Multi award-winning writer/producer David E. Kelley is the mind behind some of America’s most distinctive television series. As creator of the Emmy, Peabody and Golden Globe Award-winning shows “Boston Legal,” “The Practice,” and “Ally McBeal,” the critically acclaimed dramatic series “Boston Public” and “Chicago Hope,” and the multiple award-winning drama series “Picket Fences,” Kelley’s writing and executive-producing style continue to intrigue television viewing audiences. “Boston Legal,” a fast-paced and darkly comedic series which aired on ABC, was originally conceived as a spin-off of sorts during the eighth and final season of “The Practice.” Led by an Emmy Award-winning cast, “Boston Legal” strived to create informative, dramatic television with an eye toward social justice. Fast-paced and darkly comedic, the series confronted social and moral issues, while its characters continually stretched the boundaries of the law. Since the show’s inception, “Boston Legal” has won a George Foster Peabody Award, a GLAAD Media Award, an ACE Eddie Award and an Environmental Media Award, while its cast has secured multiple Emmy Award nominations and wins, and Golden Globe Award nominations and one win. While in its fourth season, “Boston Legal” was honored with the inaugural Television Academy Honors award for the series.
“The Practice,” a gritty ensemble drama about a Boston law firm, distinguished itself in the drama world. In its third season alone, the show added its second consecutive Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series and earned the Golden Globe Award, a George Foster Peabody Award and the Producers Guild Award, as well as being named Best Drama by the Viewers for Quality Television. After eight triumphant seasons on ABC, “The Practice” became one of television’s most acclaimed series.
“Ally McBeal” dominated water-cooler talk across America from its inception. Winner of an Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy Series, a George Foster Peabody Award, Best Comedy by the Viewers for Quality Television and four Golden Globe Awards, the show became a cultural phenomenon. Infused with creative insight and odd twists of fate, “Ally McBeal” delivered a compelling and sensitive portrait of a young professional woman experiencing life and love in a complicated world.
Kelley also created and executive-produced the critically acclaimed “Boston Public,” a dramatic up-close, behind-the-scenes look into the personal and professional lives of teachers and administrators working at a mid-size high school in Boston, who strive to impact the lives of their students. The show received two Emmy nominations in its inaugural season and was the recipient of the George Foster Peabody Award.
He wrote and consulted on “Chicago Hope,” which looked at real-life drama in a large metropolitan hospital during the six years it ran on CBS. The show received many prestigious honors, including a GLAAD Media Award for Best Drama. His first series under the Kelley Productions banner was “Picket Fences,” which ran for four seasons and examined modern values and relationships in the small town of Rome, Wisconsin. It was honored with back-to-back Emmy Awards as Outstanding Drama Series for its first and second television seasons, as well as Best Drama by the Viewers for Quality Television.
In addition, various episodes of “Picket Fences” have been recognized by the Directors Guild of America, Advocates for Youth, National Easter Seal Society, National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Catholics in the Media and the Center for Population Options. Kelley’s efforts on behalf of “Picket Fences” have also been rewarded with an American Civil Liberties Union Bill of Rights Award, a Jewish Tele-Image Award for Best Drama Series and a Wilbur Award for Best Television Drama.
Kelley wrote and produced the films “To Gillian On Her 37th Birthday,” a poignant film about a husband’s continuing struggle to move forward following the death of his wife; “Lake Placid,” a thriller about a 35-foot alligator that emerges from a quiet lake in Maine; and “Mystery, Alaska,” starring Russell Crowe as the sheriff of a small Alaskan town who leads the local hockey team in a nationally televised game against the NHL’s New York Rangers.
Honored with four George Foster Peabody Awards, a Television Showmanship Award from the Publicists Guild of America, the David Susskind Lifetime Achievement Award from the Producers Guild and the TV Guide Awards’ inaugural Brandon Tartikoff Award, Kelley was also the subject of a tribute by the Museum of Television and Radio and was named a Broadcasting and Cable Hall of Fame Honoree. He is the recipient of the Monte Carlo Television Festival’s first Showman of the Year Award, the Casting Society of America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and has been honored by the Legal Aid Foundation of Los Angeles. In addition, he has received the prestigious Humanitas Prize for two consecutive years for “The Practice,” and was presented with both The Paddy Chayefsky Lifetime Achievement Award and The Paul Selvin Award from the Writers Guild of America. To date, Kelley is the only Producer to ever win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Comedy and Outstanding Drama, “Ally McBeal” and “The Practice” respectfully, in the same year (1999).
Kelley was an attorney practicing law in Boston before venturing into the world of entertainment. While still a lawyer, he wrote the feature film “From the Hip,” which earned the attention of “L.A. Law” co-creator Steven Bochco. He joined “L.A. Law” as a writer in 1986, became co-producer the following year and supervising producer during the show’s third season. After Bochco’s departure, Kelley earned five Emmy Awards as a producer and writer, as well as 13 Emmy nominations. “L.A. Law” won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series four out of the five seasons in which Kelley participated. In addition, Kelley earned five nominations from the Writers Guild of America. Following “L.A. Law,” he co-created the popular series, “Doogie Howser, M.D.”
Born in Waterville, Maine, Kelley graduated from Princeton University in 1979, where he served as captain of the hockey team. He received his law degree from the Boston University School of Law in 1983 and practiced law for three years before joining “L.A. Law.”