John Marcum Wells (born May 28, 1956) is an American theater, film, and television writer, director, and producer. He is best known for his role as showrunner and executive producer of the television series '' ER'', ''

Third Watch ''Third Watch'' is an American crime drama television series created by John Wells and Edward Allen Bernero that aired on NBC from September 26, 1999, to May 6, 2005, with a total of 132 episodes spanning over six seasons. It was produced ...

'', ''

The West Wing ''The West Wing'' is an American serial political drama television series created by Aaron Sorkin that was originally broadcast on NBC from September 22, 1999, to May 14, 2006. The series is set primarily in the West Wing of the White Hous ...

'', '' Southland'', '' Shameless'', '' Animal Kingdom'', and ''

American Woman "American Woman" is a song by Canadian rock band the Guess Who, released January 1970, from the album of the same name. It was later released in March 1970 as a single backed with " No Sugar Tonight", and it reached number one for three weeks ...

''. His company, John Wells Productions, is currently based at Warner Bros. studios in

Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, who ...

. Wells is also a

labor Labour or labor may refer to: * Childbirth, the delivery of a baby * Labour (human activity), or work ** Manual labour, physical work ** Wage labour, a socioeconomic relationship between a worker and an employer ** Organized labour and the la ...

leader, having served as president of the

Writers Guild of America, West The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) is a labor union representing film, television, radio, and new media writers. It was formed in 1954 from five organizations representing writers, including the Screen Writers Guild. It has around 20,000 me ...

from 1999 to 2001 and from 2009 to 2011. Wells serves on the Motion Picture & Television Fund (MPTF) Board of Governors. In 2011, he developed the series '' Shameless'' on Showtime, which ran for eleven seasons ending in 2021.

Early life

Wells was born in

Alexandria, Virginia Alexandria is an independent city in the northern region of the Commonwealth of Virginia, United States. It lies on the western bank of the Potomac River approximately south of downtown Washington, D.C. In 2020, the population was 159,467. ...

, the son of Marjorie Elizabeth (née Risberg) and Llewellyn Wallace Wells, Jr., an Episcopalian minister. He has English, Irish, Scottish, Swedish, and Norwegian ancestry. Wells graduated from the

Carnegie Mellon School of Drama The Carnegie Mellon School of Drama is the first degree-granting drama institution in the United States. Founded in 1914, it is one of five schools within the Carnegie Mellon College of Fine Arts. The school's undergraduate BFA programs in act ...

in 1979. A studio theatre at

Carnegie Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

bears his name. While at CMU, he was one of the earliest actors to work at City Theatre, a prominent fixture of Pittsburgh theatre.

Career

Television

Wells was a producer on the 1987 film '' Nice Girls Don't Explode''. He joined the writing staff of the short-lived CBS drama series ''

Shell Game The shell game (also known as thimblerig, three shells and a pea, the old army game) is often portrayed as a gambling game, but in reality, when a wager for money is made, it is almost always a confidence trick used to perpetrate fraud. In con ...

'' in 1987. He began writing for television with an episode of ''

CBS Summer Playhouse ''CBS Summer Playhouse'' is an American anthology series that ran from June 12, 1987 to August 22, 1989 on CBS. It aired unsold television pilots during the summer season. Overview Tim Reid and Daphne Maxwell Reid acted as hosts during the firs ...

'' entitled "Roughhouse" in 1988. His company, John Wells Productions (originally John Wells & Friends), began a longstanding relationship with Warner Bros. in 1986, which was one of the most highly successful television producers in the world.

''China Beach''

He was hired as a producer for the second season of ABC drama series ''

China Beach ''China Beach'' is an American war film, war drama television series set at an evacuation hospital during the Vietnam War. The title refers to My Khe beach in the city of Da Nang, Đà Nẵng, Vietnam, nicknamed "China Beach" in English by Amer ...

