Dick Wolf | |
|---|---|
 Wolf in 2010 | |
| Born | Richard Anthony Wolf (1946-12-20)December 20, 1946 (age 78) New York City, New York, U.S. |
| Other names | Richard D. Wolf |
| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA) |
| Occupation(s) | Television writer, director, executive producer, creator |
| Employer | Wolf Entertainment |
| Known for | |
| Spouses | |
| Children | 5 |
Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946[2]) is an American film andtelevision producer, best known for hisLaw & Order franchise. Since 1990, the franchise has included six police/courtroom dramas and four international spinoffs. He is also co-creator and executive producer of theChicago franchise, which since 2012, has included fourChicago-based dramas and the co-creator and executive producer of theFBI franchise, which since 2018, has also become a franchise after spinning off two additional series.
Wolf has also written four books. The first, the non-fiction volumeLaw & Order: Crime Scenes, is a companion to theLaw & Order television series.[3]The Intercept,The Execution, andThe Ultimatum are works of fiction in athriller series featuring anNYPD detective named Jeremy Fisk.[4]
Wolf has won numerous awards, including anEmmy Award, being inducted into theTelevision Academy Hall of Fame and receiving a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame.
Wolf was born inManhattan to aJewish father and a Catholic mother ofIrish descent.[5][6][7][8] As a boy, he was analtar server at the local Catholic parish.[9]
Wolf attendedSaint David's School,The Gunnery,[10][11] andPhillips Academy, Andover.[6] He subsequently attended theUniversity of Pennsylvania (class of 1969), where he was a member of theZeta Psi fraternity.[5]
Wolf worked as anadvertising copywriter atBenton & Bowles creatingcommercials forCrest toothpaste, including the slogan "You can't beat Crest for fighting cavities." He is also credited with the campaign "I'm Cheryl, fly me" forNational Airlines.[12] Yet despite his success in copywriting, all the while he was writingscreenplays in the hopes of a film career. It was at this time that he briefly collaborated on a screenplay withOliver Stone, who was a strugglingscreenwriter at the time.
He moved toLos Angeles after a few years and had three screenplays produced; one of these films,Masquerade (1988), featuring Rob Lowe and Meg Tilly, gained notable acclaim.[13] He started his television career as a staff writer onHill Street Blues and was nominated for his firstEmmy Award for the episode "What Are Friends For?", on which he was the only writer. While working onHill Street Blues, Wolf became close friends withTom Fontana, then writing for the seriesSt. Elsewhere, produced in the same building, at the same time.[14] Wolf moved fromHill Street Blues toMiami Vice, where he was a writer and co-producer for the third and fourth seasons.[15]
Wolf's original seriesLaw & Order ran from 1990 to 2010, and was revived in 2022. It has surpassedGunsmoke as longest-running dramatic show in American television history, making it one of television's most successful franchises. It has been nominated for the most consecutiveEmmy Awards of any primetime drama series. Wolf serves as creator and executive producer of the currentLaw & Order drama series fromWolf Entertainment andNBCUniversal Television –Law & Order: Special Victims Unit ((which as of September 5, 2024 is the longest-running scripted primetime drama, having aired 551 episodes, breaking the originalLaw & Order count of 456) now 501 through the twenty-third season, and beating both the originalLaw & Order andGunsmoke in number of seasons)) .
