John WellsBirth Place: Heritage: Famous for: Producer of TV series China Beach (1988) Contact John Wells | 
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West Wings Background: Six-time Emmy Award-winning American film and TV producer and writer John Wells first came to fame as producer and writer of the ABC critical praised series “China Beach” (1988-1991), from which he netted two Emmy nominations, before marking a first breakthrough with NBC in the long-running medical drama “ER,” serving as executive producer from 1994 to 2006 and writer from 1994 to 2005. With the medical show, he won his first Emmy Award and a PGA for Television Producer of the Year in 1995, in addition to several other honors. Wells, however, is probably best known as one of the executive producers of the hit NBC series “The West Wings” (1999-2006), from which he picked up the rest five of his Emmy Awards. Other TV series credits include “Third Watch” (1999) and “The Evidence” (2006). On the movie front, since making his producing debut in 1987's “Nice Girls Don't Explode,” Wells has produced countless projects, including Mimi Leder's “The Peacemaker” (1997), “White Oleander” (2002), “Doom” (2005), “Infamous” (2006), as well as “Then She Found Me,” “I'm Not There,” “An American Crime” and “Savage Grace” (all 2007). He also has five forthcoming projects under his belt. As for his personal life, Wells is married to Marilyn Wells and has two children with her.
Childhood and Family: John M. Wells was born in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1956. He received a BFA in production design from Carnegie Mellon in 1979 and went on to pursue the university's MFA program in directing. He also was accepted into the Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program at University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California and earned a second MFA in cinema and business law from the university. His brother is TV and film producer Llewellyn Wells. John is married to Marilyn. They have two children together, including a 10-year-old girl, Rachel Madison Wells (born on October 29, 1997).
Career: As a young man, John Wells served as a “roadie” for such luminaries as Elton John, Linda Ronstadt and The Eagles and worked as a stage manager at the Denver County Dinner Playhouse. While still in pursuit of his MFA degree at USC, he worked in marketing and advertising for Paramount Pictures, during which time he was involved in productions like “Raiders of the Lost Ark,” “Reds,” “S.O.B.” and “Ragtime” (all 1981) and “One from the Heart” (1982). He remained active in the world of theater by producing numerous notable plays in Los Angeles, including “Battery,” “Balm in Gilead,” Tanzi” and “Steaming.” His first feature credit as a producer arrived in 1987 with “Nice Girls Don't Explode,” a low-budget indie-comedy about overprotective parenting. Also in 1987, Wells experienced his first breakthrough when for the first time in his career Wells' scripts were produced for TV, “Shell Game,” a comedy-drama series aired on CBS. Shortly after that, he was hired as executive story editor for the ABC limited series “Just in Time” (1988), but it was not until he joined the production team of “China Beach” (ABC, 1989-1991) that Wells enjoyed his first major TV success, most remarkably with a three consecutive Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series and another nomination in the category of Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Drama Series (1992). In this drama series set at an American base during the Vietnam War, he served as producer for the midway 1988-1989 season, supervising producer from 1989 to 1990 and co-executive producer for the 1990-1991 season, in addition to contributing to the show's writing material for 18 episodes during 1988 to 1991. With his help, the show could reach respectable critical plaudits. Wells formed a production company called John Wells & Friends, which co-produced with Warner Bros. TV, his subsequent project, “Angel Street” (CBS, 1992), a detective drama series starring Robin Givens and Pamela Gidley which was canceled after three episodes. Aside from serving as a creator and executive producer, he also penned the show's premiere episode. Still in 1992, Wells made his TV movie bow with “The Nightman,” which he co-executive produced and co-wrote. Two years later, in 1994, Wells started his coveted gig as one of the executive producers of the well-liked NBC medical drama “ER,” which he retained until 2006. He also wrote 28 episodes from 1994 to 2005 and directed 7 episodes during 1998 to 2006. A hit with both critics and audience, “ER” brought Wells a total of 7 Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, which he won one in 1996, and nominations for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series (1997 and 2002), Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series (2000) and Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing for a Drama Series (1996). Among other honors he has received for “ER” include PGA's Vision Award-Television and Television Producer of the Year, and the Wise Owl Honorable Mention Television and Theatrical Film Fiction from the Retirement Research Foundation. In 1995, Wells signed deal with NBC to develop five more TV shows for the network. 1996 saw Wells return to the big screen when he wrote the screenplay for the biopic film “Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story,” directed by Michael Ray Rhodes and starring Moira Kelly and Martin Sheen. Although the movie earned limited success, Wells himself, around that same period, inked production deal with DreamWorks SKG. In addition, he set in motion many projects in development with Warners and Fox. In 1997, Wells re-teamed with director Mimi Leder, who previously worked with him in “China Beach” and “ER,” when he was hired as an executive producer of Leader's “The Peacemaker,” starring George Clooney (of “ER” renown) and Nicole Kidman. They once again rejoined when Leder filmed Wells' screenplay for DreamWorks' “Deep Impact” (1998). The same year, Wells also penned episodes and executive produced the short-term NBC family drama “Trinity.” Still on TV, Wells continued to write episodes of the NBC drama “Third Watch” (1999-2004), where he later also added executive producer credit (3 episodes, 2001-2004). It was the award-winning NBC drama set in the White House, “The West Wing” (1999-2006), however, that once again put the writer/producer on the spotlight. As an executive producer, he jointly nabbed five Emmys awards, four for Outstanding Drama Series and one for Outstanding Special Class Program for “The West Wing Documentary Special” in 2002. He also won two PGA for Television Producer of the Year in 2001 and 2002, and Humanitas Prize's 60 Minute Category for the 2004 episode of “NSF Thurmont,” which he also wrote. In 2001, Wells executive produced the CBS fall drama “Citizen Baines,” which unfortunately only lasted for six episodes. He next lent his producing talents for the CBS short-lived “Presidio Med” (2002), Fox's “Jonny Zero” (2005), “The Evidence” (2006) and “Smith” (2006). On the movie front, he served as executive producer or producer of such projects as “The Grey Zone” (2001), “Far from Heaven” (2002), “White Oleander” (2002), “ The Good Thief” (2002), “Party Monster” (2003), “The Company” (2003), “A Dirty Shame” (2004), “The Notorious Bettie Page” (2005), “Infamous” (2006), “Then She Found Me, “I'm Not There,” “An American Crime” and “Savage Grace” (all 2007). He is also scheduled to work for the upcoming films “Electric Slide” (2008), “Dirty Girl” (2008), “Goat” (2008), “Positively Fifth Street” (2009) and “Major Bummer” (2010).
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