Dick Wolf
The architect of television's most enduring procedural empire, whose 'Law & Order' formula became a permanent fixture of American pop culture.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American television producer·Birthday: December 20·Baby Boomers
Biography
Dick Wolf didn't invent the police drama, but he perfected its most durable modern blueprint. After a start in advertising and a stint on 'Miami Vice,' he conceived a simple, powerful idea: split the show in half, following a crime from investigation to prosecution. 'Law & Order,' launched in 1990, was initially a mid-level performer, but its ripped-from-the-headlines stories and steady, unflashy rhythm built a loyal audience that lasted two decades. Wolf's real genius was franchising. He spun off 'Special Victims Unit,' which would eventually outlast the original, and built entire television nights around his Chicago and FBI series. His production company operates like a network unto itself, making him one of the most powerful and influential figures in television history, a master of a format that viewers never seem to tire of.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Dick was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Dick Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Dick's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Created the 'Law & Order' franchise, which has generated over a dozen series and international adaptations.
- Produced 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,' the longest-running primetime live-action series in U.S. television history.
- Expanded his empire with the successful 'Chicago' and 'FBI' television franchises on NBC and CBS.
Did You Know?
He wrote the famous 'blue tobacco' advertising slogan for the launch of Parliament Lights cigarettes.
He won an Emmy Award for a script he wrote for the series 'Miami Vice.'
He has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, located next to the star of 'Law & Order' star Jerry Orbach.
“In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups.”