Wolf also was creator and executive producer for the four spinoff shows in the franchise that have been canceled –Law & Order: Criminal Intent,Law & Order: Trial by Jury,Law & Order: UK, andLaw & Order: LA.[16] Along with Kevin Arkadie, he co-created the police dramaNew York Undercover, which ran on theFox Broadcasting Company Network from 1994 to 1999. He also served as executive producer of the series. He was the creator and executive producer of NBC's courtroom reality seriesCrime & Punishment, which chronicled real-life cases prosecuted by theSan Diego District Attorney's office. Many of Wolf's series have intersected with theLaw & Order franchise in some fashion, and theLaw & Order series have been adapted into several foreign versions. Wolf's company also producedTwin Towers, the 2003Academy Award–winning Short Documentary about two brothers, one a policeman and the other a fireman, who were killed in the line of duty onSeptember 11, 2001. Wolf was also involved withWhen You're Strange, the production of a theatrical documentary about the rock bandThe Doors.[17]
On March 31, 2020, Wolf announced that a spin-off series was ordered byNBC to launch in the 2020–21 season, withChristopher Meloni reprising his role asElliot Stabler fromSVU after a nine-year absence. The initial series order was for 13 episodes.[18] On June 2, 2020, it was announced that the series would be calledLaw & Order: Organized Crime and that showrunner Craig Gore had been fired.[19]
Wolf announced that NBC placed an order of 13 episodes forLaw & Order: Hate Crimes, a new installment of the franchise.[20] On March 4, 2019, NBC announced that the series would be redeveloped to flesh out the concept and would not be spun out ofSVU as announced.[21] On June 5, 2020, the series ofHate Crimes was moved to NBC's streaming service,Peacock, at least partly due to language concerns.[22]
On May 3, 2021, Wolf announced that NBC ordered yet another installment of the franchise,Law & Order: For the Defense, and that its showrunner would beCarol Mendelsohn.[23] It was later announced that the show would not move forward.
Wolf developedChicago Fire, a drama about a group of men and women working at theChicago Fire Department. The series was picked up by NBC in May 2012,[24] and premiered on October 10, 2012, with meek numbers in the ratings and minimal reviews in the first few weeks before spiking to NBC's #2 scripted drama series, underRevolution.[25] In March 2013, NBC announced intentions for a spin-off ofChicago Fire revolving around the Chicago Police Department.[26] When that seriesChicago P.D. premiered,Derek Haas,Michael W. Brandt, andMatt Olmstead became executive producers, under Wolf.[27] Two subsequent shows,Chicago Med which premiered in 2015, andChicago Justice whose one season began and ended in 2017, followed inChicago P.D.'s wake.
In 2018, Wolf became executive producer of theCBS dramaFBI, starringLaw & Order cast membersJeremy Sisto andAlana de la Garza and alsoSela Ward.[28]FBI has since had two spinoffs (FBI: Most Wanted, andFBI: International), giving Wolf his third franchise.
Beginning in the2021-2022 TV season, all three of Wolf's franchises have their own night of programming:FBI Tuesdays on CBS (original series,Most Wanted,International),Chicago Wednesdays on NBC (Med,Fire,P.D.), andLaw & Order Thursdays on NBC (original series revival,SVU andOrganized Crime).[29]
In 2012, Wolf developed the unscripted showCold Justice, a documentary drama, forTNT.[30] He also has written three novels whose central character is NYPD Detective Jeremy Fisk:The Intercept,The Execution, andThe Ultimatum.[31] In 2024, Wolf released a documentary miniseries with Netflix calledHomicide: New York.[32]
In May 2021, NBC ordered a docuseriesLA Fire and Rescue. The series followed the firefighters of theLos Angeles County Fire Department and will be executive produced by Wolf.[33] This series was cancelled by NBC after one season.[34]
Wolf's future projects for NBC are an American adaption of the United Kingdom psychologicallegal drama seriesInjustice[35] as well as a drama series revolving around asatanic cult, tentatively titledThe Church. Wolf is writing the latter project withHoward Franklin.[36][37] Wolf also has an untitled pilot about an insurance investigator onUSA Network.[38]
With Wolf pursuing projects other thanLaw & Order, he and currentLaw & Order: Special Victims Unit showrunner/executive producerWarren Leight sometimes discuss the future of theLaw & Order franchise and revitalizing it; Leight commenting "(Dick Wolf and I) sometimes talk in general terms of where (the franchise) could go. I'm curious to see if there's another iteration somewhere down the line."[39]
In December 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced the promised gift of over 200 works of art from Wolf, including Old Master paintings, sculptures and drawings, as well as funds to endow two galleries with his name.[40] Wolf reported that his appreciation for art started when he was a child visiting Met on his way home from school.[41]
Wolf's personal honors include the Award of Excellence from theBanff Television Festival, the 2002 Creative Achievement Award fromNATPE; theAnti-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 theNational Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, the 1997 achievement award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors, the 1998 Television Showman of the Year Award from the Publicists Guild of America, the 2002 Tribute from theMuseum of Television and Radio, and a 2003 SpecialEdgar Award from theMystery Writers of America. On March 29, 2007, Wolf received a star on theHollywood Walk of Fame at 7040 Hollywood Boulevard.[42] In 2013, Wolf was inducted into theTelevision Academy Hall of Fame. Wolf is also an HonoraryConsul general ofMonaco[43] and is actively involved in the principality's prestigious annual Television Festival.
