Ron Rifkin (born Saul M. Rifkin; October 31, 1938) is an American actor best known for his roles as Arvin Sloane on the spy drama Alias, Saul Holden on the drama Brothers & Sisters, and District Attorney Ellis Loew in L.A. Confidential. He received the Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for his portrayal of Herr Schultz in the 1998 revival of Cabaret.
Personal life Saul M. Rifkin was born in New York City in 1938 to Miriam and Herman Rifkin, who was born in Russia. He is the oldest of three children. He was raised as an Orthodox Jew and remains Jewish, though he left Orthodoxy at age 32.
His wife, Iva March Rifkin, owned a fashion design business. She died in 2023.De Vries, Hilary. "Death of a Coat Salesman: After 30 years in the theater and six years in the fashion business, Ron Rifkin becomes an overnight success with a tailor-made role in 'The Substance of Fire'", LA Times, July 28 1991. Retrieved February 26, 2023.Iva March Rifkin obituary, dignitymemorial.com. Accessed February 11, 2026.
Career In 2001, Rifkin's association with Touchstone Television began when he played intelligence agent Arvin Sloane in Alias, opposite Jennifer Garner. From 2006 to 2011, he played second-in-command businessman Saul Holden on Brothers & Sisters, opposite Sally Field as his sister Nora Walker. He also played Ann Romano-Royer (Bonnie Franklin)'s boyfriend Nick on One Day at a Time. He was a series regular during the sixth season. In the season 7 premiere, "Alex Moves In", it was revealed that Nick had been killed as a result of an accident with a drunk driver.
Rifkin has enjoyed a long and distinguished career in film, on stage, and in television. His association with writer Jon Robin Baitz has been especially fruitful. In 1991, his performance in Baitz's play The Substance of Fire won him the Obie, Drama Desk, Lucille Lortel, and Drama-Logue awards for Best Actor. The next year, he performed in Baitz's Three Hotels, for which he received a second Lucille Lortel and Drama Desk nomination. In 1996, he starred in the film version of Substance; in 2002, he appeared in the Baitz play Ten Unknowns at Boston's Huntington Theatre. In 2004, he starred in his play The Paris Letter at the Kirk Douglas Theatre in Los Angeles, a role he reprised in 2005 at the Laura Pels Theatre in New York City. Rifkin also appeared in the ABC drama series Brothers & Sisters, which Baitz created.
Rifkin received a 1998 Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Musical for the Broadway revival of Cabaret. Additional theatre credits include David Hirson's Wrong Mountain, Arthur Miller's Broken Glass, Ivan Turgenev's A Month in the Country, and Neil Simon's Proposals.
Rifkin's extensive film credits include Silent Running (1972), The Sunshine Boys (1975), The Big Fix (1978), JFK (1991), Husbands and Wives (1992), Manhattan Murder Mystery (1993), Wolf (1994), L.A. Confidential (1997), The Negotiator (1998), Boiler Room (2000), Keeping the Faith (2000), The Majestic (2001), Dragonfly (2002), The Sum of All Fears (2002), and Pulse (2006).
On television, he has appeared in numerous made-for-TV movies and miniseries, had regular roles on The Rockford Files, One Day at a Time, Husbands, Wives & Lovers, The Trials of Rosie O'Neill, and Alias, and made guest appearances on a number of series, including Barnaby Jones, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Sex and the City, The Bob Newhart Show, The Good Wife, ER, Law & Order, A Nero Wolfe Mystery, Falcon Crest, Soap, Hill Street Blues, Smash, and The Outer Limits, for which he received a CableACE nomination. Most recently, he appeared in Limitless as Brian Finch's father Dennis Finch and in Gotham as Father Creel. He has recorded several audiobooks, including Lois Lowry's The Giver, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor's Sang Spell, and Jerry Spinelli's Milkweed. He portrays Defense Attorney Marvin Stan Exely, a recurring character on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.
