The message? When Comedy Central committed to sixteen new episodes, it was decided that four straight-to-DVD films Bender's Big Score (2007), The Beast with a Billion Backs (2008), Bender's Game (2008) and Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009) would be produced. (Statements like these, of course, set off fits of right-wing apoplexy, much to the amusement and delight of everyone else. Commentary for ", Silverman, David; Reardon, Jim; Groening, Matt. 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. Unlike most shows, which he finds sluggish, "The Simpsons" is written to move at a manic pace. Comedian, screenwriter, and television producer Groening is the multitalented creator of The Simpsons, the longest-running entertainment series in 2009 on primetime television. Gratuit English at Leicester University of Leicest. 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. Groening's position is an interesting one for a satirist to find himself in. Agustina Picasso Born - Unknown Agustina is an Argentinian artist. The Good, the Bart, and the Loki (2021) However, the show's collection of memorable supporting characters and winking, multilayered nods to popular culture, arguably owes more to Simon and the original stable of writers than to Groening. You know, "Meet George Jetson. He also co-wrote and produced The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007. His mission, Groening has said, was to create a sofa-centric sitcom about a typical American family and turn it upside down in retaliation for all the bad TV he watched as a kid. Matt Groening, an American animator, television producer, author, and cartoonist, has an estimated net worth of a staggering $600 million. 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. 2002, 2003 and 2004. "That there's no Jim Brooks around. But while he used to drive a beat-up Dodge Dart, he now drives a sleek new BMW. 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. She died of heart failure on January 24, 2013. [75] Comedy Central commissioned an additional 26 new episodes, and began airing them in 2010. Hearst Magazine Media, Inc. Site contains certain content that is owned A&E Television Networks, LLC. He finally added staff cartoonist to his resume when Life in Hell first appeared in the paper in the spring of 1980. He studied at Evergreen State College and edited the campus newspaper. 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. After marriage, he became step father to Augustina Picasso's daughter Camille. [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. 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. (29 October 1987 - 1999) ( divorced) ( 2 children) 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. In 2004. 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 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. They had 2 children, Homer (32) and Abe (30). He also enjoyed a happy home life, with his dad, Homer, mom, Margaret, and four siblings, including younger sisters Lisa and Maggie. Groening is married to his wife Agustina Picasso an Argentine artist. Still, it's clear that Groening's satire feeds on frustration and the stupidity of others. He grew up in Portland and did his schooling from the Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. Groening worked as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which Groening also wrote articles and drew cartoons. By now, though, the damage, such as it is, has clearly been done: the show has entered the very pop culture it pokes so much fun at. 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. "I wanted to write something they couldn't teach in high school because it had too much foul language," he said. By coincidence, they chose "Abraham", unaware that it was the name of Groening's grandfather. 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.". Life in Hell caught the attention of American producer James L. Brooks. Groening and Deborah Caplan married in 1986 and had two sons, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe. ", "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. 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. So, how much is Matt Groening worth at the age of 67 years old? Copyright 2023 Salon.com, LLC. [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. [65] The names of a few other characters were taken from major street names in Groening's hometown of Portland, Oregon, including Flanders, Lovejoy, Powell, Quimby and Kearney. [110], He received the 2,459th star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. [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 wasn't serious. Along with mailing the comics to friends and family back in Portland, he attempted to sell his stapled-together books from his record store. "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. "Technically, I'm an agnostic, but I definitely believe in hell especially after watching the . "To many divisions of this company, 'The Simpsons' was the shining light that kept us motivated and believing that our division would grow. 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. The PJs (1999-2001) [15] Soon afterward, Caplan and Groening left and put together the Life in Hell Co., which handled merchandising for Life in Hell. She joked that "his godfather is SpongeBob's creator Stephen Hillenburg". He works as a cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. "If I could pay my rent, I was deliriously happy. 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. 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. They had 2 children. 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. Then Fox moved "Futurama" to Tuesday night, and audiences fell to about 8 million. 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. Brooks' and Simon's hand in shaping the show was significant. At its peak, the cartoon was carried in 250 weekly newspapers. He has donated money to the unsuccessful presidential campaigns of Democratic candidates Al Gore in 2000 and John Kerry in 2004, as well as previously donating to Kerry's Massachusetts senator campaign. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not particularly like school, which is what originally turned him towards drawing. He is not. [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). Reply. A self-published anthology of "Love Is Hell" led to a deal with Pantheon Books, and eventually Caplan began running Life In Hell Inc. [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. Matt is stepfather to Agustinas daughter, Camille. "[19] The show premiered on March 28, 1999. He was also given the responsibility of handling the papers music column for a short period. In 2011, he married artist Augustina Picasso, with whom he had been in a relationship for four years. And yet he speaks like the kid who just made it big, who still can't believe his luck. Matt Groening has made appearances in films and documentaries, such as, Comic Book: The Movie (2004), The Devil and Daniel Johnston (2005), The Seventh Python (2008) and I Know That Voice (2013). 