It was reported that Wolf contributed toFred Thompson'scampaign for the Republican nomination for president in 2008. The two had worked together since 2002, when Thompson joined the cast ofLaw & Order playing adistrict attorney.[44]
Community, asitcom onNBC from 2009 to 2014 had an episode which parodied Dick Wolf'sLaw & Order, with the title "Basic Lupine Urology" being a play on his name. Wolf is given a special thanks credit at the end of the episode.[45][46]
| Year | Title | Creator | Executive Producer | Writer | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985–1986 | Hill Street Blues | No | No | Yes | NBC |
| 1986–1988 | Miami Vice | No | Co-executive | Yes | |
| 1989 | Gideon Oliver | Yes | Yes | No | ABC |
| Christine Cromwell | Yes | Yes | No | ||
| 1990 | Nasty Boys | Yes | Yes | No | NBC |
| H.E.L.P. | Yes | Yes | No | ABC | |
| 1990–2010, 2022–present | Law & Order | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC |
| 1992 | Mann & Machine | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| The Human Factor | No | Yes | No | CBS | |
| 1993 | South Beach | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC |
| Crime & Punishment | Yes | Co-executive | Yes | NBC | |
| 1994–1998 | New York Undercover | Yes | Yes | Yes | Fox |
| 1995 | The Wright Verdicts | Yes | Yes | No | CBS |
| 1996 | Swift Justice | Yes | Yes | No | UPN |
| 1997 | Feds | Yes | Yes | No | CBS |
| 1997–1998 | Players | Yes | Yes | No | NBC |
| 1998 | Exiled: A Law & Order Movie | Yes | Yes | No | |
| The Invisible Man | No | Yes | No | N/A | |
| 1999–present | Law & Order: Special Victims Unit | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC |
| 2000 | D.C. | No | Yes | No | The WB |
| Arrest & Trial | Yes | Yes | No | Syndication | |
| 2000–2001 | Deadline | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC |
| 2001–2011 | Law & Order: Criminal Intent | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC/USA Network |
| 2003 | L.A. Dragnet | Yes | Yes | No | ABC |
| 2005–2006 | Law & Order: Trial by Jury | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC |
| 2006 | Conviction | Yes | Yes | No | |
| 2009–2014 | Law & Order: UK | Yes | Yes | No | ITV |
| 2010–2011 | Law & Order: LA | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC |
| 2012–present | Chicago Fire | No | Yes | Yes | |
| 2014–present | Chicago P.D. | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2015–present | Chicago Med | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Chicago Justice | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| Law & Order True Crime | No | Yes | No | ||
| 2018–present | FBI | Yes | Yes | Yes | CBS |
| 2020–present | FBI: Most Wanted | No | Yes | No | |
| 2021–present | Law & Order: Organized Crime | Yes | Yes | Yes | NBC/Peacock |
| FBI: International | Yes | Yes | No | CBS | |
| 2024–present | Law & Order Toronto: Criminal Intent | Yes | No | No | CityTV |
| 2025 | On Call | Yes | Yes | Yes | Prime Video |
| TBA | Law & Order: Hate Crimes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Peacock |
| Year | Title | Creator | Executive Producer | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013–present | Cold Justice | Yes | Yes | TNT/Oxygen |
| 2015 | Cold Justice: Sex Crimes | Yes | Yes | TNT |
| 3AM | Yes | Yes | Showtime | |
| 2015–2023 | Nightwatch | Yes | Yes | A&E/NBCUniversal |
| 2017 | Inside the FBI: New York[48] | Yes | Yes | USA Network |
| 2017–2020 | Criminal Confessions[49] | Yes | Yes | Oxygen |
| 2019 | Murder for Hire | No | Yes | |
| First Responders Live | No | Yes | Fox | |
| 2023 | LA Fire and Rescue | No | Yes | NBC |
| 2024 | Homicide Season 1: New York Season 2: Los Angeles | Yes | Yes | Netflix |
It's Wolf's 75th birthday.
