Body Measurement | – |
Body type | – |
Height | 6’4″ |
Weight | 72 kg |
Hair Color | Grey |
Eye Color | Blue |
Shoe Size | – |
Full Name | Richard Anthony Wolf |
Nickname | Richard |
Gender | Male |
Date of Birth | December 20, 1946 |
Age | 76 Years |
Profession | American film and television producer |
Dick Wolf Net Worth | $600 Million |
Education | Saint David’s School, The Gunnery, Phillips Academy, University of Pennsylvania |
Nationality | American |
Birthplace | New York City, New York, USA |
Hometown | New York City, New York, USA |
Religion | Christian |
Zodiac Sign | Sagittarius |
Father | George Wolf |
Mother | Marie G. (Née Gaffney) |
Spouse | Noelle Lippman, Christine Marburg (M. 1983–2005), Susan Scranton (M. 1970–1983) |
Children | Elliot Wolf, Olivia Wolf, Rex Wolf, Serena Wolf |
Siblings | – |
IMDb | Dick Wolf |
NPR’s Fresh Air | Interview with Wolf |
Behind the Scenes | Dick Wolf’s Nasty Boys |
The Interviews: An Oral History of Television | Dick Wolf |
Childhood & Early Life
American film and television producer Richard Anthony Wolf was born on December 20, 1946. He is best known for creating the Law & Order series.
Six police/courtroom dramas and four international spinoffs have been produced under the franchise since 1990.
Additionally, he is the founder and executive producer of the FBI franchise, which since 2018 has also become a franchise after spinning out two new series, as well as the Chicago franchise, which since 2012 has included four dramas set in Chicago.
Wolf has written four books as well. The first book is a supplement to the Law & Order television series and is a non-fiction book titled Law & Order: Crime Scenes.
The novels The Intercept, The Execution, and The Ultimatum are part of a thriller series starring Jeremy Fisk, an NYPD detective.
Wolf has received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, an Emmy Award, and admission into the Television Academy Hall of Fame, among other honors.
Wolf went to Phillips Academy, The Gunnery, and Saint David’s School. After that, he went to the University of Pennsylvania (class of 1969), where he was a Zeta Psi fraternity member.
Dick Wolf was married to Susan Scranton from September 5, 1970 to March 16, 1983. His second marriage with Christine Marburg lasted from June 29, 1983 to 2005. Together they have three children, Olivia, Sarina and Elliot.
On June 17, 2006, he married Noelle Lippman. The couple has two children, daughter Zoe Amelia born on September 21, 2007 and son Rex born on March 2, 2010. According to sources, Dick and Noelle are presently living separately.
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Career
Dick Wolf joined Benton & Bowles first as an advertising copywriter. There, he developed the catchphrase “You can’t beat Crest for fighting cavities” for Procter & Gamble’s Crest toothpaste advertisements.
The 1971 National Airlines commercial “I’m Cheryl, fly me” is also ascribed to him.
Dick Wolf was a successful copywriter at the time, but he was also writing screenplays because he wanted to start a career in movies.
Oliver Stone, a struggling screenwriter at the time, was a short-term collaborator of his. A few years later, he moved to Los Angeles where he wrote the screenplays for three movies.
Among them, the 1988 American romantic mystery thriller “Masquerade,” which was directed by Bob Swaim and starred Rob Lowe and Meg Tilly, was a big economic success.
Dick’s television career began, meantime, as a staff writer for the NBC-aired police procedural drama “Hill Street Blues.”
Dick received his first Emmy nomination for the television episode from the series “What Are Friends For?“, which aired on December 5, 1985. Tom Fontana, who was employed at the same building writing for the television series “St. Elsewhere,” was introduced to him during this time.
They grew to be good friends. Later, Dick joined the cast of the American crime drama television series “Miami Vice,” which was broadcast on NBC from 1986 to 1988. He served as a writer and co-producer for the show’s third and fourth seasons.
He was one of the creators of the 2002 short documentary film “Twin Towers,” which told the tale of two brothers, firefighters John Vigiano Jr. and policeman Joseph Vigiano, who perished while performing their duties during the World Trade Center attacks on September 11, 2001.
In 2003, the movie won an Oscar for Best Documentary Short.
Even before Fred Thompson formally declared his intention to run for president as a Republican in 2008, Dick Wolf gave to Thompson’s campaign.
Thompson received support for his campaign from Dick, a former classmate, and George W. Bush, who was the president of the United States at the time.
He continued to be involved in the making of “When You’re Strange,” a 2009 music documentary about The Doors, a well-known American rock band. He produced the documentary drama ‘Cold Justice‘ for TNT in 2012.
The Chicago franchise, also known as One Chicago, was another successful media franchise of American television series that Dick Wolf created and executive produced to advance his television career.
The franchise, which was developed by Dick, Derek Haas, and Michael Brandt, focuses on the professional and personal lives of Chicago-based police officers, firefighters, lawyers, and emergency medical technicians.
‘Chicago Fire’ (October 10, 2012–present), ‘Chicago P.D.‘ (January 8, 2014–present), ‘Chicago Med’ (November 17, 2015–present), and ‘Chicago Justice‘ (March 1, 2017–May 14, 2017) are the television programs that have so far been born from it.
