Dick Wolf Net Worth [The Man Behind Law And Order]

Advertising Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links from our partners, which means that we may receive a small commission if you sign up via these links. If you like what we’re doing, consider supporting us by clicking. We do our best to keep offers up-to-date. More info can be found here.

Net Worth:	$600 million
Profession/Career:	Television producer, writer
Best Known For:	Law & Order
College:	University of Pennsylvania
Major/Degree:	BA in English
Full Name:	Richard Anthony Wolf
Date of Birth:	December 20, 1946
Place of Birth:	New York City, New York
Height:	6 ft 4 in

Frequently associated with

Law & Order Series
One Chicago Series
Anthony Anderson
Ice-T
Mariska Hargitay

Table of Contents

[hide]

Net Worth of Dick Wolf

Dick Wolf’s net worth is estimated to be roughly $600 million.

The majority of Dick Wolf’s net worth can easily be attributed to his success in the entire Law & Order franchise and all of its spin-offs, which all started in 1990. These include:

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (SVU)
Law & Order: Organized Crime
Law & Order: Criminal Intent
Law & Order: Trial by Jury
Law & Order: Los Angeles (LA)
Law & Order: True Crime
Law & Order: United Kingdom (UK)

Over 1,300 episodes have come out of the entire Law & Order franchise and/or spin-offs. Dick Wolf gets paid around $200K for each episode. This varies slightly from episode to episode, but that is the general range. If we only take into account his total pay from all of the Law & Order episodes he’s created and produce, that totals to over $260 million thus far.

But wait… that’s not anywhere near the $600 million his net worth is valued at.

True. A couple of things that haven’t been accounted for.

One: Even though he gets paid around $200K each episode, it’s not the exact number. There have been claims that the number is closer to $250K. If you multiply that by the number of episodes he’s done for Law & Order alone, that makes it closer to $325K in earnings.

On top of that, the claim is an older one, and as Dick Wolf’s reputation climbs with each passing season, his ability to negotiate his pay gets stronger and stronger. His pay could potentially be $300K or $400K per episode by now. As long as the show pays for itself, it’s very plausible.

Secondly: The rest of his net worth can be explained by his supplementary income, including the three books he’s authored as well as other work he has done outside of the Law & Order series.

On top of that, if he’s invested the money he’s made smartly throughout his career, the vast amounts of money have probably been riding the bull run that the stock market has been enjoying in the last decade prior to just recently.

But wait… doesn’t Law & Order have over 25,000 episodes?

Maybe that explains how his net worth it so high? No, it doesn’t. It’s a rumor that’s been perpetrated by WE TV, but it has no basis in truth. But if it was true, then that would increase Dick Wolf’s net worth to over $5 billion, assuming the same rate of pay and assuming he could physically have done 25,000 episodes by this stage in his career.

How much does Dick Wolf earn per year?

Dick Wolf earns roughly $8 million a year.

This takes into account the higher pay he likely earns per episode in more recent times, which is well over $200K and probably closer to $300K. Most of his earnings come from work involving Law & Order in some way. He also earns royalties from his books and earns more from work outside of Law & Order on top of it.

Did Dick Wolf grow up rich or poor?

Dick Wolf grew up in a very well-off family. His father was an ad executive who was paid handsomely and had ties to the film industry. Initially, Dick Wolf followed his father into the world of ads and learned how to build a brand quite proficiently.

However, he decided to take advantage of the connections his father had in the film industry, starting as a writer as many producers do, then working his way up to becoming a well-respected producer and eventually author of three books as well.

Dick Wolf’s Wife

Dick Wolf has been married three times. His first wife was Susan Scranton, and they tied the knot in 1970. However, their marriage eventually came to an end, and they divorced at some point.

After his first marriage ended, Dick Wolf found love again and married Christine Marburg in 1983. Their union lasted for a certain period, but unfortunately, they too eventually decided to part ways and got divorced.

Currently, Dick Wolf is married to his third wife, Noelle Lippman. They exchanged vows in 2006, and their marriage has endured since then.

Wolf Entertainment

Wolf Entertainment was founded in 1988 by Dick Wolf as a production company. Under his company, he has started not only one of the biggest series ever, Law & Order, but also the Chicago series and FBI series.

In February of 2020, Wolf Entertainment signed a deal with Universal Television for exclusive streaming and broadcasting rights for north of nine figures. Making it the biggest television deal ever signed.

Dick Wolf’s Jeremy Fisk Novels

The Jeremy Fisk series, authored by Dick Wolf, is known for its thrilling plots, action-packed scenes, and authentic portrayal of law enforcement and counterterrorism efforts in New York City. The series contains three novels.

“The Intercept” (2012) – The first novel introduces Detective Jeremy Fisk, who works for the NYPD Intelligence Division. Fisk becomes involved in a high-stakes case when a commercial plane is hijacked by terrorists.

“The Ultimatum” (2013) – In this sequel, Detective Jeremy Fisk investigates a threat against the city of New York by a mysterious and deadly adversary.

“The Execution” (2014) – The third book in the series follows Fisk as he delves into the case of a serial killer who targets powerful New Yorkers.

List of Law and Order Series

Law & Order (1990-2010): The original series that started it all, “Law & Order” provides an in-depth look at the legal process in New York City, splitting each episode between the police investigation of a crime and the subsequent courtroom prosecution by the Manhattan District Attorney’s office.

Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999-present): Commonly referred to as “SVU”, this series focuses on the detectives of the Special Victims Unit in a fictionalized version of the 16th Precinct of the New York City Police Department. The crimes they investigate are sexually based offenses, which are considered especially heinous.

Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001-2011): This series provides an additional twist by giving significant attention to the actions and motives of the criminals, in addition to the police procedures and legal proceedings. The show focuses on the Major Case Squad, a force of detectives who handle high-profile cases.

Law & Order: Trial by Jury (2005-2006): This short-lived series provided an even deeper dive into the legal process, focusing more on the jury’s perspective and the behind-the-scenes machinations of the legal teams on both sides.

Law & Order: LA (2010-2011): A spin-off set in Los Angeles instead of New York, this series attempted to bring the classic format of the original to the West Coast, focusing on crimes within the LA jurisdiction.

Law & Order: Organized Crime (2021-present): The newest addition to the franchise, this series sees the return of Detective Elliot Stabler (Christopher Meloni), as he battles organized crime after a devastating personal loss.

Law & Order: True Crime (2017): This anthology series takes a different approach by dramatizing real-life high-profile criminal cases in a season-long format. The first season, “The Menendez Murders”, focused on the trial of Lyle and Erik Menendez.