Yet Groening's DNA is all over the show, from the characters named after the streets of his hometown (Flanders, Lovejoy, etc. 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. [86][88] He illustrated the cover of Frank Zappa's posthumous album Frank Zappa Plays the Music of Frank Zappa: A Memorial Tribute (1996). The Simpsons Movie (2007) For more information, please consult the OP. In 2002, he won the Reuben Award by the National Cartoonists Society for his work, Life in Hell. When he was asked by producer James L. Brooks to create animated shorts for The Tracey Ullman Show, Groening came up with The Simpsons. That year, he also began working for the alternative-weekly newspaper the L.A. The daily task of writing the show is left to a team of writers, whom he calls his "Harvard-grad-brainiac-bastard-eggheads." [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. [46] He requested his name be taken off the episode.[70]. In 1994, Matt Groening started the comic book publishing company named Bongo Comics. **** The Simpsons was mostly a satire aimed at politicians, teachers, police and other authorities. Later, he got employed at an alternative newspaper Los Angeles Reader, and here with the support of his supervisor, Matt Groening was able to officially publish Life in Hell as his first comic strip, in 1980. Reply. Deborah Caplan: Net Worth: $600 million: Birth Place: Portland, OR: Nationality: American: Education: Evergreen State College: Father: Homer Philip Groening: Mother: Matt has a son with his wife, Argentinian artist Agustina Picasso, and two children with his former wife, Deborah Caplan. He is from OR. Groening was born on February 15, 1954,[3][4] in Portland, Oregon,[5] 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). 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. 1 . Groening's position is an interesting one for a satirist to find himself in. The show centers on Fry, a pizza-delivery man who is accidentally frozen in a cryogenics lab and defrosted 1,000 years later. Groening has received 13 Primetime Emmy Awards, 11 for The Simpsons and 2 for Futurama, and a British Comedy Award due to outstanding contribution to comedy in 2004. (Statements like these, of course, set off fits of right-wing apoplexy, much to the amusement and delight of everyone else. In order to avoid insulting another family member by making him the namesake of a Simpsons character, he left Homer's father unnamed. And I said, 'I think it's Elroy.' Groening found out the way everybody else did, by picking up the paper. So the story goes, and it has, as they say, legs. Groening knew this would have meant losing ownership rights to his characters, so he decided to start from scratch. He went through what he described as "a series of lousy jobs," including being an extra in the television movie When Every Day Was the Fourth of July,[25] busing tables,[26] washing dishes at a nursing home, clerking at the Hollywood Licorice Pizza record store, landscaping in a sewage treatment plant,[27] and chauffeuring and ghostwriting for a retired Western director. Futurama (1999-2013) However, he began doing a series of odd jobs while at the city. Olive, the Other Reindeer (1999) 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. "I judge my life by how miserable it used to be," Groening told an interviewer last year, speaking of his early days as a lowly alternative cartoonist. 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. [23] Groening graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in journalism in 1977. They divorced in 1999 and Groening . The show is watched by more than 60 million people weekly in more than 60 countries around the world -- beating out even the lowest-common-denominator friendly "Baywatch" as the world's most-watched show. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not particularly like school, which is what originally turned him towards drawing. Mr. Groening planned to use the figures from "Life in Hell." Matt's grandfather Abram was born in Hillsboro, Kansas. He befriended fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry and, finding no real authority to rebel against, he turned to cartooning in earnest. If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, you are probably a fan of Matt Groening. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. His other role model was cartoonist, Charles Monroe Schulz, who was known for his comic creation Peanuts. In 1987, Groening married fellow Weekly staffer Deborah Caplan. [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. Matt Groening (1954-) biography on Film Reference. "I think Matt likes the fact that this is more his baby," Rich Moore, supervising director of Rough Draft, the company that animates "Futurama," told Spin magazine. "And to be honest, the whole 'Simpsons' project was a project to see how far I could go in the mainstream. It sneaked up on everybody. In fact, when "Simpsons" writers wax elegaic, they tend to do so about George Meyer, a writer who first became involved with the show late in 1989, a few months before its Fox premiere. Groening said: "Nobody thought The Simpsons was going to be a big hit. In 1991, the newly wealthy Groening still seemed to struggle with the central paradox of his career. 