'' in 1988. The show was created by

John Sacret Young John Sacret Young (May 24, 1946 – June 3, 2021) was an American author, producer, director, and screenwriter primarily in television, perhaps best known for his work on the show ''China Beach''. Young was nominated for seven Emmys and seven Wr ...

and

William Broyles, Jr. William Dodson Broyles Jr.
Filmreference.com. Accessed November 28, 2022. (born October 8, 1944) is an A ...

and focused on combat medics in the Vietnam War. Wells wrote five episodes for the second season and both parts of the two-part season finale "The World". He was promoted to supervising producer for the third season of ''China Beach'' in 1989. He wrote three further episodes for that season. He returned as a co-executive producer for the fourth and final season in 1990. He was involved in writing eleven episodes in season four, including the series finale. Wells wrote sixteen episodes of the series in total. He frequently worked with producer/director Mimi Leder on ''China Beach'' and she helmed six of the episodes he wrote. ''China Beach'' also marked the start of Wells's working relationship with casting director John Frank Levey, editors Randy Jon Morgan and Jacque Toberen and directors

Rod Holcomb Rod Holcomb is an American television director and producer, best known for directing the pilot and finale of '' ER''. He has directed episodes of numerous television series, including '' Quincy, M.E.'', ''The Six Million Dollar Man'', ''Battles ...

and

Fred Gerber Fred Gerber is an American film and television director and television producer. Gerber has directed several popular television series which include ''The X-Files'', '' Desperate Housewives'' and '' House''. Gerber has also served as a produce ...

TV movies

Wells worked on two television films in 1992 '' Angel Street'' and ''The Nightman''. Wells co-wrote and was the co-executive producer of ''The Nightman''. The film was directed by

Charles Haid Charles Maurice Haid III (born June 2, 1943) is an American actor and television director, with notable work in both movies and television. He is best known for his portrayal of Officer Andy Renko in '' Hill Street Blues''. Haid was born in Sa ...

and is about a young man moving into a hotel run by a mother and daughter. Wells helped to adapt the teleplay from the radio drama by

Lucille Fletcher Violet Lucille Fletcher (March 28, 1912August 31, 2000) was an American screenwriter of film, radio and television. Her credits include ''The Hitch-Hiker,'' an original radio play written for Orson Welles and adapted for a notable episode of ' ...

. ''Angel Street'' was written and executive produced by Wells. It reunited him with several ''China Beach'' crew members including director

, editor Jacque Toberen, and casting director John Frank Levey. The telefilm was followed by a series on which Wells again worked as an executive producer. Wells also wrote the screenplay for '' Entertaining Angels: The Dorothy Day Story'', the project was produced in 1996 and starred

Martin Sheen Ramón Antonio Gerardo Estévez (born August 3, 1940), known professionally as Martin Sheen, is an American actor. He first became known for his roles in the films ''The Subject Was Roses'' (1968) and ''Badlands'' (1973), and later achieved wid ...

and

Moira Kelly Moira Kelly (born on March 6, 1968 in Queens, New York) is an American actress. She is known for portraying Kate Moseley in the 1992 film ''The Cutting Edge'' as well as single mother Karen Roe on the teen drama '' One Tree Hill''. She is also k ...

''ER''

In 1994 Wells was hired as an executive producer for the pilot of NBC medical drama '' ER''. The show was created by novelist

Michael Crichton John Michael Crichton (; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature tech ...

. The pilot episode was directed by frequent Wells collaborator

and John Frank Levey was involved as a casting director. The pilot was edited by frequent ''China Beach'' editor Randy Jon Morgan. Wells became the show runner and head writer for the ongoing series that followed the pilot. He was credited as an executive producer for all fifteen seasons of the series and served as the show runner for the first six seasons. He hired ''China Beach'' writer

Lydia Woodward Lydia Woodward is an American television writer and producer. She has worked as both a writer and producer on the television series '' ER''. She signed a deal with the Warners in 2001. Positions held *'' Pan Am'' (Co- Executive Producer, Writer) ...

as a supervising producer and writer. ''China Beach'' director Mimi Leder also became a supervising producer and regular director. ''ER'' marked the start of Wells longstanding collaboration with producer/director

