Paul Fahrenkopf was born in New York, New York to an artist mother and
a civil engineer father, who exposed him to New York's culture at an
early age and both of whom were active in local community theatre. He
was raised in Manhattan and nearby Leonia, New Jersey (whose residents
at the time also included Alan Alda, Robert Ludlum, and Anthony
Bourdain). While Paul began as a theatre major at American University
in Washington, DC, he graduated as a communications major, specializing
in television. He is a former adjunct professor at Georgetown
University.
Paul has appeared in two dozen productions at the John F. Kennedy
Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, including "Swan Lake"
with American Ballet Theatre, which was broadcast on the PBS series
"Great Performances: Dance in America.".
James Noble (the governor in "Benson") once directed Paul in a
production of "Night of the Iguana.".
His first film experience was in John Frankenheimer's "Black Sunday.".