"The excuse was that the networks never let you get away with anything," he said. He is not. There is not much information about Mark. In 2011, he married artist Augustina Picasso, with whom he had been in a relationship for four years. A self-published anthology of. He also invited the off-the-wall submissions of campus cartoonists, finding himself inspired by the original works of fellow undergrad Lynda Barry. Matt Groening - Wikipedia He is 68 years old. [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. Matt Groening Net Worth (2023): Lifestyle | Bio [UPDATED] - BounceMojo [48] When Groening originally designed Homer, he put his own initials into the character's hairline and ear: the hairline resembled an 'M', and the right ear resembled a 'G'. Matt's paternal grandfather was Abram Arthur Groening (the son of Abraham Groening and Aganetha Klaassen). After the two became romantically involved, she established a business to promote her future husband's work, negotiating syndication arrangements with other publications and a book deal with Pantheon. The poster contained tribute cartoons by 22 of Groening's cartoonist friends who were influenced by Life in Hell. If you answered no, you are also probably a fan of Matt Groening. I Know That Voice (2013) In fact, to prove that he didn't mean anything by naming a fat, incompetent slob like Homer Simpson after his father, he named his first son Homer, too. [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. Matt Groening sa constellation est Verseau et . [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. According to Groening, the goal with Bongo is to "[try] to bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market. So the story goes, and it has, as they say, legs. He made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde magazine Wet in 1978. [85], Groening is known for his eclectic taste in music. It is currently running in its 27th season. [110], He received the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. "But I thought I would have a little bit more leeway since I made Fox so much money with 'The Simpsons. 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 . [11], Groening grew up in Portland,[12] and attended Ainsworth Elementary School[13] and Lincoln High School. [98] Bartlett used to appear in Simpsons Illustrated. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening created a new set of characters, the Simpson family. From this and other joyless jobs, "Life in Hell" was born. As Flaubert might have said, "Binky, c'est tout le monde." [61] The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", a Christmas special. Work is Hell soon followed, also published by Caplan. Tales of the Rat Fink (2006) as Finkster Born in 1954 in Portland, Oregon, The Simpsons creator Matt Groening had, in many ways, an idyllic childhood. "Who knew if this TV thing would pan out?" Mr. Groening describes "The Simpsons" as a decidedly perverse take on some of the most popular shows of his childhood, like "Leave It to Beaver." "So much humor is based on 'life is horrible, sex is nasty and you can't trust anyone,' " he said. Groening won a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. Creating 'The Simpsons:' How Matt Groening's Own Family Inspired the Characters, Matt Groening; Photo: Gary Moss/Corbis via Getty Images, Matt Groening with a cutout of Bart Simpson; Photo: Getty Images, James Cameron Keeps Smashing His Own Records, The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History, Your Privacy Choices: Opt Out of Sale/Targeted Ads. Some of the funniest jokes, he says, can only be caught on a still frame. "I wanted to write something they couldn't teach in high school because it had too much foul language," he said. [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). This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. ), 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. Where Does Matt Groening Live? [63], The series quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the surprise of many. 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. [78], On February 9, 2022, the series was revived at Hulu, set for a 2023 release. [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. 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. [8][9] Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up in a Plautdietsch-speaking family. Every week or so Mr. Groening gets a new offer to develop a movie or a cartoon or a situation comedy. When Billie Met Lisa (2022), Disenchantment (2018-present) Deborah Caplan and Matt Groening are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. 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). [29][68] Groening has also pitched "Young Homer" and a spin-off about the non-Simpsons citizens of Springfield. "I'm a fan of counterculture -- of which there is very little right now," he told Fortune magazine. 