Christopher Chulack Christopher Chulack is an American television producer and director, best known for his work on the NBC drama series '' ER'' (1995–2008), along with Michael Crichton, also ''Third Watch'' (1999–2005), which he co-produced along with Edward Al ...

and music composer Martin Davich. Wells wrote five episodes of the first season and he and the producers were nominated for an

Emmy Award The Emmy Awards, or Emmys, are an extensive range of awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international television industry. A number of annual Emmy Award ceremonies are held throughout the calendar year, each with the ...

for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1995 ceremony for their work on the first season. The season was nominated for 23 Emmy Awards and won 8 in total. Wells and Michael Crichton won a

Producers Guild of America Award The Producers Guild of America Awards were originally established in 1990 by the Producers Guild of America as the Golden Laurel Awards, created by PGA Treasurer Joel Freeman with the support of Guild President Leonard Stern, in order to honor ...

at the 1994 ceremony. Wells and Crichton also received an honorable mention at the Wise Owl Awards in the Television and Theatrical Film Fiction category. Wells remained show runner for the second season in 1995. He hired his ''China Beach'' colleague Carol Flint as a co-executive producer for the second season. Wells wrote four more episodes for the second season and he and the producers won the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1996 ceremony for their work on the second season. Wells was also nominated for a Humanitas Prize (in the 60-minute category) and an Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the episode "The Healers". Wells remained the head writer for the third season in 1996 and wrote three episodes. Wells and the producers were nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1997 ceremony for their work on the third season. Wells was again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for the episode "Faith". He continued in the same capacity for the fourth season in 1997 and wrote two further episodes. Wells also made his television directing debut with his screenplay "Carter's Choice". Wells and the producers were nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1998 ceremony for their work on the fourth season. Wells returned as head writer for the fifth season in 1998. He wrote both parts of the two-part episode "The Storm" and also directed the first part. Wells and the producers were once again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 1999 ceremony for their work on the fifth season. Wells stood down as show runner after the fifth season but remained an executive producer and major creative force behind the series. In the 1999–2000 TV season his company Wells productions launched two new series ''

'' and ''

''. Woodward took over as show runner for the sixth season but Wells wrote "The Peace of Wild Things" and wrote and directed "Such Sweet Sorrow". Wells and the producers were once again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2000 ceremony for their work on the sixth season but lost out to Wells's other show ''The West Wing''. Wells was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series for his work on "Such Sweet Sorrow". He was also nominated for the 2000 PGA Vision Award for his work on ''ER'', ''Third Watch'' and ''The West Wing''. Wells continued to write for the seventh season and contributed to two episodes. Wells was nominated for a

Humanitas Prize The Humanitas Prize is an award for film and television writing, and is given to writers whose work explores the human condition in a nuanced and meaningful way. It began in 1974 with Father Ellwood "Bud" Kieser—also the founder of Paulist P ...

for his work on "A Walk in the Woods". Wells and the producers were once again nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Drama Series at the 2001 ceremony for their work on the seventh season and were again beaten by Wells's other series ''The West Wing''. For the eighth season Wells wrote two episodes, including the penultimate episode "On the Beach" which featured the departure of longterm cast member Anthony Edwards. Wells was nominated for the Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series for his work on "On the Beach" at the 2002 ceremony. He was also nominated for a further Humanitas Prize and a Writers Guild of America (WGA) Award at the 2003 ceremony for the episode. For the ninth season Wells wrote the final episode "Kisangani". He returned in fall 2003 to write three episodes. Wells was again nominated for a Humanitas Prize, this time for his work on "Makemba". He continued to handle Carter's storylines for the eleventh season and wrote the penultimate episode "Carter est Amoureux" and directed the finale " The Show Must Go On" which marked the departure of

Noah Wyle Noah Strausser Speer Wyle (; born June 4, 1971) is an American actor. He is best known for his role as John Carter in the television series '' ER'' (1994–2009), which earned him nominations for three Golden Globe Awards and five Primetime Emm ...

