David Milch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids David Milch
David Milch at the 64th Annual Peabody Awards in 2005
Born	David Sanford Milch (1945-03-23) March 23, 1945 (age 80) Buffalo, New York, U.S.
Education	Yale University (BA) University of Iowa (MFA)
Occupation	Screenwriter, television producer
Spouse(s)	Rita Stern ​ (m. 1982)​
Children	3

David Sanford Milch, born on March 23, 1945, is a famous American writer and producer for TV shows. He has created many popular series. These include NYPD Blue (1993–2005) for ABC, which he co-created with Steven Bochco. He also created Deadwood (2004–2006) for HBO, and a movie based on it in 2019.

Early Life and School

David Milch went to Yale University and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with high honors. While there, he won a special English prize and was part of a respected academic group called Phi Beta Kappa. He was also a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon club. Later, he earned a Master of Fine Arts degree from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa.

Milch briefly attended Yale Law School.

His Career in Television

Before working in TV, David Milch taught writing and English literature at Yale. He helped other famous writers create textbooks. His own poems and stories were published in well-known magazines like The Atlantic Monthly.

Starting in TV: Hill Street Blues

In 1982, Milch wrote an episode for the TV show Hill Street Blues. This episode, called "Trial by Fury," started his career in television. He worked on Hill Street Blues for five seasons. He began as an executive story editor and later became an executive producer. During his time on the show, he won several awards, including two Writers Guild Awards and a Primetime Emmy Award.

Creating NYPD Blue

Milch then teamed up with Steven Bochco to create NYPD Blue. He was an executive producer for seven seasons of this show. He won three Primetime Emmy Awards for his work on NYPD Blue. The show was very popular and ran for many years.

After NYPD Blue, Milch also helped create other police dramas. These included Brooklyn South in 1997 and a CBS series called Big Apple.

Deadwood and Other Projects

From 2004 to 2006, Milch created, wrote, and produced Deadwood for HBO. This dramatic series was set in the Old West. It received great reviews and earned Milch two Primetime Emmy Award nominations. The show ended after three seasons. A movie, Deadwood: The Movie, was later made in 2019 to finish the story. This film also received good reviews and was nominated for an Emmy.

In 2006, Milch started another HBO series called John from Cincinnati. This show was about surfing. Although it was canceled after one season, its viewership grew steadily. HBO continued to work with Milch, and he developed other shows like Last of the Ninth, a drama about the New York Police Department in the 1970s.

In 2010, Milch developed Luck for HBO. This show was about horse racing. Famous actors like Dustin Hoffman starred in it. The series aired for one season. Milch also worked on other projects that were not made into full series, including a show called The Money about a wealthy New York media family.

His Personal Life

David Milch is Jewish. He has been married to Rita Stern since 1982, and they have three children.

Milch has shared that he has bipolar disorder, a condition that affects mood. He also developed a heart condition in the 1990s. In 2015, before working on the Deadwood movie script, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. As of 2019, he lives in a special facility that helps people with their daily needs. In September 2022, Milch published a book about his life called Life's Work.

His Love for Horse Racing

David Milch has owned thoroughbred racehorses. He co-owned a horse named Gilded Time that won a major race, the 1992 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. He also owned Val Royal, who won the 2001 Breeders' Cup Mile.

Television Shows He Worked On

• Hill Street Blues (1982–87)
• Bay City Blues (1983)
• Beverly Hills Buntz (1987–88) (co-creator)
• Capital News (1990) (co-creator)
• L.A. Law (1992)
• NYPD Blue (1993–2005) (co-creator)
• Murder One (1995)
• Brooklyn South (1997–98) (co-creator)
• Total Security (1997) (co-creator)
• Big Apple (2001) (creator)
• Deadwood (2004–06) (creator)
• John from Cincinnati (2007) (co-creator)
• Last of the Ninth (2009) (co-creator)
• Luck (2011–12) (creator)
• The Money (2013) (creator)
• True Detective (2019)
• Deadwood: The Movie (2019)

Awards and Nominations

See also

In Spanish: David Milch para niños