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). Fearing the loss of ownership rights, he created a new set of characters, the Simpson family. The couple has two sons, Homer and Abe. He gleefully zinged their sensibilities after becoming editor of the school paper, at one point instigating a petition that condemned his satirization of communal life, while also training his ire on mainstream targets like the Washington state legislature. [93] In 2015, Groening's daughters Luna Margaret and India Mia were born. Groening has said that due to his limited drawing ability, it's unlikely he could get a job as an animator on "The Simpsons" today. Matts youngest child is named after writer Nathaniel West. Groening's success owes as much to his own work as it does to the work of a slew of others, including co-creators James Brooks and Sam Simon, and "The Simpsons'" writing staff. Reader through an ever-shifting array of responsibilities that included reporter, distribution manager, punk rock critic and assistant editor. Reproduction of material from any Salon pages without written permission is strictly prohibited. [72] Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life. The broken-down car has alternately been described as a '63 Dodge Dart and a '72 Datsun. Groening started sending the comic back home to friends in Portland in lieu of doleful letters about his miserable life. But before delirium set in, Groening spun a lingering bad mood and an "accidental" cartooning career into a billion-dollar print, broadcast, merchandising and licensing empire. 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.". His work The Simpsons grabbed the Annie Award in the Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Program category for the year 1999. [47], The family was crudely drawn, because Groening had submitted basic sketches to the animators, assuming they would clean them up; instead, they just traced over his drawings. Many members of the Simpson family are named for members of his own family: Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa and Patty. The company published comics related to The Simpsons and Futurama. SALON is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office as a trademark of Salon.com, LLC. The Simpsons (1989-present) Deborah Caplan Born - Unknown Deborah is a publisher. He notes with a chuckle that he has just received the lastest shipment of Simpsoniana: Bart golf balls. 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. Groening is a 68-year-old who was born on February 15, 1954, in Portland, Oregon, in the United States. The show continued in to 2013,[76][77] before Comedy Central announced in April 2013 that they would not be renewing it beyond its seventh season. Before, Groening was married to his first wife Deborah Caplan. Matt Groening Net Worth (2023): Lifestyle | Bio [UPDATED] - BounceMojo ", "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. Commentary for ", Silverman, David; Reardon, Jim; Groening, Matt. Reader hired sales rep Deborah Caplan, who observed that the Life in Hell strips were "a major selling point" of the paper. Maratona Especial Os Simpsons (since 2017). In the spirit of youthful rebellion, he makes pointed digs at Fox in front of network officials. [74] In an interview with CNN, Groening said that "we have a great relationship with Comedy Central and we would love to do more episodes for them, but I don't know We're having discussions and there is some enthusiasm but I can't tell if it's just me". [15] Life in Hell made its official debut as a comic strip in the Reader on April 25, 1980. A critic of most of what is on television, Mr. Groening sees the popularity of "The Simpsons" as a challenge to the writers and producers who have been inundating America with successive waves of innocuous situation comedies. 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. AT WORK WITH: Matt Groening; The Fun of Being Bart's Real Dad Matt Groening was the writer and executive producer of this project. 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. By coincidence, they chose "Abraham", unaware that it was the name of Groening's grandfather. Simon was also responsible for hiring the writing staff, who shaped the characters into what they are today. [33] Among the fans of the column was Harry Shearer, who would later become a voice on The Simpsons. [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. There is not much information about Mark. He ran for student body president on the "Teens for Decency" ("If You're Against Decency, What Are You For?") 