(who played Carter) from the starring cast. For the twelfth season Wells co-wrote the premiere episode. Wells served solely as an executive producer and director on the thirteenth and fourteenth seasons, directing one episode in each season. He returned as a writer for the fifteenth and final season and wrote and directed the episode "Old Times" which featured several past starring cast members including

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Award, four Golden Globe Awards, and two Academy Awards, one for his acting and the ot ...

Julianna Margulies Julianna Margulies (; born June 8, 1966) is an American actress. After several small television roles, Margulies achieved wide recognition for her starring role as Carol Hathaway on NBC's long-running medical drama series '' ER'' (1994–2009) ...

, and

Eriq La Salle Erik Ki La Salle (born July 23, 1962), professionally known as Eriq La Salle, is an American actor, director, writer and producer. La Salle is best known for his performance in the film ''Coming to America'' (1988) and especially as Dr. Pete ...

. When ''ER'' ended in 2009, Wells had written 31 episodes, and directed 7.

''Trinity''

Wells Productions also produced ''Trinity'', a short lived NBC family drama focusing on an Irish-American family in Hell's Kitchen. Wells served as an executive producer and writer for the series but it was cancelled after only nine episodes due to low ratings. The series won an Emmy Award for composer Martin Davich's music. Davich also worked on ''ER''. The show starred John Spencer,

Tate Donovan Tate Buckley Donovan (born September 25, 1963) is an American actor, comedian and television director. He is known for portraying Tom Shayes in ''Damages'', Jimmy Cooper in '' The O.C.'', and the voice of the title character in the 1997 Disney ...

and

Kim Raver Kimberly Jayne Raver (born March 15, 1969) is an American actress and producer. She is best known for television roles as Dr. Teddy Altman on ABC's medical drama '' Grey's Anatomy'', Kim Zambrano on '' Third Watch'', and Audrey Raines on '' ...

. It also featured

actors

Bobby Cannavale Roberto Michael Cannavale (; born May 3, 1970) is an American actor. He is best known for various television roles, including leading roles in '' Third Watch'', '' Vinyl'', and ''Mr. Robot'', as well as recurring roles in '' Will & Grace'', which ...

Skipp Sudduth Robert Lee "Skipp" Sudduth IV (born August 23, 1956) is an American theater, film and television actor. He is perhaps best known for his role in the 1998 film '' Ronin'' and his lead in the TV drama ''Third Watch''. Early life and education Bor ...

, and

Molly Price Molly, Mollie or mollies may refer to: Animals * ''Poecilia'', a genus of fishes ** '' Poecilia sphenops'', a fish species * A female mule (horse–donkey hybrid) People * Molly (name) or Mollie, a female given name, including a list of person ...

''Third Watch''

Wells co-created ''Third Watch'' with ex-Chicago police officer Edward Allen Bernero. Wells worked as show runner on ''Third Watch'' for its first three seasons and served as an executive producer throughout its six-season run. The series focused on emergency services workers across a single shift in New York. The first season began in 1999. Wells and Bernero co-wrote the pilot episode "Welcome to Camelot". Wells also wrote the first-season episodes "Sunny, Like Sunshine", "This Band of Brothers", "Spring Forward, Fall Back", and the first-season finale "Young Men and Fire". Wells wrote four second-season episodes the premiere entitled "The Lost", "Faith", "Requiem for a Bantamweight", and the finale "...and Zeus Wept". Wells directed the second-season episode "True Love". Wells wrote a further four episodes for the third season in 2001 – "September Tenth", "After Time", "Adam 55-3", and "Two Hundred and Thirty-Three Days". Bernero took over as show runner after the third season and Wells remained attached as an executive producer until ''Third Watch'' ended in 2005 but did not write any more episodes.

''The West Wing''

Wells took over as show runner of ''The West Wing'' in 2003 for the fifth season. He ran the show for three seasons until its conclusion in 2006.

''Southland''

During the 2008 to 2009 television season Wells developed '' Southland'' for NBC. The series was created by

Ann Biderman Ann Biderman (born August 15, 1951) is an American film and television writer. She is the creator and executive producer of the NBC/TNT series '' Southland'' (2009–2013), and won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing i ...

