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David Milch

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David Milch
Born (1945-03-23) March 23, 1945 (age 79)
Buffalo, New York, United States
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, television producer
Spouse(s)Rita Stern (1982–present; three children)

David S. Milch (born March 23, 1945) is an American writer and producer of television series. He has created several television shows, including NYPD Blue (co-created with Steven Bochco) and Deadwood.[1]

Life and career

Milch graduated summa cum laude from Yale University, where he won the Tinker Prize in English and was a member of the Delta Kappa Epsilon chapter,[2][3] along with future U.S. president George W. Bush. He earned an MFA from the Iowa Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa.[4] To avoid the draft during the Vietnam War, Milch enrolled in Yale Law School but was expelled for shooting out a police car siren with a shotgun. Milch then worked as a writing teacher and lecturer in English literature at Yale. During his teaching career, he assisted Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brooks in the writing of several college textbooks on literature. Milch's poetry and fiction have been published in The Atlantic Monthly and the Southern Review.[5]

In 1982, Milch wrote a script for Hill Street Blues, which became the episode "Trial by Fury". This began his career in television. He worked five seasons on Hill Street Blues as executive story editor and then as executive producer. Milch earned two Writers Guild Awards, a Humanitas prize, and an Emmy while working on that show.[citation needed]

He created NYPD Blue with Steven Bochco and served as Executive Producer of that series for seven seasons. Milch co-created the patrol police drama Brooklyn South with Bochco, Bill Clark, and William S. Finkelstein in 1997 while still working on NYPD Blue. After NYPD Blue, Milch created a CBS series called Big Apple.[citation needed]

From 2004 to 2006, Milch produced Deadwood, a dramatic series for HBO. Milch served as creator, writer, and executive producer. The series ended in 2006 after three seasons. There were plans for two feature-length movies to conclude the series, but after many rumors, star Ian McShane has said the sets have been struck and the films are highly unlikely to be produced. McShane presented David Milch with the 2006 Outstanding Television Writer Award at the Austin Film Festival.[citation needed]

Milch began production in 2006 on John from Cincinnati, another dramatic series for HBO. The series was canceled after its first season. Initial ratings had been lower than expected but increased steadily. Ratings for the final episode were more than 3 million.[6] In October 2007, HBO renewed its contract with Milch. A pilot was commissioned for Last of the Ninth, "a drama set in the New York Police Department during the 1970s, when the Knapp Commission was formed to ferret out corruption in the force." Collaborating with Milch on Last of the Ninth was former NYPD Blue writer and friend Bill Clark.[7] In December 2008, The Hollywood Reporter stated that Last of the Ninth would not be picked up by the network.[8]

In January 2010, Milch announced that he was developing a new drama for HBO entitled Luck, based around the culture of horse racing. Michael Mann directed the pilot[9] and Dustin Hoffman was cast in the lead role.[10] HBO picked up the series on July 14, 2010.[11] The series ceased production after three horse deaths on set, having aired one season. Milch has also confirmed that he has signed on for the film adaptation of Quantic Dream's 2010 video game Heavy Rain.

In October 2011, New York magazine reported[12] that Milch, in collaboration with Steven Bochco, would produce an as yet untitled legal drama for NBC. Set in a high powered Washington, D.C. law firm, the show will center on a lawyer with a dark past named Ted Tapman. The show as described by a representative from 20th Century Fox TV, "is a series about how we negotiate with our demons and the price we pay for those alliances."

In November 2011, HBO announced[13] that it had entered into a deal with David Milch's Redboard Productions to produce films and television series based on the literary works of William Faulkner. The deal would cover all of the 19 novels and 125 short stories in the William Faulkner estate, as well as other works, with the exception of those currently contracted with other parties.

In July 2013 HBO announced[14] at the Television Critics Association Press Tour that Milch was developing a new series for the cable network tentatively titled The Money. The show would depict a dynastic New York media family. Irish actor Brendan Gleeson was cast in the lead role as a family patriarch and media mogul.[15] It was announced on March 4, 2014 that HBO had passed on the project.[16] The Wall Street Journal has also reported[17] that Milch has been working on a project for HBO about the fictional Mississippi county Yoknapatawpha County created by William Faulkner.

Personal life

Milch identifies as Jewish.[18]

Thoroughbred horse racing

Milch is an owner of Thoroughbred racehorses. As a co-owner with Mark and Jack Silverman, he won the 1992 Breeders' Cup Juvenile with the colt Gilded Time. Milch owned outright Val Royal who captured the 2001 Breeders' Cup Mile. In February 2016, it was reported that Milch is heavily in debt due to betting large sums of money on horse races. Milch lost $25 million betting at the racetrack between 2000 and 2011 alone, and as of February 2016, he is 17 million dollars in debt despite earning over $100 million during his 30-year career.[19]

Television credits

Awards and recognition

See also

References

  1. ^ Allen Barra. "The Man Who Made Deadwood | American History Lives at American Heritage". Americanheritage.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  2. ^ "Prominent Deke Alumni: Phi's David Milch". Godeke.org. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  3. ^ "Prizes and Deadlines | English". English.yale.edu. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  4. ^ "University of Iowa Alumni Association". Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  5. ^ "UPenn". Retrieved January 25, 2012.
  6. ^ Nielsen Media News, August 14, 2007.
  7. ^ "The saga of 'Deadwood' takes another turn". Chicago Tribune. October 10, 2007.
  8. ^ "HBO picks up 'Hung'". The Hollywood Reporter (via web archive). Archived from the original on December 19, 2008.
  9. ^ Fleming, Michael (January 5, 2010). "Mann, Milch in 'Luck' with HBO". Variety.
  10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "Dustin Hoffman to star in HBO pilot Luck". Reuters. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  11. ^ Hibberd, James. "Dustin Hoffman to star in horse racing series". Reuters. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  12. ^ "Drama Titans Steven Bochco and David Milch Are Reuniting to Save NBC". New York Magazine. October 14, 2011.
  13. ^ "HBO Signs David Milch and His New Partner, William Faulkner". Time Magazine. November 30, 2011.
  14. ^ "'Deadwood' creator near deal for HBO drama pilot". Entertainment Weekly. July 25, 2013.
  15. ^ "HBO Orders New David Milch Pilot, The Money". New York Magazine. Retrieved August 13, 2013.
  16. ^ Andreeva, Nellie. "David Milch's HBO Pilot 'The Money' Not Going Forward". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 12, 2014.
  17. ^ "William Faulkner's Heirs Aim to Preserve His Legacy and Profit From It". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  18. ^ "David Milch Headlines Most Uncomfortable Panel Discussion Ever at 'New Yorker' Fest". Vulture. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
  19. ^ Beth McDonald (February 23, 2016). "Emmy-Award Winning Creator of NYPD Blue and Deadwood Is $17 Million in Debt After Gambling His $100 Million Fortune Away". Celebrity Net Worth. Retrieved May 5, 2016.
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