Biografia
David Kelley exemplifies the 1990s American Dream: pen a screenplay, relocate to Hollywood, earn millions, and marry a film star. Originally a Boston lawyer, he transitioned over the past decade into a successful television producer known for both high-quality and highly rated shows. Born in 1956 in Maine, Kelley attended Princeton University and Boston University Law School. In November 1993, he married actress Michelle Pfeiffer. They have two children: Claudia Rose Kelley, born in March 1993 and adopted by Pfeiffer eight months before their marriage, and John Henry, born in August 1994. Claudia was baptized and given Kelley's surname at their wedding ceremony.
In 1983, while an associate at Fine & Ambrogne, Kelley wrote a film script inspired by his legal experiences. Through a family friend, he optioned the script and secured an agent in 1986. The script was turned into the 1987 film From the Hip, starring Judd Nelson, Elizabeth Perkins, and John Hurt. Meanwhile, producers Steven Bochco and Terry Louise Fisher, creators of the hit police drama Hill Street Blues, were developing a new legal drama and sought writers with legal expertise. After reviewing Kelley's script, they invited him to Los Angeles to discuss writing a script for L.A. Law. The meeting led to Kelley joining the staff as a story editor. The following year, he became executive story editor, and after Fisher's departure, was promoted to supervising producer. When Bochco left after the third season, Kelley took over as executive producer while continuing to write many scripts.
Kelley has since produced several acclaimed and popular shows. He was a creative consultant on Doogie Howser, M.D., produced by Bochco, and served as executive producer and writer for Picket Fences. He is the executive producer of Chicago Hope. Kelley is part of Twentieth Century Fox's television production division, owned since 1985 by Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation.