In October 2020, a short film, Daddy, was uploaded on Christian Coppola's YouTube channel in which Rifkin stars alongside Dylan Sprouse. In the film, "after the death of his wife, an 80-year-old man checks into The Plaza Hotel to celebrate their first anniversary apart, hiring a male escort to take her place."
Filmography Film Year Title Role Notes 1969 The Devil's 8 Stewart Martin 1969 Flareup Sailor 1972 Silent Running Marty Barker 1972 Fuzz Cop guarding the Mayor's Mansion Uncredited 1975 The Sunshine Boys TV floor manager 1978 Rabbit Test Dr. Briscoe 1978 The Big Fix Randy 1981 The Chosen Baseball Coach 1983 The Sting II Eddie 1984 Kidco George Tuskie 1991 JFK Mr. Goldberg/Spiesel 1992 Husbands and Wives Rain's Analyst 1993 Manhattan Murder Mystery Sy 1994 Wolf Doctor Ralph 1995 Last Summer in the Hamptons Eli Garfield 1996 The Substance of Fire Isaac Geldhart 1996 I'm Not Rappaport Feigelbaum 1997 L.A. Confidential District Attorney Ellis Loew 1998 The Negotiator Commander Grant Frost 2000 Drop Back Ten 2000 Boiler Room Judge Marty Davis 2000 Keeping the Faith Larry Friedman 2001 Sam the Man Richard 2001 The Majestic Kevin Bannerman - Peter's Attorney 2002 Tadpole Professor Tisch 2002 Dragonfly Charlie Dickinson 2002 The Sum of All Fears Secretary of State Sidney Owens 2002 Just a Kiss Dr. Fauci 2006 Pulse Dr. Waterson 2010 Peep World Henry Meyerwitz 2012 The Words Timothy Epstein 2016 True Memoirs of an International Assassin Amos AKA The Ghost 2017 They Shall Not PerishHenry Morgenthau Sr. 2018 A Star Is Born Carl 2018 Daddy Mr. Smith Short film 2020 Minyan Josef 2022 Funny Pages Grandpa
Television Year Title Role Notes 1966 Gidget Mel Episode: "Love and the Single Gidget" 1970 Room 222 Ralph Fisk Episode: "Ralph" 1970 The Interns Ferguson Episode: "Mondays Can Be Fatal" 1972 Awake and Sing! Sam Feinschreiber TV movie 1972 The Sandy Duncan Show Warren Episode: "Doctor New" 1972 Young Dr. Kildare Harry Flicker Episode: "No More Than a Bad Cold" 1973 Bachelor-at-Law Assistant District Attorney TV movie 1973 Adam's Rib Asst. Dist. Atty. Roy Mendelsohn 13 episodes 1973 Insight John Bailey Episode: "Reunion" 1974 Get Christie Love!NormandEpisode: "Get Christie Love!" 1974 The Bob Newhart ShowJeff BoggsEpisode: "Mind Your Own Business" 1974 Owen Marshall, Counselor at LawMarty DyerEpisode: "To Keep and Bear Arms" 1974 The Suicide Club TV movie 1974 The Mary Tyler Moore ShowEd SchroederEpisode: "A New Sue Ann" 1974 The ABC Afternoon PlaybreakTonyEpisode: "Oh, Baby, Baby, Baby..." 1975 The Dream Makers Herb TV movie 1975 Barnaby JonesSnipper WilcoxEpisode: "Counterfall" 1975 CannonPaul GoldbergEpisode: "The Deadly Conspiracy: Part 1" 1975 The Night That Panicked America Mercury Theatre Player TV movie 1975 KojakRick LeveneEpisode: "No Immunity for Murder" 1975 When Things Were RottenPrince John9 episodes 1975–1976 The Rockford Files Tom Robertson / Warren Weeks 2 episodes 1976 DocGaryEpisode: "A Little Bit of Soap" 1976 Medical CenterDanny ArmbrusterEpisode: "Life, Death and Mrs. Armbruster" 1977 In the Glitter Palace Roger TV movie 1977 McMillan & WifeAaron LeacockEpisode: "Have You Heard About Vanessa?" 