See also Biography Index (S) :: Filmography Index (S) :: Discography Index (S)

Steven Ronald Bochco (born December 16, 1943) is an American television producer and writer. He has developed a number of popular television hits including Hill Street Blues, L.A. Law, and NYPD Blue. Bochco was born in New York City, the son of Mimi, a painter, and Rudolph Bochco, a concert violinist. He was educated in Manhattan at the High School of Music and Art. His elder sister is actress Joanna Frank. Bochco went to work for Universal Pictures as a writer and then story editor on Ironside, Columbo, McMillan and Wife and the short-lived Lorne Greene and Ben Murphy series, Griff, as well as Delvecchio and The Invisible Man. He wrote the screenplay for the 1968 TV movie The Counterfeit Killer and worked on Silent Running (1972) and Double Indemnity (1973). He left Universal in 1978 to go to MTM Enterprises where he had greater scope for producing. His first effort there was the short-lived CBS police drama Paris, notable as the first show on which James Earl Jones played a lead role. He achieved major success for NBC with the police drama Hill Street Blues. It ran from 1981 to 1987 and Bochco was credited as co-creator and also wrote and produced. The series also garnered considerable critical acclaim and many awards, and was nominated for a total of 98 Emmy Awards throughout its run. Bochco was fired from MTM in 1985 following the failure of Bay City Blues (1983). Bochco moved to 20th Century Fox (which now owns the MTM library) where he co-created and produced L.A. Law (1986–1994) which aired on NBC. This series was also widely acclaimed and a regular award winner, but also achieved far higher ratings success than Hill Street Blues had enjoyed.

He married actress Barbara Bosson in 1969, who appeared as a regular on Hill Street Blues. They had two children before divorcing in 1997. He is currently married to Dayna Kalins (m. August 12, 2000). His son, Jesse Bochco, by his first wife, was a producer/director on NYPD Blue and directed the pilot episode of Raising the Bar. Jesse Bochco also appeared as Captain Furillo`s son, Frank Jr. (with Bosson playing his mother) on Hill Street Blues, as well as a director in his own right. Jesse has directed several episodes of his father`s shows, including NYPD Blue, Philly, Over There and Raising the Bar.

Post a Comment | View All Comments (1)