Michael Crichton
Author and filmmaker; creator of ER, author of Jurassic Park and Westworld
- Entries
- 11
- On the record
- 7
- Stories
- 1
- Latest entry
- Nov 4, 2026
The record
Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942, earned his M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1969 and published The Andromeda Strain while still a medical student, according to the biography kept on his official site. He went on to direct Westworld in 1973, write Jurassic Park and create the NBC drama ER. When he died in Los Angeles on November 4, 2008, at 66, the Television Academy said his books had sold more than 150 million copies worldwide.
His paper trail outside publishing includes a federal appeals ruling, a Senate appearance and industry awards. In 1996 the Second Circuit held in Williams v. Crichton that a lay observer would not find substantial similarity between Jurassic Park and a children's book series about a dinosaur zoo. ER won the 1996 Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series with Crichton among those credited, and in 2005 he testified to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee on science in environmental policy.
The dispute over The Pitt rests on a 1994 agreement he signed with Warner Bros. Television. As quoted in court, its frozen-rights clause required agreement among Crichton, Amblin and Warner Bros. before any ER sequels, remakes or spinoffs. A company controlled by his widow, Sherri Crichton, now holds those rights and sued in August 2024. In November 2026 the California Court of Appeal let the claims against the studio proceed and reversed as to the other defendants.
Roles and honours on the record
- 1969 M.D., Harvard Medical School source
- 1973 Director, Westworld source
- 1994 Creator of the NBC medical drama ER source
- 1995 Co-recipient, Academy Technical Achievement Award for pioneering computerized motion picture budgeting and scheduling source
- 1996 Credited on ER's Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series source
Every entry, newest first
- Ruled
Federal jury in St. Louis clears Crichton and Steven Spielberg in a suit over the Twister screenplay, per the Los Angeles Times (AP). Crichton estate wins appeal: The Pitt v ER suit heads to jury
- Ruled
Ninth Circuit affirms judgment for Crichton and others, finding Coma not substantially similar to a plaintiff's screen treatment. Crichton estate wins appeal: The Pitt v ER suit heads to jury
Stories in this file
The record, entry by entry
- 1994 Filed According to his estate's complaint, as described by the California Court of Appeal, Crichton signed an agreement with Warner Bros. Television under which any ER sequels, remakes, spinoffs or other derivative works were frozen unless Crichton, Amblin and Warner Bros. agreed. California Court of Appeal, Second District, opinion, No. B344915
- 1995 Official He shared an Academy Technical Achievement Award with Jack C. Smith and Emil Safier for pioneering computerized motion picture budgeting and scheduling. michaelcrichton.com, official site
- 1996 Official ER won the Emmy for Outstanding Drama Series, with Crichton among the names listed for the winning series. Television Academy, awards database
- 1996-05-22 Ruled The Second Circuit affirmed summary judgment for Crichton, Knopf, Universal, Amblin, Steven Spielberg and others in a suit claiming Jurassic Park copied the Dinosaur World children's books, holding that a lay observer would not find substantial similarity in the protectible material. U.S. Court of Appeals, Second Circuit, Williams v. Crichton, 84 F.3d 581 (OpenJurist copy)
- 2005-09-28 Official He testified to the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee at a hearing titled The Role of Science in Environmental Policy Making, arguing that research used by government should meet standards of data archiving and independent replication. U.S. Senate, hearing record, S. Hrg. 109-1003
- 2008-11-04 Reported He died in Los Angeles at 66. The Television Academy said he had won a Primetime Emmy, been nominated seven times, and sold more than 150 million books worldwide. Television Academy news report
- 2024-08 Filed His estate, led by Sherri Crichton, sued Warner Bros. Television, Noah Wyle, John Wells and R. Scott Gemmill in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking to halt The Pitt. The studio called the suit baseless and The Pitt a new and original show. Associated Press via NBC News
- 2025-02 Ruled The trial court denied Warner Bros.' anti-SLAPP motion, letting the breach-of-contract claim proceed. The studio said the judge had not decided any of the claims and that it expected to prevail. TheWrap report
- 2026-11-04 Ruled The California Court of Appeal affirmed the denial of the anti-SLAPP motion as to Warner Bros. Television and reversed it as to the other defendants, against whom the only claim was intentional interference with the 1994 agreement. California Court of Appeal, Second District, opinion, No. B344915
Documents
- Opinion, Roadrunner JMTC LLC v. Warner Bros. Television, Cal. Ct. App. No. B344915 (Nov. 4, 2026)
- Opinion, Williams v. Crichton, 84 F.3d 581 (2d Cir. 1996)
- Senate hearing record, The Role of Science in Environmental Policy Making, S. Hrg. 109-1003 (Sept. 28, 2005)
- Television Academy, 1996 Outstanding Drama Series
- AP report on the estate's lawsuit over The Pitt (Aug. 28, 2024)
Sources behind this file
- The Guardian report on the appeals ruling
- Daily Mail report on the ruling
- Showbiz411 report on the appeal
- Yahoo Entertainment report on the Nov 4 ruling
- Variety interview with Noah Wyle
- NBC News report on the anti-SLAPP ruling
- Deadline report on Warner Bros. Television's motion to dismiss
- New York Times report on the complaint and Warner Bros. statement
- Deadline report on the estate's complaint
- Los Angeles Times (AP) report on the Twister verdict
- Berkic v. Crichton, Ninth Circuit opinion