David Edward Kelley is an American television writer, producer, and former attorney. He is known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal, Harry’s Law, Big Little Lies, and Mr. Mercedes. Kelley is one of very few screenwriters to have created shows that have aired on all four top commercial U.S. television networks.
About David E. Kelley in brief
David Edward Kelley is an American television writer, producer, and former attorney. He is known as the creator of Picket Fences, Chicago Hope, The Practice, Ally McBeal, Boston Public, Boston Legal, Harry’s Law, Big Little Lies, and Mr. Mercedes. Kelley is one of very few screenwriters to have created shows that have aired on all four top commercial U.S. television networks. Kelley was a stick boy for the New England Whalers of the World Hockey Association in their inaugural season of 1972-1973 when his father coached the team. He was captain of the Princeton Tigers men’s ice hockey team at Princeton University, where he graduated in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in political science. He began working for a Boston law firm, mostly dealing with real estate and minor criminal cases. In 1983, while considering it only a hobby, Kelley began writing a screenplay, a legal thriller, which was optioned in 1986 and later became the Judd Nelson feature film From the Hip in 1987. In 1992, after co-creating Doogie Howser, M. D. with his mentor Steven Bochco, Kelley formed his own production company, David E Kelley Productions, making a three-series deal with CBS. In 1994, Kelley launched the medical drama Chicago Hope starring Mandy Patinkin and Adam Arkin, which premiered in 1994. Airing at the same time as the other medical drama, NBC’s ER, the ultimate ratings leader, it won seven Emmys in its seven-year run by high-tech doctors.
In 1995, the fourth and final season, Kelley wrote almost 10 episodes for Chicago Hope. He wrote for the Legal Follies, a sketch comedy group composed of Boston University law students which still holds annual performances. In 1989, Kelley received two Emmys for Outstanding Writing in a Dramatic Series and the show received the award for Out outstanding Drama Series for both years. For the first five seasons that he was involved with the show, he wrote or co-wrote two out of three episodes. In the second year, he became executive story editor and co-producer for the show. He left after the fifth season in 1991 and ratings began to fall. Kelley received his Juris Doctor from Boston University School of Law. He now lives in New York City with his wife and three children. He has a son, a daughter, a son-in-law, and a stepson. He and his wife have a son and a daughter-in law, both of whom are active members of the Boston Marathon bombing victims’ advocacy group, The Boston Marathon Bombing Memorial Fund. He also has a daughter who is an active member of the New York Marathon bombing victim’s group, the March for Peace and Justice. He currently lives in Los Angeles with his husband and their two sons, who are active in the Boy Scouts of America and the Boy Scout Troop of the United States of America.
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