Richard Anthony Wolf (born December 20, 1946), usually billed as simply Dick Wolf, is one of American television's most respected drama series creators and is an Emmy Award-winning producer, specializing in crime dramas.
Attended prep school, which served as basis later for his School Ties (1992) screenplay; also attended University of Pennsylvania.
Father was an advertising executive, mother a housewife.
Worked as copywriter and/or producer of over 100 TV commercials, 1969-76. Children: Olivia, Sarina and Elliot.
Producer Dick Wolf is old friends with producer Tom Fontana. They often use actors from each other's TV series, usually resulting in the actors working on two shows at once. Examples are J.K. Simmons on "Law & Order" (1990) and "Oz" (1997), Christopher Meloni and Dean Winters on "Oz" (1997) and "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" (1999), and Kathryn Erbe on "Oz" (1997) and "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" (2001). Richard Belzer famously leaped from producers' show to show as Detective John Munch.
Was an altar boy at St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York back when Cardinal Spellman was Archbishop.
Is a close friend of famous crime novelist James Ellroy. Wolf even hired Ellroy's best friend, LAPD Homicide Detective William Stoner, as a technical advisor on his TV show "Dragnet" (2003).
Ranked #50 in the Power Rankings and #12 in the Money Rankings on Forbes' 2006 Celebrity 100 list, with $70 million in earnings, primarily from the syndication of the various "Law & Order" shows.
Was a member of Zeta Psi fraternity while a student at the University of Pennsylvania.
In 1995, was presented with the Governors Award by the New York chapter of the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for being "a creative force in television for 25+ years".
