jason Alexander, in David"s hit comedy Fish in the Dark, which had a sold-out six month limited run at the Cort Theater.