. It follows detectives and patrol officers in the titular area of Los Angeles. Wells returned as an executive producer for the second season in fall 2009 and co-wrote the season premiere "Phase Three" with Biderman. NBC canceled the series while the second season was in production but the episodes were picked up and aired by TNT. TNT renewed the series for a third season and Wells remained an executive producer and writer. He again co-wrote the season premiere "Let It Snow" with Biderman. He also wrote the teleplay for the season finale "Graduation Day" from a story by his ex-assistant Heather Zuhlke.

''Animal Kingdom''

Since 2016, Wells has been an executive producer and writer on the TNT drama '' Animal Kingdom'', and has written four episodes of the series thus far. The series has aired three full seasons and a fourth began airing in May 2019. A fifth season has been ordered.

''Shameless''

In 2009, Wells began work on an American adaptation of the British series '' Shameless''. Originally commissioned by HBO, the project moved to competing network Showtime, where it debuted in January 2011. Starring

William H. Macy William Hall Macy Jr. (born March 13, 1950) is an American actor. His film career has been built on appearances in small, independent films, though he has also appeared in mainstream films. Some of his best known starring roles include those i ...

as an alcoholic single father of six children, ''Shameless'' was the best performing first-year drama in Showtime's history. Shameless has run for 11 seasons.

Film

''The Company Men''

Wells made his directorial debut with the film drama '' The Company Men'', starring

Ben Affleck Benjamin Géza Affleck (born August 15, 1972) is an American actor and filmmaker. His accolades include two Academy Awards, three Golden Globe Awards and a Volpi Cup. Affleck began his career as a child when he starred in the PBS education ...

. The film was scheduled for release in the fall of 2010 but premiered earlier at the Sundance film festival. After the Sundance screening, ''The Hollywood Reporter'' said, "Wells has made, for his first film, a tough movie and certainly not a commercial one. This displays the kind of guts he always brought to his television work, which one can only hope continues on in other future film projects."

''August: Osage County''

His second film, '' August: Osage County'' (2013), which he directed from a script by

Tracy Letts Tracy S. Letts (born July 4, 1965) is an American actor, playwright, and screenwriter. He started his career at the Steppenwolf Theatre before making his Broadway debut as a playwright for '' August: Osage County'' (2007), for which he received ...

, stars

Meryl Streep Mary Louise Meryl Streep (born June 22, 1949) is an American actress. Often described as "the best actress of her generation", Streep is particularly known for her versatility and accent adaptability. She has received numerous accolades throu ...

Julia Roberts Julia Fiona Roberts (born October 28, 1967) is an American actress. Known for her leading roles in films encompassing a variety of genres, she has received multiple accolades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Film Award, and th ...

, and

Ewan McGregor Ewan Gordon McGregor ( ; born 31 March 1971) is a Scottish actor. His accolades include a Golden Globe Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and the BAFTA Britannia Humanitarian Award. In 2013, he was appointed Officer of the Order of the British ...

The Weinstein Company The Weinstein Company (usually credited or abbreviated as TWC) was an American independent film studio, founded in New York City by Bob and Harvey Weinstein in March 2005. TWC was one of the largest mini-major film studios in North America pri ...

released the film in December 2013. The film was nominated for two Academy Awards® including Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role (Streep) and Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role (Roberts).

''Love and Mercy''

He next produced ''

Love and Mercy "Love and Mercy" is a song by American musician Brian Wilson and the opening track from his 1988 album ''Brian Wilson''. Co-produced by Russ Titelman, the song was released as a single on July 1, 1988, but failed to chart. Psychologist Eugene L ...

'' the critically acclaimed biopic about

The Beach Boys The Beach Boys are an American rock band that formed in Hawthorne, California, in 1961. The group's original lineup consisted of brothers Brian, Dennis, and Carl Wilson, their cousin Mike Love, and friend Al Jardine. Distinguished by the ...

, starring

Paul Dano Paul Franklin Dano (; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in ''The Newcomers'' (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in '' L.I.E.' ...

