Dick Wolf facts for kids

Quick facts for kids 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	Television writer, director, executive producer, creator
Employer	Wolf Entertainment
Known for	Law & Order franchise Chicago franchise FBI franchise
Spouse(s)	Susan Scranton ​ ​ (m. 1970; div. 1983)​ Christine Marburg ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2005)​ Noelle Lippman ​ ​ (m. 2006; div. 2019)​
Children	5

Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946) is a famous American television producer. He is best known for creating many popular TV shows. His most famous work is the Law & Order series. This group of shows has been on TV since 1990.

Dick Wolf also helped create the Chicago TV shows. These shows, like Chicago Fire, started in 2012. More recently, he created the FBI series, which began in 2018. These shows have also become very popular. Besides TV, Wolf has written four books, including a series of thrilling detective stories. He has won many awards for his work, like an Emmy Award. He even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!

Early Life and School

Dick Wolf was born in Manhattan, a part of New York City. His father was Jewish, and his mother was Catholic with Irish family. When he was a boy, he sometimes helped out at his local Catholic church.

Wolf went to several schools, including Saint David's School and Phillips Academy. After high school, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated from there in 1969.

Starting His Career

Working in Advertising

Before he became a TV producer, Dick Wolf worked in advertising. He wrote commercials for products like Crest toothpaste. He even came up with the famous slogan, "You can't beat Crest for fighting cavities." He also created the campaign "I'm Cheryl, fly me" for National Airlines.

Even though he was good at advertising, Wolf really wanted to write for movies. He spent his free time writing screenplays. For a short time, he even worked on a screenplay with Oliver Stone, who later became a famous director.

First Steps in TV and Movies

After a few years, Wolf moved to Los Angeles to chase his dream. Three of his screenplays were made into movies. One of them, Masquerade (1988), was well-liked.

He started his TV career as a writer for the show Hill Street Blues. He was even nominated for an Emmy Award for an episode he wrote. Later, he worked as a writer and co-producer for the TV show Miami Vice.

Creating Hit TV Shows

The Law & Order World

Dick Wolf's original show, Law & Order, first aired in 1990. It ran for many years and was brought back in 2022. It is one of the longest-running drama shows in American TV history.

Wolf is the creator and executive producer of many Law & Order shows. These include Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (often called SVU). SVU started in 1999 and is now the longest-running scripted drama on primetime TV. Other shows in this group are Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: Organized Crime. Many of these shows have stories that connect with each other. Some Law & Order shows have even been made in other countries.

The Chicago World

In 2012, Dick Wolf created Chicago Fire. This show is about firefighters in Chicago. It became very popular. Because of its success, NBC decided to make a spin-off show about the Chicago Police Department. This show, Chicago P.D., started in 2014.

Two more shows followed: Chicago Med, which is about doctors and nurses, and Chicago Justice. These shows often have special episodes where characters from one show appear in another.

The FBI World

In 2018, Wolf became an executive producer for the CBS show FBI. This show is about agents who work for the FBI. It quickly became popular and led to two spin-off shows: FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. This means Dick Wolf now has three major TV show groups!

As of 2025, all three of Wolf's big TV show groups have their own night on TV. The FBI shows are on CBS on Tuesdays. The Chicago shows are on NBC on Wednesdays. And the Law & Order shows are on NBC on Thursdays.

Other Projects

In 2012, Dick Wolf also created a reality show called Cold Justice for TNT. This show looks into old, unsolved crime cases. He has also written three novels about an NYPD detective named Jeremy Fisk. In 2024, he released a documentary series with Netflix called Homicide: New York.

Wolf also helped create a docuseries called LA Fire and Rescue. This show followed firefighters in the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

Art Collecting

Dick Wolf loves art. In December 2023, he promised to give over 200 pieces of art to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This collection includes old paintings, sculptures, and drawings. He also gave money to help create two new art galleries named after him. Wolf said he started loving art when he was a child visiting the Met museum.

Awards and Recognition

Dick Wolf has received many awards for his amazing work in television. Some of his honors include:

• The Award of Excellence from the Banff Television Festival.
• The Creative Achievement Award from NATPE.
• The Distinguished Entertainment Industry Award from the Anti-Defamation League.
• A special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America.

On March 29, 2007, Dick Wolf received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, he was added to the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He is also an Honorary Consul general for Monaco and helps with their annual Television Festival.

Filmography

Movies

• Skateboard (1978)
• No Man's Land (1987)
• Masquerade (1988)
• School Ties (1992)
• Twin Towers (2003)
• Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee (2007)
• Naked Singularity (2021)

Television Shows

Scripted Series

Unscripted Series

Other TV Appearances

• Family Guy (2012); Guest voice in "Ratings Guy"

Timeline of Dick Wolf's TV Show Worlds

See also

In Spanish: Dick Wolf para niños