Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not particularly like school, which is what originally turned him towards drawing. Anyone can read what you share. Writer/director Deborah Kaplan met partner, writer/director Harry Elfont, at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts' prestigious film school. Groening grew up in Portland, Ore., with a father named Homer, a mother named Marge and sisters named Maggie and Lisa. The Simpsons is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. By then, however, "Life in Hell" was running in several other alternative weeklies, and soon the L.A. Weekly brought him on board. His Norwegian American mother, Margaret Ruth (ne Wiggum; March 23, 1919 April 22, 2013),[6] was once a teacher, and his Russian Mennonite father, Homer Philip Groening (December 30, 1919 March 15, 1996),[7] was a filmmaker, advertiser, writer and cartoonist. It was Homer, a cartoonist and filmmaker, who showed his precocious son that a career of creative fulfillment was possible. The details may vary, but the story, like most of the stories Groening tells about the defining moments in his life, reads like a fairy tale. In 1994, Matt Groening started the comic book publishing company named Bongo Comics. In 2009, the show beat Gunsmoke to become the longest-running entertainment show on primetime TV. [8][9] Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up in a Plautdietsch-speaking family. I Thought I Told You to Shut Up!! After graduating in 1977, Groening headed to Los Angeles with the idea of pursuing a writing career. Published a month later, the book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. Over lunch on the 20th Century Fox lot, he tried to dispel a lot of misconceptions about "The Simpsons," about television and about comedy in general. ", Mr. Groening identifies closely with the oppressed children of America, sitting at their desks, waiting to cause trouble. Homer was a cartoonist, advertiser, writer, and a documentary filmmaker. She joked that "his godfather is SpongeBob's creator Stephen Hillenburg". [81] The cast includes Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, and Nat Faxon. His then-girlfriend and co-worker at the Reader Deborah Caplan offered to publish Love is Hell, a series of relationship-themed Life in Hell strips, in book form. Choosing Los Angeles because it was the place where a writer was most likely to be overpaid, Groening answered a "writer/chauffeur wanted" ad in the L.A. Times. In 1994, Groening and other Simpsons producers pitched a live-action spin-off about Krusty the Clown (with Dan Castellaneta playing the lead role), but were unsuccessful in getting it off the ground. [33] Among the fans of the column was Harry Shearer, who would later become a voice on The Simpsons. Now I'm deliriously happy all the time.". After attending Evergreen College in Olympia, Wash., Mr. Groening moved to Los Angeles to become a writer, but he didn't really have any idea how to get started. Deborah Caplan-Matt Groening: 68: Aquarius: Cartoonist: American: Children Name Gender Born Age Other Parent; Homer: Male: 1991: 31 years old: Matt Groening: Abe: Male: 1993: 29 years old: Matt Groening: Discussions Have your say Be the first to make a comment >> Recommended Recommended. "Technically, I'm an agnostic, but I definitely believe in hell especially after watching the . Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999) ", Groening himself has always made the deal. The show centers on Fry, a pizza-delivery man who is accidentally frozen in a cryogenics lab and defrosted 1,000 years later. Born in 1954 in Portland, Oregon, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening had, in many ways, an idyllic childhood. Post years of research in science fiction, in 1997, Matt Groening along with producer, David X Cohen, created an animated series project titled Futurama, about life in the year 3000. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening created a new set of characters, the Simpson family. Later, Groening attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., which was known for its extremely liberal (no grades, no core requirements) liberal arts program. From his friends at the "alternative" newspapers like The Village Voice that run his comic strip, Mr. Groening gets a fair amount of flak, he says, about "selling out." You know, "Meet George Jetson. In the following week's column, he would confess to fabricating everything in the previous column and swear that everything in the new column was true. When he's not telling the Cinderella story, the story Groening tells about himself is a David and Goliath story; and the older and more powerful he becomes, the bigger and more powerful the lumbering naysayers standing in his way. Groening and Simon, however, did not get along[59] and were often in conflict over the show;[26] Groening once described their relationship as "very contentious. ", Not that Fox isn't grateful: "If you go back 10 years ago, we didn't have a lot of successful shows on the air," 20th Century Fox Television co-president Gary Newman told Daily Variety in January 2000, about nine months after the debut of "Futurama." When he was asked by producer James L. Brooks to create animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show, Groening came up with The Simpsons. Eventually, he was finally asked to give up the "music" column. Matt and Deborah separated in 1999. [17] He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons. [60] Groening said his goal in creating the show was to offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash" that they were watching. He was an English major and a World War II vet. She married Groening in 1987 and they got divorced in 1999, after 13 years of marriage. At 39, Mr. Groening still observes many of the customs of the youthful counterculture where he got his start: his hair is longish, his attire runs toward T-shirts and sneakers, and instead of business cards he hands out his phone number on little bits of torn paper. Acting out in school, he recalled having to write "I must be quiet in class" 500 times on at least one occasion and having his doodles torn up by teachers. Indeed, the biggest danger the show seems to face is that it will lose its power to surprise. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Needless to say, it panned out. The world is full of literalists (Elmer Fudds, Mr. Groening would say). "That there's no Jim Brooks around. While at college, he befriended famous cartoonist Lynda Barry, whom he also regards as a great inspiration. Furthermore, the once-struggling artist was about to be presented with the business offer that would change his life forever. In 1988, James L. Brooks, looking for a filler in the television show, The Tracey Ullman Show (1987), turned towards a framed "Life in Hell" strip on his wall and contacted Groening. Occasionally the digitization process introduces transcription errors or other problems; we are continuing to work to improve these archived versions. I may be going to hell, but I did embrace all the stuff -- the T-shirts, the Bart phone, the chess set, all of it.". Images of "The Simpsons" have been licensed to sell everything from T-shirts to toys to potato chips to cheese, suggesting that mainstream culture has gotten pretty good at marketing genuine hipness as well. [41] The entire Simpson family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette. After spending a few years researching science fiction, Groening got together with Simpsons writer and producer David X. Cohen (known as David S. Cohen at the time) in 1997 and developed Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000. Years later, during the early seasons of The Simpsons, when it came time to give Grampa a first name, Groening says he refused to name him after his own grandfather, Abraham Groening, leaving it to other writers to choose a name. Matt is stepfather to Agustinas daughter, Camille. Matt Groening (full Name: Matthew Abram Groening) is a popular American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. [82], In 1994, Groening formed Bongo Comics (named after the character Bongo from Life in Hell[83]) with Steve Vance, Cindy Vance and Bill Morrison, which publishes comic books based on The Simpsons and Futurama (including Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis, a crossover between the two), as well as a few original titles. [30] The strip, titled "Forbidden Words," appeared in the September/October issue of that year. [110], He received the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. But while he used to drive a beat-up Dodge Dart, he now drives a sleek new BMW. [15] He befriended fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry after discovering that she had written a fan letter to Joseph Heller, one of Groening's favorite authors, and had received a reply. But for a few brief moments in the early '90s, the idea that anything "alternative" could suddenly overtake the mainstream was still surprising. [46] He requested his name be taken off the episode.[70]. "He was a deviant.". They said, 'It doesn't make any difference!'". Hold out for as much money as you can get, but make the deal. They have two sons, Homer and Abe, now 13 and 10.). Matt Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and director. Matt Groening created a dysfunctional family and The Simpsons aired on the show for the first time in 1987. Contents 1 Children 2 Siblings 3 Residences 4 Footnotes (including sources) Children Siblings Residences He rose to fame with the comic strip Life in Hell; and his animated television series The Simpsons. "[46], Maggie Groening has co-written a few Simpsons books featuring her cartoon namesake. He described life in Los Angeles to his friends in the form of the self-published comic book Life in Hell, which became loosely inspired by the chapter How to Go to Hell in Walter Kaufmanns book Critique of Religion and Philosophy. His spirit of solidarity with children extends to his own sons, Homer, 3, and Abe, 1, toward whom, he confesses, he is "indulgent and spoiling. When Billie Met Lisa (2022), Disenchantment (2018-present) They had two sons together, Homer and Abe. 3) Disgusted? [111], Groening, Matt; Reiss, Mike; Kirkland, Mark. He currently serves at The Simpsons as an executive producer and creative consultant. Television and those who watch it are remorselessly lampooned. By high school, Groening had learned to channel his subversive leanings in a manner that engaged his classmates. Groening feared that he would have to give up his ownership rights, and that the show would fail and take down his comic strip with it. "I feel like it's a tidal wave I'm surfing on," he said. When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air