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." She was Groenings long-time girlfriend before she married him in 2011. He hates having to choose among them, he says, because doing one means not doing the others. AT WORK WITH: Matt Groening; The Fun of Being Bart's Real Dad [2], On January 15, 2016, it was announced that Groening was in talks with Netflix to develop a new animated series. [30] The strip, titled "Forbidden Words," appeared in the September/October issue of that year. [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. [24], In 1977, at the age of 23, Groening moved to Los Angeles to become a writer. Groening started sending the comic back home to friends in Portland in lieu of doleful letters about his miserable life. [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 befriended fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry and, finding no real authority to rebel against, he turned to cartooning in earnest. 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 found some work along those lines, whipping up slogans for horror movies, but also took on a series of jobs that included chauffeur, dishwasher and record store clerk to make a living. 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 2002, Groening received the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award due to his work on Life in 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." [64], Like the main family members, several characters from the show have names that were inspired by people, locations or films. [94] On June 16, 2018, he became the father of twins for a second time when his wife gave birth to Sol Matthew and Venus Ruth, announced via Instagram. This is a digitized version of an article from The Timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. And judging from the success of "The Simpsons," what Americans hold most dear is disrespect itself. The show went on to become the longest running US primetime TV series and earn multiple awards. Groenings grandfather named Abraham Groening, worked as a professor at Tabor College, a Mennonite Brethren liberal arts college in Hillsboro, Kansas, prior to moving to Albany College (now named Lewis and Clark College) in Oregon in 1930. However, the couple divorced in 1999 after thirteen years of marriage. MATT GROENING would like to tell you a few things about his family: His father, Homer, is not bald. [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. I vowed I would never forget what it was like.". As described in .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}The Simpsons: An Uncensored, Unauthorized History, he grew up next to the old Portland Zoo, which, after reopening in a new location in 1959, became a wonderland for Groening and his friends with its abandoned animal enclosures. In 1997, Groening and former Simpsons writer David X. Cohen developed Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000, which premiered in 1999, running for four years on Fox, then picked up by Comedy Central for additional seasons. Matt Groening's income source is mostly from being a successful Cartoonist. The PJs (1999-2001) [71] He has had several cameo appearances in the show, with a speaking role in the episode "My Big Fat Geek Wedding". But in any case, Groening allowed the series to evolve under the tutelage of his writers, the undisputed champions of television comedy. 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). He then married Argentinian artist Augustina Picasso in 2011, after dating for four years. Groening's career got a boost in the early 1980s when the L.A. During this time he was the editor of college paper The Cooper Point Journal. Matt and Deborah married in 1986, and had 2 sons Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe, both who Matt portrays as rabbits in Life in Hell. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell. By high school, Groening had learned to channel his subversive leanings in a manner that engaged his classmates. The couple has two sons, Homer and Abe. While working on his animated series Futurama, he took up multiple roles like voice actor, creator, writer and executive producer of the show. Matt Groening (full Name: Matthew Abram Groening) is a popular American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. Matt is stepfather to Agustinas daughter, Camille. Matt Groening was born on 15 February 1954, at Portland, in Oregon, USA. 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. 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. Groening and Deborah divorced in 1999. Matt Groening married Deborah Caplan in 1986. Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. Matt Groening married Deborah Caplan in 1986. The Simpsons (1989-present) [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". "The success of the show," he has said, "has gone beyond my wildest dreams and worst nightmares.". "I never saw anything as crude as my stuff getting published," he has said. Deborah Kaplan - IMDb 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. [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. ", .