1977 Husbands and Wives Ron Cutler TV movie 1977 FamilyDr. GrantEpisode: "Acts of Love: Part 2" 1977 The Tony Randall ShowBentenEpisode: "Walter Screws Up" 1977 RaffertyDr. BakersmithEpisode: "Walking Wounded" 1978 A Question of Guilt Assistant District Attorney Verrell TV movie 1978 ColumboLutherEpisode: "Make Me a Perfect Murder" 1978 Husbands, Wives & LoversRon Willis10 episodes 1978 SoapDr. Kanter3 episodes 1978 Greatest Heroes of the BibleBeseleel4 episodes 1979 AliceEricEpisode: "Sweet Charity" 1979 The Mary Tyler Moore HourArtie Miller11 episodes 1979 Mrs. R's Daughter Joseph Barron TV movie 1979 Salvage 1Reporter Mike FlanneryEpisode: "Diamond Volcano" 1980 Knots LandingStan Lesser2 episodes 1980–1981 One Day at a TimeNick Handris16 episodes 1982 The Day the Bubble Burst TV movie 1983 Another Woman's Child Barry Stein TV movie 1983 The Winds of WarMark HartleyEpisode: "The Storm Breaks" 1983 Ryan's FourEpisode: "Ryan's Four" 1983 Faerie Tale TheatreThe SquireEpisode: "Sleeping Beauty" 1983 Falcon CrestDr. Hal Lantry9 episodes 1984 Hill Street BluesMonty DiMairEpisode: "Ratman and Bobbin" 1984 The Ratings Game TV Director TV movie 1984–1991 American PlayhouseLeonard / Samuel Roth2 episodes 1985 EvergreenSollyEpisode #1.1 1985 Do You Remember Love Gerry Kaplan TV movie 1986 The Greatest Adventure: Stories from the BibleMordecai (voice)Episode: "Queen Esther" 1986 Dress GrayMaj. Consor2 episodes 1987 Conspiracy: The Trial of the Chicago 8 Allen Ginsberg TV movie 1990 Three Hotels TV movie 1990–1992 The Trials of Rosie O'NeillBen Meyer34 episodes 1990–1992 Law & Order Alex Drakos / Defense Attorney Phillip Nevins2 episodes 1992 ScreenPlayTeddy WeinfeldEpisode: "Buying a Landslide" 1993 Room for TwoJack Weissman3 episodes 1994 WSH: The Myth of the Urban Myth Professor Pulling TV movie 1995 Fallen AngelsFrank BarsalyEpisode: "Red Wind" 1995–1996 ERDr. Carl Vucelich9 episodes 1996 Norma Jean & Marilyn Johnny Hyde TV movie 1997 Leaving L.A.Dr. Neil Bernstein6 episodes 1997–1998 The Outer LimitsDr. Martin Nodel2 episodes 2000 Flowers for Algernon Dr. Jonah Strauss TV movie 2000 Deliberate Intent Howard Siegel TV movie 2001 The Warden Judge Faschbinder TV movie 2001 A Nero Wolfe MysteryNikola Miltan / Attorney Perry Helmar3 episodes 2001–2006 Alias Arvin Sloane103 episodes 2002 Sex and the CityJulian FisherEpisode: "A 'Vogue' Idea" 2006–2011 Brothers & SistersSaul Holden95 episodes 2009 American Masters NarratorEpisode: "Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About" 2011–2014 Law & Order: Special Victims UnitDefense Attorney Marvin Exley6 episodes 2013 TouchIsaacEpisode: "Leviathan" 2013 Smash Himself Episode: "The Tonys" 2014 Mind GamesTed SandersEpisode: "Pilot" 2015 The Good WifeSpencer RandolphEpisode: "Winning Ugly" 2015–2016 GothamFather Creal5 episodes 2015–2016 LimitlessDennis Finch12 episodes 2016 ElementaryWayne VachsEpisode: "Worth Several Cities" 2018 BlindspotRob DonnellyEpisode: "Deductions" 2018–2019 New AmsterdamDean Peter Fulton7 episodes
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