[108] In 2007, he was ranked fourth (and highest American by birth) in a list of the "top 100 living geniuses", published by British newspaper The Daily Telegraph. From this and other joyless jobs, "Life in Hell" was born. Groening and Deborah Caplan married in 1986[27] and had two sons together, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe,[44] both of whom Groening occasionally portrays as rabbits in Life in Hell. 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. Executive producer and show runner Mike Scully once told the New Yorker, "People are always asking why 'The Simpsons' is still so good after all these years, and, at the risk of pissing off all the other writers, I think I'd have to say that the main reason is probably George." Beginning 1987, he worked in the Traccy Ullman Show for two years as writer and animator. 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). [79] On July 25, 2017, the series, Disenchantment, was ordered by Netflix. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, The Times does not alter, edit or update them. Ian Maxtone-Graham, another writer on the show, has said in an interview, "I would rather make George Meyer laugh than get an Emmy." The couple divorced in 1999. Since 1989, Groening take part in the television series The Simpsons which is the longest-running U.S. primetime-television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom. The team included what is now the Klasky Csupo animation house. 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. Hair High (2004) as Dill "Do people who don't have cockroaches and can afford their rent, are they happier?" In 2004. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. [15] Life in Hell made its official debut as a comic strip in the Reader on April 25, 1980. In the mid '80s, renowned producer James L. Brooks approached Groening about using the characters from "Life in Hell" on a new show he was developing for comedian Tracey Ullman. So the story goes, and it has, as they say, legs. Homer was a cartoonist, advertiser, writer, and a documentary filmmaker. 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. Published a month later, the book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. In 2009, the show beat Gunsmoke to become the longest-running entertainment show on primetime TV. [19][72] By the time they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and storylines; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions. A team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Lisa is a producer and is famous for her work on Christmas at Pee Wees Playhouse (1988), Arnold Escapes from Church (1988), and The Arnold Waltz (1990). Groening is credited with writing or co-writing the episodes "Some Enchanted Evening", "The Telltale Head", "Colonel Homer" and "22 Short Films About Springfield". In 2013, the couple had a son named . [80] He described the fantasy-oriented series as originating in a sketchbook full of "fantastic creatures we couldn't do on The Simpsons". Netflix has also renewed the series for twenty additional episodes, which are expected to start in ten-episode batches in 2020 and 2021. He is from OR. Carina Chocano writes about TV for Salon. But when pressed, he concedes that he is not sure what makes his critique of Middle America so appealing to Middle Americans. His television series titled Futurama also earned him the Annie Award for Best General Audience Animated TV/Broadcast Production in the years 2010 and 2014, while his other work The Simpsons won the award in this category in the years 2011, 2012 and 2015. But for now, at least, it continues to thrive; it is consistently the most-watched show in its time slot, Thursday at 8 P.M., and is Fox's No. Matt Groening Futurama Commentary for ", Silverman, David; Reardon, Jim; Groening, Matt. He first sold his comic to magazine Wet, in 1978. His mother, Margaret, though, used to have "huge hair.". 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. Matt Groening is well known for his cartoon characters, comic strips and animated television series. After four years on the air, the show was canceled by Fox. [90] In July 2013, Groening co-authored Hard Listening (2013) with the rest of the Rock Bottom Remainders (published by Coliloquy, LLC).[91]. The final strip of the comic strip "Life in Hell" was published on June 16, 2012. Hold out for as much money as you can get, but make the deal. Life in Hell caught the attention of American producer James L. Brooks. During this time the show has done for animated cartoons what "thirtysomething" did for yuppies: proved that despite some annoying tendencies, they can be successful in prime time. Reply. [63], The series quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the surprise of many. Homer Groening (born 1991) This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. Unlike most shows, which he finds sluggish, "The Simpsons" is written to move at a manic pace. Reader through an ever-shifting array of responsibilities that included reporter, distribution manager, punk rock critic and assistant editor. The name "Wiggum" for police chief Chief Wiggum is Groening's mother's maiden name. [99], Groening is a self-identified agnostic. . Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. He is a man of above-average stature. In the early days of "The Simpsons," Mr. Groening used to preside over all aspects of production, from scripts to story boards to voice-overs to animation. Matt has a son with his wife, Argentinian artist Agustina Picasso, and two children with his former wife, Deborah Caplan. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, because this is how everyone is treated [in Hollywood]," he told Mother Jones. Claiming that it was a bit too obvious to name a character after himself, he chose the name "Bart," an anagram of brat. After their marriage, he became the stepfather of Augustina Picasso's daughter Camille. Sometime after midnight on the day of his arrival, his car stalled in the fast lane of the Hollywood Freeway in 100 degree heat. Matt Groening - Ethnicity of Celebs | EthniCelebs.com [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. "To many divisions of this company, 'The Simpsons' was the shining light that kept us motivated and believing that our division would grow. 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. I like the idea of trying to be successful on some level, at least reaching an audience enough so that you can sustain it and keep on going." By installment No. Meanwhile, Groening was up to his old tricks of rocking the boat, writing silly reviews of bands based on their publicity photos and even making up phony acts to cover. The show premiered under the Fox Broadcasting Company banner, in 1999. [89] In May 2010, he curated another edition of All Tomorrow's Parties in Minehead, England. They had two sons together, Homer and Abe. After graduating in 1977, Groening headed to Los Angeles with the idea of pursuing a writing career. The network resisted giving Groening the autonomy he needed and plied him with notes. His wife is Agustina Picasso (m. 2011), Deborah Caplan (m. 1986-1999) Matt Groening Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2020-2021. ), to his selection of Danny Elfman to compose the iconic theme song, to his insistence on the cartoon adhering to the normal laws of physics despite the liberties taken with continuity. He casts himself as the avenging underdog tilting at windmills, but, in the end, he always returns the conquering hero. "I feel like it's a tidal wave I'm surfing on," he said. And they said, 'Don't make it like "Blade Runner"!' 1 . Before proceeding to the informational portion of this essay, please take a moment to complete the following questionnaire: 1) Are you disillusioned? Matt Groening is married to Deborah Caplan in 1986. 7) Do you question authority when authority is out of earshot? [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). James L. Brooks negotiated a provision in the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with the show's content. [55] Groening storyboarded and scripted every short (now known as The Simpsons shorts), which were then animated by a team including David Silverman and Wes Archer, both of whom would later become directors on the series. His father Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up in a Mennonite, Plautdietsch-speaking family. Despite the unprecedented success of "The Simpsons," the process of getting "Futurama" on the air has been described by Groening as "the worst experience of my adult life." Simon was also responsible for hiring the writing staff, who shaped the characters into what they are today. Groening was married to Deborah Caplan from 1986 to 1999. He ran for student body president on the Teens for Decency ticket, with the tongue-in-cheek slogan, "If you're against decency, then what are you for?" Matt Groening | Salon.com You know, "Meet George Jetson. "[19] He first became interested in cartoons after watching the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians,[20] and he has also cited Robert Crumb, Ernie Bushmiller, Ronald Searle,[21] Monty Python,[22] and Charles M. Schulz as inspirations. Deborah Caplan and Matt Groening are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, he created a new set of characters, the Simpson family. Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show. The same year his direct-to-video film Futurama: Bender's Big Score earned him the Annie Award for Best Animated Home Entertainment. In the spirit of youthful rebellion, he makes pointed digs at Fox in front of network officials. Despite his status as an ultimate insider, Groening's writing has always been that of an outsider. "When I was a kid, my friends and I used to put on puppet shows, make comic books, and I decided that's what I wanted to do, to play in every medium," he said. In order to avoid insulting another family member by making him the namesake of a Simpsons character, he left Homer's father unnamed. [28][29], Groening described life in Los Angeles to his friends in the form of the self-published comic book Life in Hell, which was loosely inspired by the chapter "How to Go to Hell" in Walter Kaufmann's book Critique of Religion and Philosophy. 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). She died of heart failure on January 24, 2013. The couple has two sons, Homer and Abe. He grew up in Portland and did his schooling from the Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. [27] He showed his cartoons to the editor, James Vowell, who was impressed and eventually gave him a spot in the paper. He found some work along those lines, whipping up slogans for horror movies, but also took on. Groening made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde magazine Wet in 1978. Yet Groening's DNA is all over the show, from the characters named after the streets of his hometown (Flanders, Lovejoy, etc. The Simpsons (1989-present) Though Groening has continued to churn out his comic strip every week, it's been about a decade since he wrote an episode of "The Simpsons." Matt's grandfather Abram was born in Hillsboro, Kansas. More than just a television hit, "The Simpsons" is also a mass marketing phenomenon: probably not since Mickey Mouse raised his ears has a silhouette appeared on as many paraphernalia as Bart Simpson's crown-roast-shaped head. 8) Does this fill you with shame and guilt and cheese puffs? Matt Groening, an American animator, television producer, author, and cartoonist, has an estimated net worth of a staggering $600 million. [73][29], Since no new Futurama projects were in production, the movie Into the Wild Green Yonder was designed