David Milch was born in Buffalo, New York. His father was a surgeon and his mother was head of the Buffalo Board of Education . His brother, Dr. Robert Milch, is also a surgeon and Medical Director of Hospice Buffalo.

Milch began his career as a teacher and lecturer in English literature at Yale University.

Milch's academic years were laced with achievements and honors. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude from Yale and won the Tinker Prize in English. He also earned an MFA from the Writer's Workshop at the University of Iowa.

During his teaching career at Yale, he assisted Robert Penn Warren and Cleanth Brooks in the writing of several college textbooks on literature. Milch's poetry and fiction have been published in the The Atlantic Monthly and Southern Review.

In 1982, David wrote a script for Hill_Street_Blues titled Trial By Fury. This episode premiered Hill Street's third season and won an Emmy, the Writers Guild Award , and the Humanitas Prize . David was still a lecturer in English literature at Yale University at the time.

The success of his first script marked the beginning of a career in dramatic television. He worked five seasons on Hill Street Blues. Beginning as executive story editor and then as executive producer. Milch earned two more Writers Guild Awards, a second Humanitas prize, and another Emmy while working on that show.

Milch is currently in production on Deadwood, a dramatic series for HBO. This one-hour drama, now in it's second season, is based on actual events in Deadwood, South Dakota, during the 1870's. Milch serves as creator, writer, and executive producer.

Milch is married with two daughters, Elizabeth and Olivia, and one son, Benjamin. His wife is Emmy-award winning documentarian, Rita Stern .