David E. Kelley facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David E. Kelley
Kelley in 2022
Born	David Edward Kelley (1956-04-04) April 4, 1956 (age 69) Waterville, Maine, U.S.
Education	Princeton University (AB) Boston University (JD)
Occupation	Television producer, writer, attorney
Years active	1986–present
Spouse(s)	Michelle Pfeiffer ​ (m. 1993)​
Children	2
Parent(s)	Jack Kelley (father)

David Edward Kelley (born April 4, 1956) is an American television writer and producer. He is known for creating many popular TV series, including Doogie Howser, M.D., The Practice, Ally McBeal, and Big Little Lies. Kelley is one of the few writers to have created shows for all four major American TV networks: ABC, CBS, Fox, and NBC, as well as for the cable channel HBO. Before his television career, he was an attorney.

Early Life and Education

David Edward Kelley was born in Waterville, Maine, and grew up in Belmont, Massachusetts. His father, Jack Kelley, is in the United States Ice Hockey Hall of Fame. As a teenager, David was a stick boy for the New England Whalers hockey team, which his father coached. He later went to Princeton University, where he was captain of the ice hockey team and studied political science.

Kelley was very creative in college. For one class, he wrote a paper about a government plan as a poem. For his final project, he turned the Bill of Rights into a play. He imagined each amendment as a person with a unique personality. For example, the First Amendment was a loud person who never stopped talking.

After Princeton, Kelley earned a law degree (J.D.) from Boston University School of Law. While there, he wrote for a student comedy group. He then worked at a Boston law firm, handling real estate and minor criminal cases.

In his spare time, Kelley wrote a screenplay for a legal thriller movie. In 1986, a film company bought the rights to make it into a movie. It was released in 1987 as From the Hip.

Career in Television

L.A. Law (1986–1994)

In 1986, producer Steven Bochco was looking for writers with a law background for his new show, L.A. Law. He read Kelley's movie script and was impressed. He hired Kelley as a writer and story editor.

Kelley quickly took on more responsibility. By 1989, he was the executive producer, the person in charge of the show. Under his leadership, L.A. Law won two Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing and two for Outstanding Drama Series. He wrote or co-wrote most of the episodes for the first five seasons. When he left in 1991, many felt the show's quality declined.

Picket Fences (1992–1996)

In 1992, Kelley started his own production company. His first show was Picket Fences, which was about the police department in a quirky, fictional town in Wisconsin. Kelley wrote most of the episodes for the first three seasons.

The show was a hit with critics and won 14 Emmy Awards, including two for Outstanding Drama Series. However, it didn't attract a large audience. After Kelley stopped writing for the show in its final season, some of the actors felt the quality was not the same.

Chicago Hope (1994–2000)

In 1994, Kelley launched the medical drama Chicago Hope. The show was about high-tech medicine and skilled doctors. It aired at the same time as another popular medical show, ER. Chicago Hope won seven Emmys and was praised by critics, but it never became as popular as ER.

Kelley originally planned to write only a few episodes, but he ended up writing for both Chicago Hope and Picket Fences at the same time. In 1995, he stepped back from the day-to-day work on both shows to focus on new projects.

The Practice (1997–2004)

In 1995, Kelley made a deal with 20th Century Fox Television to create new shows. His first two projects from this deal were The Practice for ABC and Ally McBeal for Fox.

The Practice was a courtroom drama about a small law firm in Boston. It showed a more realistic side of being a lawyer. At first, the show had low ratings but was loved by critics. It eventually became a top 10 hit and won two Emmys for Outstanding Drama Series.

In 2003, for the show's final season, the budget was cut. Kelley responded by bringing in new actors, including James Spader as the clever but rule-breaking lawyer Alan Shore. This new character later became the star of Kelley's next show, Boston Legal.

Ally McBeal (1997–2002)

Ally McBeal premiered in 1997 and was very different from The Practice. The show was a comedy about a young, smart, and emotional lawyer named Ally. The law firm in the show was focused on making money.

The show was known for its unique style, which mixed humor with serious topics. It won an Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series. The character of Ally McBeal sparked a lot of discussion. Some people saw her as a strong, modern woman, while others felt she was not a good role model. Kelley wrote all the episodes for the first season and continued to write many in later seasons.

Boston Public (2000–2004)

In 2000, Kelley created Boston Public, a show about the teachers and students at a high school in Boston. For one season, Kelley was in charge of three shows at once: Boston Public, The Practice, and Ally McBeal.

Boston Public was a moderate success but received mixed reviews from critics. Some thought Kelley was taking on too much work at once. The show ran for four seasons and won one Emmy award.

Boston Legal (2004–2008)

After a few less successful shows, Kelley found success again with Boston Legal in 2004. The show was a spin-off of The Practice, following the character Alan Shore (played by James Spader) to a new law firm. It also starred famous actors Candice Bergen and William Shatner.

Boston Legal was very popular with critics and won seven Emmy Awards. It was also known for its funny and thoughtful commentary on politics. The show ran for five seasons. Kelley felt that the network, ABC, moved the show to different time slots too often, which hurt its ratings.

2007–Present

Since Boston Legal, Kelley has continued to create many new shows. Some of these include Harry's Law starring Kathy Bates, the medical series Monday Mornings, and the comedy The Crazy Ones starring Robin Williams.

More recently, he has created several hit series for streaming services. These include Goliath for Amazon Prime Video and Big Little Lies for HBO, which won an Emmy for Outstanding Limited Series. He also created The Undoing starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant, and Big Sky for ABC. His newer projects include The Lincoln Lawyer for Netflix and Nine Perfect Strangers for Hulu.

Writing Style

How He Writes

Kelley often writes his first drafts by hand on a yellow legal pad. He can write a script in just a few days. In the beginning of his career, he preferred to write alone because it was faster. Over time, he began working more with a team of writers to develop ideas.

Story Elements

Kelley's shows often have multiple storylines happening at once. An episode might have a main plot and several smaller plots that connect to past or future episodes. This keeps viewers guessing what will happen next.

He is known for including current events and social issues in his stories. His shows explore topics like feminism and justice through the characters and their legal cases. He tries to raise interesting questions without giving easy answers, all while keeping the audience entertained. He often mixes humor with serious or sad moments.

Crossover Episodes

Kelley sometimes has characters from one of his shows appear on another one. For example, characters from Ally McBeal appeared on The Practice, and vice versa. This was unusual because one show was a comedy and the other was a drama, and they were on different TV networks. This crossover helped boost the ratings for The Practice.

Personal Life

Kelley with wife Michelle Pfeiffer at the 46th Primetime Emmy Awards in 1994

Kelley was raised as a Protestant.

In January 1993, Kelley went on a blind date with actress Michelle Pfeiffer. They began dating and got married on November 13, 1993.

Before meeting Kelley, Pfeiffer had started the process of adopting a child. In March 1993, she adopted a daughter, Claudia Rose. Kelley and Pfeiffer raised her together. In August 1994, they had a son, John Henry.

Filmography

Film

Television

Miniseries

Awards

David E. Kelley has won many awards for his work in television. He has won 11 Emmy Awards for writing and producing. In 1999, he became the first producer to win Emmys for both Outstanding Comedy Series (Ally McBeal) and Outstanding Drama Series (The Practice) in the same year.

His shows have also won several Peabody Awards, which honor powerful and excellent storytelling in media. In 2014, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.

See also

In Spanish: David E. Kelley para niños