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. But while he used to drive a beat-up Dodge Dart, he now drives a sleek new BMW. In 2013, the couple had a son named . The name "Wiggum" for police chief Chief Wiggum is Groening's mother's maiden name. Spouse/Ex-: Agustina Picasso, Deborah Caplan, siblings: Lisa Groening, Maggie Groening, Mark Groening, Patty Groening, children: Abe Groening, Homer Groening, Nathaniel Philip Picasso Groening, Ancestry: Norwegian American, Canadian American, Notable Alumni: The Evergreen State College, Founder/Co-Founder: Bongo Comics Group, Zongo Comics, The Curiosity Company, Quotes By Matt Groening | ", Mr. Groening identifies closely with the oppressed children of America, sitting at their desks, waiting to cause trouble. Carina Chocano writes about TV for Salon. Some of the funniest jokes, he says, can only be caught on a still frame. This show won many Emmy Awards. In 2011, Groening married Argentine artist Agustina Picasso after a four-year relationship, and became stepfather to her daughter Camila Costantini. "I wanted to write something they couldn't teach in high school because it had too much foul language," he said. At its peak, the cartoon became carried in 250 weekly newspapers. The poster contained tribute cartoons by 22 of Groening's cartoonist friends who were influenced by Life in Hell. "But I thought I would have a little bit more leeway since I made Fox so much money with 'The Simpsons. 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. But that's not my point of view.". [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". 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. ", Groening himself has always made the deal. View Matt Groening results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. In a strange coincidence, they discovered that their parents were friends and that they both attended neighboring high schools in Philadelphia. . Deborah Kaplan - IMDb "If I could pay my rent, I was deliriously happy. He then married Argentinian artist Augustina Picasso in 2011, after dating for four years. The book became a success with over 20000 copies being sold in its initial two printings. 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. Matthew Abraham Groening (1954) | Familypedia | Fandom Growing up in Portland, Ore., he did well in school, but was frequently hauled down to the principal's office for smart-aleck conduct, like drawing cartoons. creator, Craig Bartlett, who was married to Groening's sister, Lisa, until they divorced in 2015. ", See the article in its original context from. Deborah is a publisher. In 2016, Groening developed a new series for Netflix, Disenchantment, which premiered in August 2018. He casts himself as the avenging underdog tilting at windmills, but, in the end, he always returns the conquering hero. The couple divorced in 1999. Groening's rough-and-tumble early days in Tinseltown provided endless fodder for a comic he titled Life in Hell, featuring the anthropomorphic rabbit Binky. 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. [80] He described the fantasy-oriented series as originating in a sketchbook full of "fantastic creatures we couldn't do on The Simpsons". 6, the list of recipients had grown from 20 to 500. 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." It was reported on January 15, 2016, that Groening was in talks with Netflix to develop a new animated series. His first cousin, Laurie Monnes Anderson, was a member of the Oregon State Senate, representing eastern Multnomah County. Now I'm deliriously happy all the time.". [16] A liberal arts school that he described as "a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest". [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. In 1972, he enrolled at the Evergreen State College in Olympia and studied there for five years. 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. He currently serves at The Simpsons as an executive producer and creative consultant. When Billie Met Lisa (2022), Disenchantment (2018-present) He wasn't serious. As Groening told Spin magazine. Homer and Abe were their two sons. 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). 2002, 2003 and 2004. Groening worked as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which Groening also wrote articles and drew cartoons. Groening and Deborah Caplan married in 1986 and had two sons, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe. He made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde magazine Wet in 1978. Gratuit English at Leicester University of Leicest. Agustina Picasso Born - Unknown Agustina is an Argentinian artist. Deborah Caplan (29 October 1987 - 1999) . But when pressed, he concedes that he is not sure what makes his critique of Middle America so appealing to Middle Americans. A self-published anthology of. Matt Groening Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements According to Groening, the goal with Bongo is to "[try] to bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market. 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. He first sold his comic to magazine Wet, in 1978. "But I don't consider 'The Simpsons' a compromise in any way. [41] Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and hurriedly sketched out his version of a dysfunctional family: Homer, the overweight father; Marge, the slim mother; Bart, the bratty oldest child; Lisa, the intelligent middle child; and Maggie, the baby. 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). Matt Groening and Deborah Caplan - Dating, Gossip, News, Photos But mainly, he is Matt Groening. "Hey, they were right!
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