I came across this information today, and I had to post it. I confess that despite my inordinate amount of useless entertainment knowledge, I had no idea that Michael Crichton created ER. He created the series in 1993 while working with Steven Spielberg on Jurassic Park. Crichton said in an interview that he was shocked by the show’s success, but he attributed it to the real-life format, as a healthy alternative to the “Charlies Angelized” television shows that were on at the time. Crichton died of cancer in 2008 at the age of 66. The movies based on his books have grossed over $1 billion. That’s a lot of success for someone who died much too young.