While other artists earn law degrees in case they need a stable career to fall back on, this Boston-based attorney traded the bar for showbiz after penning his first screenplay---the courtroom comedy
From the Hip, which was made into a movie in 1987. A year earlier, the then-unsold script inspired TV producer Steven Bochco to hire Kelley as a scribe on his new show,
L.A. Law. After quickly being promoted to head writer, then executive producer, Kelley began creating his own hit series, including teen-doctor dramedy
Doogie Howser, M.D.; eccentric small-town crime series
Picket Fences; medical saga
Chicago Hope; quirky legal comedy
Ally McBeal; gritty legal drama
The Practice; and its spin-off,
Boston Legal. A workhorse able to craft unforgettable characters and infuse serious stories with offbeat humor, Kelley oversaw several shows simultaneously in the '90s. Kelley received a slew of honors for his small-screen projects, including a number of Emmys and TV GUIDE's Brandon Tartikoff Award in 2001.
David E. Kelley Fast Facts:
- Father, Jack, was a Hall of Fame hockey coach at Boston University from 1962 to '72, winning NCAA championships in 1971 and '72. He later coached and held front-office positions in the NHL.
- An avid hockey player himself, David captained his team at Princeton and played professionally for a year in Switzerland after graduation.
- Worked as a lawyer at the Boston firm Fine & Ambrogne (1983-86).
- Broke into television when Steven Bochco read his screenplay for 1987's From the Hip and hired him for the staff of L.A. Law.
- Woman in rocking chair who says "You stinka" in closing credits of David E. Kelley Productions is Kelley's late grandmother.
- In 2003, fired most of the original cast of The Practice in order to reduce costs. James Spader signed on as the series' new lead and in 2004 earned his own spin-off, Boston Legal.
- Although initially very critical of the reality-TV craze, Kelley created his own short-lived reality show, The Law Firm, in 2005.
- David E. Kelley Relationships:
- Michelle Pfeiffer - Wife
- Jack Kelley - Father
- Claudia Rose Kelley - Daughter
- John Henry Kelley - Son
- Ginny Kelley - Mother
- David E. Kelley Awards:
- 1988 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- 1989 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
- 1990 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
- 1991 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
- 1993 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
- 1994 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
- 1995 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- 1996 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
- 1999 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Winner
- 2000 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- 2001 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Comedy Series - Nominee
- 1999 Emmy: Outstanding Comedy Series - Winner
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 1999 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series - Nominee
- 1988 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1989 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1990 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1990 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series - Winner
- 1991 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series - Nominee
- 1991 Emmy: Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series - Winner
- 1998 Emmy: Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series - Nominee
- 2007 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Drama Series - Nominee
- College:
- Princeton University, Princeton, NJ (BA in Political Science, 1979); Boston University, Boston, MA (JD, 1983)