to stand as the Futurama series finale. The strip gained traction after a shift in tone, with Binky becoming less preachy and more of a victim of the cultural and social forces that browbeat dissidents into submission. [39], Life in Hell caught the attention of Hollywood writer-director-producer and Gracie Films founder James L. Brooks, who had been shown the strip by fellow producer Polly Platt. The number was later limited to nine spikes, all of the same size. Six years later, after Groening penned an angry letter to the editor over the dismissal of a writer, the paper fired him by replacing his strip with another cartoonist's work while Groening was out of town on a book-signing tour for "Work Is Hell." ", 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." Mr. Groening planned to use the figures from "Life in Hell." [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. Matt Groening received the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Primetime or Late Night Television Program for The Simpsons in the years 1998, 2000 and 2001. His animated series The Simpsons have won the Primetime Emmy Awards in the Outstanding Animated Program for the years 1990, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000,2001, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2008 and 2011. "But I don't consider 'The Simpsons' a compromise in any way. It's my foundation,"[37] the June 16, 2012 strip marked Life in Hell's conclusion. Realizing that he would lose the rights to his Life in Hell characters with the deal, Groening quickly created a new cartoon family named after his own siblings and parents, albeit with a "Bart" in lieu of a character named after himself. [69], In 1995, Groening got into a major disagreement with Brooks and other Simpsons producers over "A Star Is Burns", a crossover episode with The Critic, an animated show also produced by Brooks and staffed with many former Simpsons crew members. Deborah Kaplan Entertainment - Director Why Famous: is an American screenwriter and film director Age: N/A Deborah Kaplan's Relationships (2) Matt Groening Arts - Other Why Famous: The Simpsons and Futurama "Who knew if this TV thing would pan out?" Matt Groening and Deborah Caplan - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos In the mid-1980s, he moved to Los Angeles and started drawing a comic strip named Life in Hell, whi . Life in Hell comic strips were published in over 250 weekly papers and they were later collated in a series of books titled: School is Hell, Childhood is Hell, The Big Book of Hell, and The Huge Book of Hell. They had been married for 11.1 years. However, Matt and Deborah divorced in 1999. While at college, he befriended famous cartoonist Lynda Barry, whom he also regards as a great inspiration. [95] In 2020, their daughter Nirvana was born. [18] Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration. His favorite artist is Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention and his favorite album is Trout Mask Replica by Captain Beefheart (which was produced by Zappa). She was Groening's long-time girlfriend before she married him in 2011. A self-published anthology of "Love Is Hell" led to a deal with Pantheon Books, and eventually Caplan began running Life In Hell Inc. Reader hired sales rep Deborah Caplan, who observed that the Life in Hell strips were "a major selling point" of the paper. [53] While designing Lisa, Groening "couldn't be bothered to even think about girls' hair styles". "[19] The show premiered on March 28, 1999. Matt Groening - Biography - IMDb AT WORK WITH: Matt Groening; The Fun of Being Bart's Real Dad, https://www.nytimes.com/1993/02/25/garden/at-work-with-matt-groening-the-fun-of-being-bart-s-real-dad.html. Deborah is a publisher. And judging from the success of "The Simpsons," what Americans hold most dear is disrespect itself. Groening named the cartoon family named after his own siblings and parents, albeit with a "Bart" in lieu of a character named after himself. In Groening's version, the boy dies from his head injury and returns as a ghost every Halloween, a morbid tale that surprisingly became the winning entry. He also plays the drums in the all-author rock and roll band The Rock Bottom Remainders (although he is listed as the cowbell player), whose other members include Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, James McBride, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount Jr., Stephen King, Kathi Kamen Goldmark, Sam Barry and Greg Iles. In 2016, he developed a new series for Netflix, Disenchantment, which began in August 2018. Matts youngest child is named after writer Nathaniel West. Deborah Kaplan is currently available. But the short clips were a hit with fans, and producers began exploring a standalone series as Tracey Ullman floundered in the ratings. "If I could pay my rent, I was deliriously happy. The /s signifies sarcasm. "I wanted to write something they couldn't teach in high school because it had too much foul language," he said. ------------------------------------------. Matt Groening (full Name: Matthew Abram Groening) is a popular American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening about adapting Life in Hell for animated sequences for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show. [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". Groenings estimated net worth is $600 million. Groening is estimated to be worth US$ 500 million. She is the author of "Do You Love Me or Am I Just Paranoid?" Groening went on to the liberal Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, where he butted heads with the more extreme countercultural types that populated the campus. Perhaps, were he to walk in off the street, he could get a job as a writer on the show. In 1984, certain relationship themed strips from his work were published by co- worker Deborah Caplan, as a book titled Love in Hell. After marriage, he became step father to Augustina Picassos daughter Camille. Now I'm deliriously happy all the time.". It is currently running in its 27th season. He was an English major and a World War II vet. [8][50] Bart's original design, which appeared in the first shorts, had spikier hair, and the spikes were of different lengths. The weekly comic strip chronicles the miseries of Bongo, the one-eared rabbit, as well as those of Akbar and Jeff, the lovelorn look-alikes. 