American architect.
Father of actress Dolly Wells.
He was once a junior house-master at Eton College, but his occasional forays into television proved so successful that he abandoned his teaching career for show business.
He was a frequent contributor to the satirical magazine, "Private Eye". In collaboration with Richard Ingrams, he wrote the long-running "Mrs. Wilsons Diary" column (satirising the then Prime Ministers wife) and later the "Dear Bill" column (also with Ingrams), which purported to be the private letters of the husband of Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher. He turned both columns into successful plays (without Ingrams). Wells was always known around the "Private Eye" office as "Jawn", as a result of his being telephoned at the office by Princess Margaret, whose drawling tone was much imitated by other "Eye" staff members. This rather annoyed him.
Brother of Llewellyn Wells.
Has English, Scottish, Swedish, Norwegian and Irish ancestry.
Graduated from the USC School of Cinema-Television in Los Angeles, California.
Received his Bachelors degree in Fine Arts from the Carnegie Mellon School of Drama.
Member of the USC School of Cinema-Televisions Television Executive Advisory Council.
Has directed two actors to Oscar-nominated performances: Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts.
Elected president of the Writers Guild of America, West (WGAW), after serving a prior term in that office from 1999 - 2001.
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6533 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on January 12, 2012.