Futurama reruns, Fox suggested that there was a possibility of also creating new episodes. By his own description, Mr. Groening behaved as a child much as Bart Simpson would if only he had more scholastic aptitude. He is a cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He was born in Portland, Oregon, the middle of five children (older brother Mark and sister Patty were born in 1950 and 1952, while the younger sisters Lisa and Maggie in 1956 and 1958, respectively). From 1972 through 1977, Groening studied at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, a liberal arts school that Groening described as a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest. "Futurama" moved away from the family sitcom structure and into dysfunctional workplace territory, a subject that had long inspired Groening. Deborah is a publisher. It sneaked up on everybody. After their marriage, he became the stepfather of Augustina Picasso's daughter Camille. He wasn't serious. The couple has two sons, Homer and Abe. Tales of the Rat Fink (2006) as Finkster Groening named the cartoon family named after his own siblings and parents, albeit with a "Bart" in lieu of a character named after himself. [54] When designing Lisa and Maggie, he "just gave them this kind of spiky starfish hair style, not thinking that they would eventually be drawn in color". "The success of the show," he has said, "has gone beyond my wildest dreams and worst nightmares.". Groenings Norwegian American mother, Margaret Ruth (ne Wiggum; March 23, 1919 April 22, 2013), worked once as a teacher, and his Russian Mennonite father named Homer Philip Groening (December 30, 1919 March 15, 1996), served as a filmmaker, advertiser, writer, and cartoonist. "[19] The show premiered on March 28, 1999. ------------------------------------------. liverpool v nottingham forest 1989 team line ups; best crews to join in gta 5. jay chaudhry house; bimbo bakeries buying back routes; pauline taylor seeley cause of death Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008) (After 13 years of marriage, Caplan filed for divorce in March 1999, the same month as Groening's second show, "Futurama," premiered. On this date in 1954, Matthew Abraham Groening was born in Portland, Ore., to Homer Groening, an advertising agent and amateur cartoonist, and Margaret Wiggum. In the spirit of youthful rebellion, he makes pointed digs at Fox in front of network officials. As to his position on the "Simpsons" voice actors' recent contract negotiations, he told Mother Jones, "I have sympathy. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. Matt Groening sa constellation est Verseau et . [98] Bartlett used to appear in Simpsons Illustrated. Deborah Caplan: Net Worth: $600 million: Birth Place: Portland, OR: Nationality: American: Education: Evergreen State College: Father: Homer Philip Groening: Mother: Over the years, "The Simpsons" and its irreverently unsentimental outlook have provoked a mountain of commentary about the decline of American culture. He donned the role of an executive producer for animated films Futurama: Bender's Game (2007), Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008), Futurama: Bender's Game (2008), and Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009). Reader in 1986, after writing a letter to the editor over a fellow writer's dismissal, but by then Life in Hell was already appearing in other alt-weeklies and providing extra income through merchandise sales. Indeed, "The Simpsons" has something to offend almost everyone: the cops sit around eating doughnuts, the teachers are lost without their answer books, the parents are losers and even God is a malcontent. She was Groening's long-time girlfriend before she married him in 2011. In 1997, he and retired Simpsons writer David X. Cohen developed Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000, which premiered in 1999, ran for four years on Fox, then picked up by Comedy Central for more seasons. Bush family aside, who is not a fan of Matt Groening? In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening about adapting Life in Hell for animated sequences for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show. The name "Wiggum" for police chief Chief Wiggum is Groening's mother's maiden name. [89] In May 2010, he curated another edition of All Tomorrow's Parties in Minehead, England. Groening's writing credits for the show are for the premiere episode, "Space Pilot 3000" (co-written with Cohen), "Rebirth" (story) and "In-A-Gadda-Da-Leela" (story). I vowed I would never forget what it was like.". In interview after interview, he has recalled his youthful vow never to forget what childhood was like -- a gauntlet of petty rules and restrictions that exist only to be broken. He is not. Carina Chocano writes about TV for Salon. The number was later limited to nine spikes, all of the same size. [49] Marge's distinct beehive hairstyle was inspired by Bride of Frankenstein and the style that Margaret Groening wore during the 1960s, although her hair was never blue. Brooks selected his longtime colleague Sam Simon to help Groening develop the animated series, and The Simpsons dynasty began on December 17, 1989, when the first episode aired. [86] He guest-edited Da Capo Press's Best Music Writing 2003[87] and curated a US All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in 2003. He studied at Evergreen State College and edited the campus newspaper. Matt Groening's then-girlfriend, Deborah Caplan, published "Love is Hell" in November 1984 which is a book form of series of relationship-themed "Life in Hell" strips and followed by "Work is Hell" which was also published by her. They were created when James L. Brooks, the producer of "The Tracey Ullman Show," asked Mr. Groening to create animated segments for the program. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named Life in Hell, whi . After that, he married actress Augustina Picasso in 2011, after a four-year relationship. [14] Following his high school graduation in 1972,[15] Groening attended the Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. He is the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell (19772012) and the television series The Simpsons (1989present), Futurama (19992003, 20082013, 2023present[2]), and Disenchantment (2018present). And he has "gone Hollywood" enough, he concedes, that when he is picked up by a limousine, he no longer feels that he has to keep the chauffeur entertained for the whole ride. Good Grief, Charlie Brown: A Tribute to Charles Schulz (since 2000) Matthew Abram Groening ( / ren / GRAY-ning; born February 15, 1954) [1] is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. The final strip of the comic strip "Life in Hell" was published on June 16, 2012. [95] In 2020, their daughter Nirvana was born. In 1984, Groening and his wife Deborah Caplan published his first "Life in Hell" book, called Love in Hell, and eventually set up a distribution company, Life in Hell Co., which handled the syndication and merchandise for all of Groening's projects. But he realized that Fox would own whatever characters went on the air. Many members of the Simpson family are named for members of his own family: Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa and Patty. That year, he also began working for the alternative-weekly newspaper the L.A. Therefore, Groening has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. The Simpsons (1989-present) Deborah Caplan Born - Unknown Deborah is a publisher. Groening was married to Deborah Caplan from 1986 to 1999. In the mid-1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named "Life in Hell", which eventually became published in the newspaper where he worked. [26][31], Groening had gained employment at the Los Angeles Reader, a newly formed alternative newspaper, delivering papers,[15] typesetting, editing and answering phones. Le 15-2-1954 , Matt Groening (surnom: Matthew Abram Groening, Bat Groening, Mad Groening) est n Portland, Oregon, United States. [63], The series quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the surprise of many. [106] Groening received the 2002 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award, and had been nominated for the same award in 2000. [12] Although Groening previously stated, "I'll never give up the comic strip. Twenty-four years ago, Groening was just another unrecognized genius driving to Los Angeles in a crummy car with a coat hanger for a radio antenna. Deborah Caplan and Matt Groening are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. Leslie Jordan. 1. [57] Another family member, Grampa Simpson, was introduced in the later shorts. The couple have two children together: a son, Homer, and a daughter, Maggie. "What's happened is that mainstream culture has gotten so good at marketing pseudo-hipness that it overwhelms other choices that are out there.". This show won many Emmy Awards. [105], Groening has been nominated for 41 Emmy Awards and has won thirteen, eleven for The Simpsons and two for Futurama in the "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less)" category. The same year his direct-to-video film Futurama: Bender's Big Score earned him the Annie Award for Best Animated Home Entertainment. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, because this is how everyone is treated [in Hollywood]," he told Mother Jones. But the conformity of a suburban existence soon proved dull, even to a young Groening. What may never happen again is another show that comes along and had the overall importance to a particular company like 'The Simpsons' has had for News Corp.", Groening was outspoken about his criticisms of Fox's business practices and its inexplicably shabby treatment of him and his new show. After marriage, he became step father to Augustina Picasso's daughter Camille. [104], In an interview with Wired from 1999, he stated that if he was president, his first act would be "campaign finance reform", stating that it is "a real detriment to democracy". At its peak, the cartoon was carried in 250 weekly newspapers. Matt Groening married Deborah Caplan in 1986. [18] Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration. In 2004. creator, Craig Bartlett, who was married to Groening's sister, Lisa, until they divorced in 2015. This is likely influenced by the name of Groening's own parents. It was thanks to Brooks' reputation that "The Simpsons" was granted a level of autonomy not normally given to television shows -- especially one as risky as "The Simpsons" seemed at the time. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell. In 2013, the couple had a son named . [51] At the time Groening was primarily drawing in black and "not thinking that [Bart] would eventually be drawn in color" gave him spikes that appear to be an extension of his head. They had 2 children, Homer (31) and Abe (29). 