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. 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. He is also a father to five more children. This comic book made its official debut as a comic strip in the Reader on April 25, 1980, and caught the attention of Hollywood writer-producer and Gracie Films founder James L. Brooks, who had been shown the strip by fellow producer Polly Platt. Groening won a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. [2], On January 15, 2016, it was announced that Groening was in talks with Netflix to develop a new animated series. Groening also collectively donated to the Democratic senatorial campaign committee and to the Senate campaigns of Barbara Boxer (California), Dianne Feinstein (California), Paul Simon (Illinois), Ted Kennedy (Massachusetts), Carl Levin (Michigan), Hillary Clinton (New York), Harvey Gantt (North Carolina), Howard Metzenbaum (Ohio), and Tom Bruggere (Oregon). In 1973, he moved to LA and sold his comic strip Life in Hell to the LA weekly. "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. After graduation, Matt Groening moved to Los Angeles, in 1977, with the aim of becoming a writer. [61] The half-hour series premiered on December 17, 1989, with "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire", a Christmas special. He still draws the ear as a 'G' when he draws pictures of Homer for fans. And the idea of creating a show on his own appealed to him. 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. The Simpsons (1989-present) [41][44] However, he stresses that aside from some of the sibling rivalry, his family is nothing like the Simpsons. The paper offered him a cartoon strip in 1980, and, surprised, Groening accepted. The Simpsons premiered in 1989 with him as creator, writer, voice actor and executive producer. He found some work along those lines, whipping up slogans for horror movies, but also took on. Matt Groening and Deborah Caplan married in 1986 and have two children: Homer (who goes by the name of Will) and Abe. All Rights Reserved. Groening grew up in Portland, Ore., with a father named Homer, a mother named Marge and sisters named Maggie and Lisa. 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." "Who knew if this TV thing would pan out?" Many members of the Simpson family are named for members of his own family: Homer, Marge, Maggie, Lisa and Patty. He notes with a chuckle that he has just received the lastest shipment of Simpsoniana: Bart golf balls. Indeed, the biggest danger the show seems to face is that it will lose its power to surprise. [78], On February 9, 2022, the series was revived at Hulu, set for a 2023 release. By then, however, "Life in Hell" was running in several other alternative weeklies, and soon the L.A. Weekly brought him on board. Matt Groening is well known for his cartoon characters, comic strips and animated television series. The artist saw his first non-self-published comic appear in a 1978 issue of Wet magazine. Matthew Abraham Groening was born 15 February 1954 in Portland, Oregon, United States to Homer Philip Groening (1919-1996) and Margaret Ruth Wiggum (1919-2013) . [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. "The Simpsons" has earned Fox's parent company, Rupert Murdoch's News Corp., well over a billion dollars, and its role in the network's growth has been incalculable. Born Matthew Abram Groening on 15th February, 1954 in Portland, Oregon, he is famous for Creator of The Simpsons, Futurama and Life In Hell. However, the couple divorced in 1999 after thirteen years of marriage. It's my foundation,"[37] the June 16, 2012 strip marked Life in Hell's conclusion. 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. Though the Tracy Ullman Show was soon cancelled, The Simpsons had gained popularity and earned its exclusive half an hour spin-off series. Deborah Caplan and Matt Groening are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. [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. He hates having to choose among them, he says, because doing one means not doing the others. 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." In 2002, he won the Reuben Award by the National Cartoonists Society for his work, Life in Hell. Matt Groening's income source is mostly from being a successful Cartoonist. 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). 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). And they said, 'Don't make it like "Blade Runner"!' The goal of the company, she told Newsweek, was to "keep the machine of Matt going." [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. [8][50] Bart's original design, which appeared in the first shorts, had spikier hair, and the spikes were of different lengths. There is not much information about Mark. 6) Are you trapped in a loveless cubicle? But he realized that Fox would own whatever characters went on the air. Despite his status as an ultimate insider, Groening's writing has always been that of an outsider. [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. ------------------------------------------. The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime-television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom. [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. The couple has two sons, Homer and Abe. "I wake up every morning thinking how lucky I am. According to Groening, the goal with Bongo is to "[try] to bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market. In 2013, the couple had a son named Nathaniel Philip Picasso. But the conformity of a suburban existence soon proved dull, even to a young Groening. Chester Bennington American Singer-Songwriter. [34], Life in Hell became popular almost immediately. In 1994, Matt Groening started the comic book publishing company named Bongo Comics. Every week or so Mr. Groening gets a new offer to develop a movie or a cartoon or a situation comedy. 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. A few years earlier they had set up their own syndicate, ACME Features, to distribute the strip. Groening is a guy who lunches with Rupert Murdoch and finds him congenial. In 2013, the couple had a son named . 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. The Simpsons was mostly a satire aimed at politicians, teachers, police and other authorities. 