Richard Anthony Wolf (born
December 20,
1946), usually billed as simply
Dick Wolf, is an
American Emmy Award-winning
producer, specializing in
crime dramas such as
Miami Vice and the
Law & Order franchise.
Biography
Early life
Wolf was born in
New York City, the son of Marie G. (
née Gaffney), a homemaker, and George Wolf, an advertising executive.
[Dick Wolf Biography (1946-)] Wolf was enrolled at
Phillips Academy, where he was a classmate of
George W. Bush, and graduated from
The Gunnery. He enrolled at the
University of Pennsylvania, graduating in 1969. He was a member of Penn's chapter of the
Zeta Psi fraternity.
Career
Wolf worked as an advertising copywriter at Benton & Bowles creating commercials for Crest toothpaste, all the while writing screenplays in the hopes of a film career. It was at this time that he briefly collaborated on a screenplay with
Oliver Stone, who was also a struggling screenwriter at the time. He moved to
Los Angeles after a few years and had three screenplays produced; one of these films,
Masquerade starring
Rob Lowe and
Meg Tilly, was well received. He started his television career as a staff writer on
Hill Street Blues and was nominated for his first Emmy for an episode on which he was the only writer. He moved from there to
Miami Vice where he was a supervising producer.
Wolf's
Law & Order is the second-longest-running dramatic show in television history, making it one of television's most successful franchises. The show has been picked up for a record-tying 20th season by NBC, beginning September 25, 2009. It has been nominated for the most consecutive
Emmy Awards of any primetime drama series. Wolf serves as creator and executive producer of the three current
Law & Order drama series from Wolf Films and
NBC Universal Television –
Law & Order,
Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and
Law & Order: Criminal Intent. "
Law & Order: UK". A third spinoff of the original franchise,
Law & Order: Trial by Jury, was cancelled after its first season. In addition, he was the creator and executive producer of NBC's courtroom reality series
Crime & Punishment, which chronicled real-life cases prosecuted by the
San Diego District Attorney’s office.
Wolf's company also produced
Twin Towers, the 2003
Academy Award-winning Short Documentary about two brothers, one a policeman and the other a fireman, who lost their lives in the line of duty on
September 11, 2001. Currently, Wolf is involved with the production of a theatrical film that will document the popular rock group
The Doors.
Wolf's personal honors include the Award of Excellence from the
Banff Television Festival, the 2002
Creative Achievement Award from
NATPE; the
Anti-Defamation League’s Distinguished Entertainment Industry Award, the
Leadership and Inspiration Award from the
Entertainment Industries Council, the
Governor’s Award by the
New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, the 1997 achievement award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors, the 1998
Television Showman of the Year Award from the
Publicist’s Guild of America, the 2002 Tribute from the
Museum of Television and Radio, and a 2003 Special
Edgar Award from the
Mystery Writers of America.
Wolf is also an Honorary
Consul general of
Monaco and is actively involved in the principality’s prestigious annual Television Festival, and is its primary liaison with the entertainment community.
On
March 29 2007, Wolf received a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7040 Hollywood Boulevard.
In addition to having been a classmate of former President George W. Bush, Wolf was the employer of
Fred Thompson, who sought the Republican nomination for president in 2008 with help of the national attention he gained playing the district attorney on
Law & Order. Wolf supported Thompson in his bid, as he did Bush's, as it has been reported that he contributed money to Thompson even before he officially announced he was running.
Wolf is currently working on a theatrical documentary about the life of Jim Morrison, which should be released sometime in 2008. It will include, for the first time ever, interviews with Morrison's family members, including his father, Admiral George Morrison.
Quotes
- “I've never understood the obsession with younger writers and dramas. Comedies I understand, but how do you write drama at 23, you haven't experienced anything. You know about 23-year-olds. It's kind of hard to write about 60 year old EADAs Assistant District Attorneys. Only a couple of us are 60 years old so far, but there are not many 23-year-olds who can write about life-changing situations unless it's medical. That sounds weird, but there's not the mileage on the odometer to get under the surface. There are exceptions that prove the rule—Dickens wasn't bad at 23.”
Credits