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}James Cameron Keeps Smashing His Own Records, The Cocaine Bear Drug Smuggler Was a Real Person, Meet The Last of Us Creator Neil Druckmann, The Last of Us Cast Guide: Actors and Characters, Biography: Jon Stewart (Community Heroes), Biography: You Need to Know: Dorothy Arzner. [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. [62] "Some Enchanted Evening" was the first full-length episode produced, but it did not broadcast until May 1990, as the last episode of the first season, because of animation problems. The duo left the newspaper company and Matt Groening founded the Acme Features Syndicate that distributed Life in Hell. Perhaps, were he to walk in off the street, he could get a job as a writer on the show. Matt Groening - Address & Phone Number | Whitepages Unlike most shows, which he finds sluggish, "The Simpsons" is written to move at a manic pace. On the radio, a drunken DJ wept a final farewell to his job. Writer/director Deborah Kaplan met partner, writer/director Harry Elfont, at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts' prestigious film school. He ran for student body president on the "Teens for Decency" ("If You're Against Decency, What Are You For?") They said, 'Make it like "The Jetsons"! In 2002, he won the Reuben Award by the National Cartoonists Society for his work, Life in Hell. [26][32] Vowell also gave Groening his own weekly music column, "Sound Mix," in 1982. One of his first employers was an aging B-movie director who needed help both getting around and writing his memoirs. 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. Furthermore, the once-struggling artist was about to be presented with the business offer that would change his life forever. The Groening Of America -- `Simpsons' Creator - The Seattle Times Matt Groening Biography - Facts, Childhood, Family Life & Achievements 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. He won the Annie Award for Outstanding Achievement in an Animated Television Production for his animated series The Simpsons during three consecutive years i.e. TimesMachine is an exclusive benefit for home delivery and digital subscribers. Groening is married to his wife Agustina Picasso an Argentine artist. Now, though, "The Simpsons" offices at Fox, housed in what looks like a cheap motel, run on a routine, and he has eased off a bit. 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). His sister Lisa does not play the saxophone. He notes with a chuckle that he has just received the lastest shipment of Simpsoniana: Bart golf balls. His sister Maggie is not mute. Matt Groening (1954-) biography on Film Reference. Most importantly, The Simpsons retained the subversive undercurrent that has driven its creator since he was a bored grade school student. Deborah Caplan: Groening has been in a relationship with Deborah Caplan since 2006. 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. 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." In 1984, certain relationship themed strips from his work were published by co- worker Deborah Caplan, as a book titled Love 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. 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. After marriage, he became step father to Augustina Picasso's daughter Camille. The goal of the company, she told Newsweek, was to "keep the machine of Matt going." The message? In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening about adapting Life in Hell for animated sequences for the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show. Groening worked as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which Groening also wrote articles and drew cartoons. Published a month later, the book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. Deborah is a publisher. Born Matthew Abram Groening on 15th February, 1954 in Portland, Oregon, he is famous for Creator of The Simpsons, Futurama and Life In Hell. Yet Groening's DNA is all over the show, from the characters named after the streets of his hometown (Flanders, Lovejoy, etc. 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. The final episode aired on September 4, 2013. The name "Wiggum" for police chief Chief Wiggum is Groening's mother's maiden name. However, he began doing a series of odd jobs while at the city. In 1987, Groening married fellow Weekly staffer Deborah Caplan. I think he kind of wants to prove, maybe to no one but himself, that he can do it without those guys.". He was an English major and a World War II vet. Groening became stepfather to Agustinas daughter named Camila Costantini. Abe Groening (born 1993) Soon, he was driving an 88-year-old movie director around by day and ghost-writing his autobiography by night while living upstairs from a nocturnal rock lover (whose ceiling light he eventually dislodged with a plunging cinderblock). In 2016, he developed a new series for Netflix, Disenchantment, which began in August 2018. 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. 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. Homer Groening (born 1991) Deborah Caplan: Net Worth: $600 million: Birth Place: Portland, OR: Nationality: American: Education: Evergreen State College: Father: Homer Philip Groening: Mother: Still, it's clear that Groening's satire feeds on frustration and the stupidity of others. 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. [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. View Matt Groening results including current phone number, address, relatives, background check report, and property record with Whitepages. "That your moral authorities don't always have your best interests in mind," he told Mother Jones magazine. [33] Among the fans of the column was Harry Shearer, who would later become a voice on The Simpsons. 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. 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. I said, 'It's not going to be like "Blade Runner."' Matt Groening. Matt Groening has won 12 Primetime Emmy Awards and 23 Annie Awards across various categories.