4) Disagreeably damp and jittery? [29][68] Groening has also pitched "Young Homer" and a spin-off about the non-Simpsons citizens of Springfield. [85], Groening is known for his eclectic taste in music. He is from OR. The show went on to become the longest running US primetime TV series and earn multiple awards. They divorced in 1999 and Groening married Argentine artist Agustina Picasso in 2011. He is a cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He married Agustina Picasso 2011 . Mr. Groening has several theories for the success of his unusually caustic brand of humor. [41] The entire Simpson family was designed so that they would be recognizable in silhouette. Groening started sending the comic back home to friends in Portland in lieu of doleful letters about his miserable life. Matt Groening created the show The Simpsons, and two of the principal characters, a husband and wife, are named Homer and Marge. 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 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. And for a guy whose career has been dedicated to skewering television, crass commercialism, "evil billionaire tyrants" (how boss Rupert Murdoch described himself in a cameo on "The Simpsons") and brainless consumers, Groening sure does love his merchandise. Then, no sooner had they ordered 13 episodes than the doubts set in. he said in a Mother Jones interview. In 2008, Matt Groening won the Annie Award in the Writing in a Feature Production for comedy film The Simpsons movie. 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. In 2002, Groening received the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award due to his work on Life in Hell. "The excuse was that the networks never let you get away with anything," he said. I think he kind of wants to prove, maybe to no one but himself, that he can do it without those guys.". His father Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up in a Mennonite, Plautdietsch-speaking family. Matt Groening - Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not particularly like school, which is what originally turned him towards drawing. Eventually, he was finally asked to give up the "music" column. Deborah Kaplan has been divorced from Matt Groening since 1999. However, Matt and Deborah divorced in 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. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. The network resisted giving Groening the autonomy he needed and plied him with notes. [79] On July 25, 2017, the series, Disenchantment, was ordered by Netflix. [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. [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. Therefore, Groening has accumulated a decent fortune over the years. The couple also welcomes daughters Luna Margaret and India Mia born in 2015. [71] He has had several cameo appearances in the show, with a speaking role in the episode "My Big Fat Geek Wedding". They divorced in 1999 and Groening . 1 program. [72] Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life. Matt's paternal grandfather was Abram Arthur Groening (the son of Abraham Groening and Aganetha Klaassen). In conversations over two days and several venues -- at a party at his friend Frank Zappa's house, over lunch at the Fox commissary and in his office -- he revealed a deep association with the adolescents who form the core audience of "The Simpsons." Life in Hell caught the attention of American producer James L. Brooks. In 2011, Groening married Argentine artist Agustina Picasso after a four-year relationship, and became stepfather to her daughter Camila Costantini. Maratona Especial Os Simpsons (since 2017). 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." Anyone can read what you share. 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. 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. '", Sharing one inane series of meetings, he told the magazine, "I said, 'Look, I told you "Futurama" is not going to be bland and boring like "The Jetsons." "[46] He also formed Zongo Comics in 1995, an imprint of Bongo that published comics for more mature readers,[46] which included three issues of Mary Fleener's Fleener[84] and seven issues of his close friend Gary Panter's Jimbo comics. He casts himself as the avenging underdog tilting at windmills, but, in the end, he always returns the conquering hero. [81] The cast includes Abbi Jacobson, Eric Andre, and Nat Faxon. [17] He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons. [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. It was Homer, a cartoonist and filmmaker, who showed his precocious son that a career of creative fulfillment was possible. Mr. Groening planned to use the figures from "Life in Hell." Abe Groening (born 1993) Brooks contacted him in 1985 about adapting Life in Hell for animated sequences for the Fox variety shows The Tracey Ullman Show. [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 name "Wiggum" for police chief Chief Wiggum is Groening's mother's maiden name. In 1987, Groening married fellow Weekly staffer Deborah Caplan. Menu Log In Sign Up The daily task of writing the show is left to a team of writers, whom he calls his "Harvard-grad-brainiac-bastard-eggheads." Patricia was an art dealer. In the 10 years since the debut of "The Simpsons," however, Groening had gone from semifamous alternative cartoonist to iconic powerhouse. He winds up working for an intergalactic delivery service, with a crew of misfits including Leela, the ship's one-eyed alien captain and Bender, a corrupt, vice-addled, disgruntled robot. "I guess I shouldn't have been surprised, because this is how everyone is treated [in Hollywood]," he told Mother Jones. 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." 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. They said, 'Make it like "The Jetsons"! "Simpsons" executive producer Mike Scully, who took over as show runner, or head writer, in 1996, has said that in order to write for "The Simpsons," a writer must have "a healthy disrespect for everything Americans hold dear." 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. "Teachers, principals, clergymen, politicians -- for the Simpsons, they're all goofballs, and I think that's a great message for kids." He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. Matt Groening. Claiming that it was a bit too obvious to name a character after himself, he chose the name "Bart," an anagram of brat. In 2016, Groening developed a new series for Netflix, Disenchantment, which premiered in August 2018. Following this success, came his next work, Work is Hell, also published by Deborah Caplan. If you answered yes to one or more of the above questions, you are probably a fan of Matt Groening. The two married in 2011 after a four-year relationship. Deborah Caplan and Matt Groening are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. In 2011, he married artist Augustina Picasso, with whom he had been in a relationship for four years. In a strange coincidence, they discovered that their parents were friends and that they both attended neighboring high schools in Philadelphia.