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 TV producer and writer. He is best known for creating many popular TV shows. His most famous work is the Law & Order series.

Since 1990, the Law & Order shows have included police and courtroom dramas. He also helped create the Chicago and FBI TV show families. These shows are very popular and have many spin-offs.

Dick Wolf has also written four books. One book, Law & Order: Crime Scenes, is about the TV show. The other three, The Intercept, The Execution, and The Ultimatum, are exciting thriller novels. They feature a detective named Jeremy Fisk.

Wolf has won many awards for his work. He received an Emmy Award and was added to the Television Academy Hall of Fame. He also has a star on the famous Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Early Life and School

Dick Wolf grew up in Manhattan, a part of New York City. His father was Jewish, and his mother was Catholic with Irish roots. He was an altar boy when he was young.

He went to several schools, including Saint David's School and Phillips Academy. Later, he studied at the University of Pennsylvania. He graduated in 1969.

Starting His Career

Working in Advertising

Before TV, Dick Wolf worked as a writer for advertising companies. He created 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 "I'm Cheryl, fly me" campaign for National Airlines. Even though he was good at advertising, he always wanted to write for movies. He even worked with the famous director Oliver Stone for a short time.

First Steps in TV and Movies

After a few years, Wolf moved to Los Angeles to work in film. Three of his movie scripts were made into films. One movie, Masquerade (1988), was well-liked.

He then started working in television. He was a writer for the show Hill Street Blues. He was nominated for an Emmy Award for an episode he wrote. Later, he became a writer and co-producer for the show Miami Vice.

The Law & Order Universe

Dick Wolf's first Law & Order show started in 1990. It ran until 2010 and came back in 2022. This show is one of the longest-running dramas in American TV history. It has been nominated for many Emmy Awards.

Wolf is the creator and executive producer of the Law & Order shows. These shows are made by his company, Wolf Entertainment, and NBCUniversal Television. Law & Order: Special Victims Unit is the longest-running scripted drama on primetime TV.

He also created other Law & Order spin-offs that are no longer on air. These include Law & Order: Criminal Intent and Law & Order: UK. Many of his shows connect to the Law & Order world. The Law & Order series has also been made in other countries.

Wolf's company also produced Twin Towers. This was an Academy Award-winning documentary about two brothers. They were a policeman and a fireman who died on September 11, 2001.

The Chicago Universe

Dick Wolf also created the Chicago Fire TV series. This show is about firefighters in the Chicago Fire Department. It started in 2012 and became very popular.

Because Chicago Fire was so successful, NBC decided to make a spin-off. This new show was about the Chicago Police Department, called Chicago P.D.. It started in 2014.

After that, two more shows joined the Chicago family. These were Chicago Med (about doctors and nurses) and Chicago Justice (about lawyers and the justice system).

The FBI Universe

In 2018, Dick Wolf became an executive producer for the CBS show FBI. This show stars actors who were also in Law & Order.

FBI has since grown into its own family of shows. It has two spin-offs: FBI: Most Wanted and FBI: International. This makes the FBI series Dick Wolf's third major TV show family.

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

Other Projects

In 2012, Wolf created an unscripted show called Cold Justice for TNT. He also wrote three novels about an NYPD detective named Jeremy Fisk. In 2024, he released a documentary series with Netflix called Homicide: New York.

In 2021, NBC ordered a documentary series called LA Fire and Rescue. This show followed firefighters from the Los Angeles County Fire Department. Dick Wolf was an executive producer for this series.

Future Plans

Dick Wolf is always working on new ideas for TV. He is planning an American version of a British legal drama called Injustice. He is also working on a drama series about a satanic cult called The Church.

He also has a pilot show about an insurance investigator for USA Network. Wolf often talks about new ideas for the Law & Order series. He is always thinking about where the franchise could go next.

Art Collecting

Dick Wolf loves art. In December 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced a special gift from him. He promised to give over 200 pieces of art to the museum. These include old paintings, sculptures, and drawings.

He also gave money to create two art galleries named after him. Wolf said his love for art began when he was a child. He used to visit the Met museum on his way home from school.

Awards and Honors

Dick Wolf has received many awards for his amazing work. He won the Award of Excellence from the Banff Television Festival. He also received the Creative Achievement Award from NATPE.

He has been honored by groups like the Anti-Defamation League and the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 2007, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2013, he was added to the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Wolf is also an Honorary Consul general of Monaco. He helps with Monaco's important annual Television Festival.

Film and TV Shows

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)

TV Series (Scripted)

TV Series (Unscripted)

Timeline of Shows

See also

In Spanish: Dick Wolf para niños

• List of celebrities by net worth