In 2018, he and Craig Turk co-created the American crime drama television series “FBI.” The program, which was created by CBS Studios and Universal Television and debuted on CBS on September 25, 2018, also counts him as an executive producer.
Dick Wolf has won numerous individual honors and accolades over the years, including a Special Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America in 2003.
On March 29, 2007, he received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 7040 Hollywood Boulevard.
In 2013, the Television Academy inducted him into its Hall of Fame. He also serves as Monaco’s Honorary Consul General.
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major Works/filmography
Year | Major works |
---|---|
1978 | Skateboard |
1985 | Hill Street Blues, Miami Vice |
1987 | No Man’s Land |
1988 | Masquerade |
1990 | Nasty Boys, H.E.L.P. |
1992 | School Ties, The Human Factor, Mann & Machine |
1993 | South Beach, Crime & Punishment |
1995 | The Wright Verdicts |
1997 | Feds, Players |
2000 | Deadline, D.C., Arrest & Trial |
2003 | Twin Towers, L.A. Dragnet, Law & Order: Criminal Intent |
2004 | Fatherhood |
2007 | Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, Paris enquêtes criminelles, Law & Order: Trial by Jury |
2012 | Guest voice in “Ratings Guy”, Community , Chicago Fire |
2021 | Naked Singularity, Law & Order: Organized Crime, FBI: International |
2023 | LA Fire and Rescue |
Awards and Achievements
The Distinguished Entertainment Industry Award from the Anti-Defamation League, the Leadership and Inspiration Award from the Entertainment Industries Council, the Governor’s Award from the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences count some of his awards.
The 1997 Achievement Award from the Caucus for Producers, Writers, and Directors, and the 2002 Creative Achievement Award from NATPE are just a few of Wolf’s personal accolades.
On March 29, 2007, Wolf was honored with a star at 7040 Hollywood Boulevard on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Wolf was enshrined in the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 2013. Wolf participates actively in the prestigious annual Television Festival of the principality and is also an Honorary Consul General of Monaco.
dick Wolf Net Worth
Since he has been a reputable producer, therefore his fans have always been speculating about his net worth. So, As of 2023, Dick Wolf net worth is predicted to be $600 Million.
The “Law and Order” franchise was created and executive produced by the very own Dick Wolf for which he has gained tremendous popularity all across the world.
Dick Wolf is an incredible producer and an enthusiastic investor in real estate. He owns many luxurious properties. It has been reported that he owns a huge mansion worth $15 million in the town of Santa Barbara, California.
After getting his entire mansion renovated, the total worth of the house is estimated to be around %50 million. Wold owns several other properties in Los Angeles and New York as well.
Controversy
On Sunday’s episode of “Last Week Tonight,” John Oliver criticised Dick Wolf harshly, saying the long-running television programme “Law & Order” was more interested in mythologizing the criminal justice system than highlighting its corruption.
The series, according to Oliver, “makes a lot of choices that significantly distort the big picture of police,” such as employing a never-ending cast of wealthy, white characters that the cops are free to mistreat without consequence. He asserted that Wolf made this deliberate choice and noticed how it subtly normalised police brutality.
Wolf stated to The Baltimore Sun in 2003, “Another reason we have so many rich, white perps is that there are no rich, white guy pressure groups.” “Rich, white guys can get away with anything, and nobody will notice. Really.”
Oliver said “Law & Order” ultimately worked as propaganda for the police because “instead of depicting a flawed system riddled with structural racism, the show presents exceptionally competent cops working within a largely fair framework that mostly convicts white people.”
He highlighted a May 2021 research by Mass Mediated Representations of Crime and Criminality, which concluded that the show’s fictional “offenders were disproportionally White, male, older, and from the middle or upper-classes.”
Oliver said the series is “never going to grapple with the reality of policing in a meaningful way.” Wolf himself earlier said he was “unabashedly pro-law enforcement,” as Oliver highlighted in a tape.
He also presented an interview in which Wolf claimed he didn’t want to use his show to “do Abner Louima,” alluding to a Black man who NYPD officers beat and sodomized in 1997. Louima suffered serious injuries and was hospitalized for two months.
Five cops were charged for their roles in the assault, and two were condemned to prison, with the principal assailant sentenced to 30 years. (The other three cops had their convictions quashed owing to insufficient evidence).
Louima obtained a $8.75 million compensation from the city for the attack.
10 things you didn’t know about dick Wolf!
FAQs
– What contribution has Dick Wolf made to the television industry?
Dick Wolf is a key player in the television industry, especially when it comes to procedural dramas. He is credited for popularising the idea of interwoven television universes, in which plotlines and characters appear across a variety of shows.
– How many seasons are there of “Law & Order: SVU”?
“Law & Order: Special Victims Unit” had 22 seasons under its belt. It’s possible that more seasons have since been created.
– Does Dick Wolf have any achievements to his name?
Dick Wolf has gotten a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as well as a number of prizes and accolades for his work in television, including Emmys.
– What does the television “Dick Wolf Effect” entail?
It is known as the “Dick Wolf Effect” to refer to the enormous popularity and impact of Dick Wolf’s television franchises. It is characterised by its capacity to develop a devoted fan following, long-running series, and several spin-offs.