John Cusack John Paul Cusack (; born June 28, 1966)(28 June 1996)Today's birthdays ''Santa Cruz Sentinel'', ("Actors John Cusack is 30") is an American actor, producer, screenwriter and political activist. He is a son of filmmaker Dick Cusack, and his ol ...

Paul Giamatti Paul Edward Valentine Giamatti (; born June 6, 1967) is an American actor and film producer. He first garnered attention for his breakout role in '' Private Parts'' as Kenny "Pig Vomit" Rushton, leading to supporting roles in ''Saving Private R ...

and

Elizabeth Banks Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...

. The film originally premiered at the

Toronto International Film Festival The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the largest publicly attended film festivals in the world, attracting over 480,000 people annually. Since its founding in 1976, TIFF has grown to become a perman ...

in September 2014.

''Burnt''

Wells directed the cooking drama film '' Burnt'', previously titled ''Chef'' and ''Adam Jones'', in which Bradley Cooper starred as a Paris chef named Adam Jones.

Sienna Miller Sienna Rosie Diana Miller (born December 28, 1981) is an American-British actress. Born in New York City and raised in London, she began her career as a photography model, appearing in the pages of Italian ''Vogue'' and for the 2003 Pirelli ca ...

co-starred, along with

Omar Sy Omar Sy (, ff, 𞤌𞤥𞤢𞤪 𞤅𞤭, Omar Si; born 20 January 1978) is a French actor, best known in France for his sketches with Fred Testot on the '' Service après-vente des émissions'' television show on Canal+ (2005–2012). He gain ...

Emma Thompson Dame Emma Thompson (born 15 April 1959) is a British actress. Regarded as one of the best actresses of her generation, she has received numerous accolades throughout her four-decade-long career, including two Academy Awards, two British A ...

Daniel Brühl Daniel César Martín Brühl González Domingo (; born 16 June 1978) is a Spanish-German actor and filmmaker. He received his first German Film Award for Best Actor for his roles in '' Das Weisse Rauschen (The White Sound)'' (2001), ''Nichts B ...

Alicia Vikander Alicia Amanda Vikander (, ; born 3 October 1988) is a Swedish actress. She is the recipient of various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics' Choice Movie Award, as well as receiving nominations for ...

, and Lily James.

Filmography

Film

Executive producer-only

Television

The numbers in directing and writing credits refer to the number of episodes. ;Notes

Awards and nominations

John Wells Productions won a

Peabody Award The George Foster Peabody Awards (or simply Peabody Awards or the Peabodys) program, named for the American businessman and philanthropist George Peabody, honor the most powerful, enlightening, and invigorating stories in television, radio, and ...

in 1999 and 2000 for ''

'' and again in 2001 for ''Third Watchs '"In Their Own Words," which told the stories of real-life responders to the 9/11 attack on New York City.61st Annual Peabody Awards
May 2002. John Wells has been nominated for twenty-five Emmy Awards and received six wins including Outstanding Drama Series in 1996 for ''ER'', Outstanding Drama Series in 2000, 2001, 2002 and 2003 for ''The West Wing'', and Outstanding Special Class Program in 2002 for ''The West Wing Documentary Special''. Wells has been nominated for six Producers Guild Awards and won three awards for his work on ''The West Wing'' and ''ER''. He was honored with the Vision Award in 2000 as well as the Lifetime Achievement Award in Television in 2005. In addition, Wells has been nominated for seven Writers Guild Awards and won the Directors Guild Diversity Award in 1997. On May 18, 2014, Wells received an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from

, where he graduated from in 1979.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, John 1956 births American film producers American trade union leaders American male screenwriters American television directors American television writers Carnegie Mellon University College of Fine Arts alumni Film directors from California Film directors from Virginia Living people Businesspeople from Alexandria, Virginia People from Greater Los Angeles Primetime Emmy Award winners Showrunners Writers from Alexandria, Virginia American people of English descent American people of Irish descent American people of Norwegian descent American people of Scottish descent American people of Swedish descent American male television writers Screenwriters from Virginia Television producers from Virginia