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. ", "I had a real strong sense of drama as a kid," he said, "and I couldn't believe adults didn't remember what it was like to be a kid. Matt Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and director. These days Mr. Groening, who lives in Venice, Calif., tries to stay home one morning a week to write "Life in Hell." Then Fox moved "Futurama" to Tuesday night, and audiences fell to about 8 million. "The success of the show," he has said, "has gone beyond my wildest dreams and worst nightmares.". We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. The early iteration of The Simpsons was a crude, Neanderthal version of the family that would become ubiquitous in pop culture; both Bart and Lisa were troublemakers, and Homer was a barely controlled cauldron of rage. After marriage, he became step father to Augustina Picasso's daughter Camille. After four years the show was cancelled, however, it maintained a strong fan following. He also invited the off-the-wall submissions of campus cartoonists, finding himself inspired by the original works of fellow undergrad Lynda Barry. Groening has won 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, 11 for The Simpsons and 2 for Futurama, and a British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. Maratona Especial Os Simpsons (since 2017). [35][40] In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of working in animation on an undefined future project,[9] which would turn out to be developing a series of short animated skits, called "bumpers," for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show. His sister Maggie is not mute. Matt Groening's income source is mostly from being a successful Cartoonist. 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. Matt Groening Children & Wife | Net Worth 2023 | Age | Bio He received the Annie Award (for accomplishments in animation) in the Best Animated Television Production category for his series The Simpsons for six years from the year 1992 to 1997. Born Matthew Abram Groening on 15th February, 1954 in Portland, Oregon, he is famous for Creator of The Simpsons, Futurama and Life In Hell. It was at the Reader that Groening also met Deborah Caplan, a sales represen- tative with a background in publishing and a head for business - all qualities notoriously absent in Groening's psychological framework. They had 2 children, Homer (32) and Abe (30). ", The Simpsons are offspring of Bongo, Akbar and Jeff, only slightly less hapless. I Thought I Told You to Shut Up!! The couple has two sons, Homer and Abe. She joked that "his godfather is SpongeBob's creator Stephen Hillenburg". 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. After graduation, Matt Groening moved to Los Angeles, in 1977, with the aim of becoming a writer. [34], Life in Hell became popular almost immediately. The poster contained tribute cartoons by 22 of Groening's cartoonist friends who were influenced by Life in Hell. In high school, he drew cartoons for the school newspaper until he was kicked off the staff. However, the column would rarely actually be about music, as he would often write about his "various enthusiasms, obsessions, pet peeves and problems" instead. When Comedy Central began negotiating for the rights to air Futurama reruns, Fox suggested that there was a possibility of also creating new episodes. He is 68 years old. [15] At the end of its run, Life in Hell was carried in 250 weekly newspapers and has been anthologized in a series of books, including School is Hell, Childhood is Hell, The Big Book of Hell, and The Huge Book of Hell. 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.". The book became a success with over 20000 copies being sold in its initial two printings. He was also given the responsibility of handling the papers music column for a short period. The show, according to Groening, was "buried." The daily task of writing the show is left to a team of writers, whom he calls his "Harvard-grad-brainiac-bastard-eggheads." Matt Groening Children & Wife | Net Worth 2023 | Age | Bio The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime-television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Over the years, "The Simpsons" and its irreverently unsentimental outlook have provoked a mountain of commentary about the decline of American culture. 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. Groening and Deborah divorced in 1999. Deborah Kaplan - IMDb Agustina is an Argentinian artist. [33] Among the fans of the column was Harry Shearer, who would later become a voice on The Simpsons. The following year he founded Zongo Comics to target mature comic readers. "Bart is like what would happen if Eddie Haskell got his own show," he said. However, he began doing a series of odd jobs while at the city. The broken-down car has alternately been described as a '63 Dodge Dart and a '72 Datsun. [96] In January 2022, Groening's tenth child Satori was born. Matt Groening Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements Matt Groening - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages For more information, please consult the OP. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell. And I always say, 'Whatever offends you the most.' He wasn't serious.

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