David E. Kelley

While other artists earn law degrees in case they need a stable career to fall back on, this Boston-based attorney traded the bar for showbiz after penning his first screenplay — the courtroom comedy From the Hip — which was made into a movie in 1987. A year earlier, the then-unsold script inspired TV producer Steven Bochco to hire Kelley as a scribe on his new show L.A. Law. After quickly being promoted to head writer, then executive producer, Kelley began creating his own hit series, including teen doctor dramedy Doogie Howser, M.D., eccentric small-town crime series Picket Fences, medical saga Chicago Hope, quirky legal comedy Ally McBeal, and gritty legal drama The Practice and its spin-off, Boston Legal. A workhorse able to craft unforgettable characters and infuse serious stories with offbeat humor, Kelley oversaw several shows simultaneously in the '90s. And while his forays into film were less successful (Mystery, Alaska; To Gillian on Her 37th Birthday, starring wife Michelle Pfeiffer), he consoled himself with a slew of honors for his small-screen projects, including a number of Emmys and TV Guide's Brandon Tartikoff Award in 2001.