Michael Wolff was born 24 October 1930; he was educated at Cheltenham and Wadham College, Oxford. In 1956 he married Rosemary Langley Clarkson, having two daughters.

After serving as a Captain with the Royal Fusiliers in the Korean War, 1952-1953, Wolff joined the editorial staff of: The Sphere; John Bull; Truth (Deputy Editor); Daily Express (Chief American Correspondence); Sunday Telegraph; Crossbow (Editor), between 1964 and 1966. He also organised and led the research for the official biography of Winston Churchill, 1961-1966, and edited the first companion volume of documents, 1967.

From journalism, Wolff moved to the Conservative Research Department, taking on special duties with Leader of the Opposition, Edward Heath, 1966-1970. In 1970, once Heath had become Prime Minister, Wolff served as Special Adviser to the Government, 1970-1974, a public relations post for which the salary was paid by the Party even though Wolff worked from the Lord President's Office. Finally, Wolff worked as Director-General of the Conservative Party Organisation, 1974-1975, but left this post when Margaret Thatcher took over from Heath as Leader.

Wolff's other duties included: JP Inner London, 1967; Deputy Chairman, West London bench; member of the Lord Chancellor’s Advisory Committee on Justices of the Peace for Inner London.

His major publications were: The Unquiet Peace (contribution, 1957); If Freedom Fail (with John Vidler, 1964); The Conservative Opportunity (editor, 1965); Prison (1967); Winston Churchill as Nobel Prize Winner (1970).

Wolff died 13 May 1976.