7) Do you question authority when authority is out of earshot? Groening serves as the creator of the comic strip Life in Hell (19772012) and the television series The Simpsons (1989present), Futurama (19992003, 20082013, 2023, and Disenchantment (2018present). Life in Hell caught the attention of American producer James L. Brooks. [26] Groening also started Acme Features Syndicate, which initially syndicated Life in Hell as well as work by Lynda Barry and John Callahan, but would eventually only syndicate Life in Hell. Ever since his syndicated comic strip "Life in Hell" -- that series of nihilistic but cuddly dispatches from the epicenter of gloom -- first appeared in 1980, Groening has been raising the dampened spirits of the fashionably alienated by dunking Binky, his rabbity, buck-toothed proxy, into a weekly bog of self-pity, anxiety and existential despair. This one is a Cinderella story: humble beginings, the insidious discouragement of petty authority figures, the unexpected intervention by fairy godproducer James L. Brooks and the eventual (stormy) marriage to a wealthy potentate (Rupert Murdoch's Fox network). It was Mr. Groening's girlfriend, Deborah Caplan (now his wife), who in 1984 gave the comic strip its first lift by forming a small company to publish a collection of his cartoons, "Love Is Hell." However, Groening had expressed a desire to continue the Futurama franchise in some form, including as a theatrical film. Along with mailing the comics to friends and family back in Portland, he attempted to sell his stapled-together books from his record store. In 2009 and 2010, Matt Groening was awarded with the Annie Award in the category Best Animated Home Entertainment for Futurama: The Beast with a Billion Backs and Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder respectively. Groening is estimated to be worth US$ 500 million. In a strange coincidence, they discovered that their parents were friends and that they both attended neighboring high schools in Philadelphia. Let us look in detail into Groenings family tree. [66] Despite common fan belief that Sideshow Bob Terwilliger was named after SW Terwilliger Boulevard in Portland, he was actually named after the character Dr. Terwilliker from the film The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.[67], Although Groening has pitched a number of spin-offs from The Simpsons, those attempts have been unsuccessful. The goal of the company, she told Newsweek, was to "keep the machine of Matt going." [102], Groening has made a number of campaign contributions, all towards Democratic Party candidates and organizations. After graduating in 1977, Groening headed to Los Angeles with the idea of pursuing a writing career. Beginning 1987, he worked in the Traccy Ullman Show for two years as writer and animator. Were it not for the clueless executives, the inane network decisions, the petty betrayals at the hands of people who benefit from his success, he might have stagnated by now. [52] Lisa's physical features are generally not used in other characters; for example, in the later seasons, no character other than Maggie shares her hairline. He first sold his comic to magazine Wet, in 1978. [26][32] Vowell also gave Groening his own weekly music column, "Sound Mix," in 1982. [15] Soon afterward, Caplan and Groening left and put together the Life in Hell Co., which handled merchandising for Life in Hell. By installment No. Then Fox moved "Futurama" to Tuesday night, and audiences fell to about 8 million. He made a name exploring his own alienation and a fortune exposing the absurdities and hypocrisies of our culture, and nowadays, Groening is as powerful an insider as they come. Deborah Caplan (m.1986, d.1999) Agustina Picasso (m.2011) Children: Abe Groening, Homer Groening, Nathaniel Philip Picasso Groening, India Mia Groening, Venus Ruth Groening, Luna Margaret Groening, Sol . So the story goes, and it has, as they say, legs. Groening started sending the comic back home to friends in Portland in lieu of doleful letters about his miserable life. [100][101], Groening was mentioned in a lawsuit by Virginia Giuffre over allegedly being forced by sex trafficker Jeffrey Epstein to massage Groening's feet while on Epstein's jet in 2001. The broken-down car has alternately been described as a '63 Dodge Dart and a '72 Datsun. Groening went to Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. Though the Tracy Ullman Show was soon cancelled, The Simpsons had gained popularity and earned its exclusive half an hour spin-off series. [41][42][43] Groening famously named the main Simpson characters after members of his own family: his parents, Homer and Marge (Margaret or Marjorie in full), and his younger sisters, Lisa and Margaret (Maggie). In 2002, Groening received the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award due to his work on Life in Hell. A thousand years in the future -- a wry, bleak version of a future where suicide booths and celebrity heads preserved in jars are part of the landscape -- work is still hell. I Know That Voice (2013) Deborah Caplan (29 October 1987 - 1999) . He also enjoyed a happy home life, with his dad, Homer, mom, Margaret, and four siblings, including younger sisters Lisa and Maggie.
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