---
name: "Rafael Alvarez"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/rafael-alvarez"
fi1m_id: "rafael-alvarez"
imdb_id: "nm0959567"
tmdb_id: 1224587
wikidata_id: "Q7282017"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "24 May 1958"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 90
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-17T17:25:04.989807+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Rafael Alvarez

## Identity

Rafael Alvarez

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/rafael-alvarez
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** rafael-alvarez
- **IMDb ID:** nm0959567
- **TMDB ID:** 1224587
- **Wikidata ID:** Q7282017
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Alvarez, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7282017, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0959567/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1224587

Writer. Born 24 May 1958 in Baltimore.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 24 May 1958, Baltimore
- **Active:** 1993–2002
- **Frequently works with:** [Brad Anderson](https://film.one/person/brad-anderson.md), [Clark Johnson](https://film.one/person/clark-johnson.md), [David Mills](https://film.one/person/david-mills.md), [David Simon](https://film.one/person/david-simon.md), [Ed Bianchi](https://film.one/person/ed-bianchi.md), [Eric Overmyer](https://film.one/person/eric-overmyer.md), [Joy Lusco](https://film.one/person/joy-kecken.md), [Leslie Libman](https://film.one/person/leslie-libman.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 90, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1990s 89 (1), 2000s 90 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rafael_Alvarez, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7282017, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0959567/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/1224587

## Streaming the US now

- **HBO Max:** [*The Wire*](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md) (90)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Rafael Alvarez is a writer and former journalist. Born in Baltimore in 1958, he worked as a reporter at the Baltimore Sun from 1977 to 2001, covering crime and writing profiles.

He began writing for television in 1997 with an episode of *Homicide: Life on the Street*. Alvarez contributed to the first three seasons of *The Wire* (2002), serving as staff writer on season two and story editor on season three; he also co-authored the companion book *The Wire: Truth Be Told*. His other television credits include episodes of *Tilt* (2005), *Thief* (2006), *The Black Donnellys* (2007) and *Life* (2007).

Alvarez has published short story collections and books on Baltimore history. He divides his time between Baltimore and Los Angeles.

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Wire* (2002), Fi1m 90, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)
- *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1993), Fi1m 89, Writer — [page](https://film.one/tv/homicide-life-on-the-street.md)

## Complete filmography (5)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Life* (2007), series, Writer
- *The Black Donnellys* (2007), series, Producer
- *Thief* (2006), series, Writer
- *The Wire* (2002), series, Writer — Fi1m 90, [page](https://film.one/tv/the-wire.md)
- *Homicide: Life on the Street* (1993), series, Writer — Fi1m 89, [page](https://film.one/tv/homicide-life-on-the-street.md)

## Gallery

- ![Rafael Alvarez](https://film.one/media/person/61006/gallery-5e8892b47a9f.jpg) Rafael Alvarez — Kirsten Beckerman, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/37/Rafael_Alvarez%2C_Author.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail_unscaled)
- ![Oct 12, 1986 Baltimore Sun Magazine featuring Frank Zappa](https://film.one/media/person/61006/gallery-5c3e36b32a5d.jpg) Oct 12, 1986 Baltimore Sun Magazine featuring Frank Zappa — Text: Rafael Alvarez Photo: David Harp, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/79/Frank_Zappa_Baltimore_Sun_Magazine_article_by_Rafael_Alvarez.jpg/1280px-Frank_Zappa_Baltimore_Sun_Magazine_article_by_Rafael_Alvarez.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/rafael-alvarez