Portal:Animation/Selected biography/1
Nancy Jean Cartwright
(born October 25, 1957) is an American
film
and
television
actress
,
comedienne
and
voice artist
. Noted for her long-running role as
Bart Simpson
on the animated television series
The Simpsons
, she also voices other characters for the show, including
Nelson Muntz
,
Ralph Wiggum
,
Todd Flanders
,
Kearney
and
Database
. Born in
Dayton, Ohio
, Cartwright moved to Hollywood in 1978 and trained as a voice actress alongside
Daws Butler
. Cartwright continued to audition for voice-over and live-action roles, and in 1987, she decided to audition for a role in a series of animated
shorts
about a
dysfunctional family
on
The Tracey Ullman Show
.
Matt Groening
, creator of the shorts, allowed her to audition for Bart, and gave her the job on the spot after hearing her read. For her work as Bart, Cartwright would receive a
Primetime Emmy Award
for
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
in 1992 and an
Annie Award
for Best Voice Acting in the Field of Animation in 1995.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/2
Steven Ross Purcell
(born 1961) is an American
cartoonist
,
animator
and
game designer
. He is most widely known as the creator of
Sam & Max
, an independent comic book series about a pair of anthropomorphic animal vigilantes and private investigators, for which Purcell received an
Eisner Award
in 2007. The series has since grown to incorporate an animated television series and several
video games
. He performed freelance work for
Marvel Comics
and Fishwrap Productions before publishing his first
Sam & Max
comic in 1987. Purcell was hired by
LucasArts
as an artist and animator in 1988, working on several titles within the company's
adventure games era
. Purcell collaborated with
Nelvana
to create a
Sam & Max
television series in 1997, and briefly worked as an animator for
Industrial Light & Magic
after leaving LucasArts. He is currently employed in the story development department at
Pixar
. His main work for the animation studio has been with the 2006 film
Cars
and spin-off materials such as
shorts
and video games. Despite his employment with Pixar, Purcell has continued to work with comic books and came together with
Telltale Games
in 2005 to bring about new series of
Sam & Max
video games.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/3
Daniel Louis "Dan" Castellaneta
(born October 29, 1957) is an American
film
,
theatre
and
television
actor
,
comedian
,
voice artist
,
singer
and television writer. Noted for his long-running role as
Homer Simpson
on the animated television series
The Simpsons
, he also voices many other characters on
The Simpsons
, including
Abraham "Grampa" Simpson
,
Barney Gumble
,
Krusty the Clown
,
Groundskeeper Willie
,
Mayor Quimby
and
Hans Moleman
. Born in the
Chicago
suburb of
Oak Park, Illinois
, Castellaneta started taking acting classes at a young age. He would listen to his father's comedy records and do impressions of the artists.
The Tracey Ullman Show
included a series of animated shorts about a
dysfunctional family
. Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Castellaneta to voice Homer. His voice for the character started out as a loose impression of
Walter Matthau
, but later evolved into a more robust voice. The shorts would eventually be spun off into
The Simpsons
. Castellaneta has won four
Primetime Emmy Awards
for
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
for his work on the show as well as an
Annie Award
for Outstanding Individual Achievement in the Field of Animation in 1993.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/4
Harry Julius Shearer
(born December 23, 1943) is an American actor, comedian, writer,
voice artist
, musician, author, radio host and director. He is known for his long-running role on
The Simpsons
, his work on
Saturday Night Live
, the comedy band
Spinal Tap
and his radio program
Le Show
. Born in
Los Angeles, California
, Shearer began his career as a
child actor
, appearing in
The Jack Benny Program
, as well as the 1953 films
Abbott and Costello Go to Mars
and
The Robe
. In 1957, Shearer played the precursor to the
Eddie Haskell
character in the pilot episode for the television series
Leave It to Beaver
, but his parents decided not to let him continue in the role so that he could have a normal childhood. In 1989, Shearer became a part of the cast of
The Simpsons
. He felt voice acting was "not a lot of fun" because traditionally, voice actors record their parts separately. He has received several
Primetime Emmy Award
and
Grammy Award
nominations and in 2008 it was announced that Shearer would receive a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame
in the radio category.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/5
Ralph Bakshi
(born October 29, 1938) is an American director of
animated
and, occasionally, live-action films. As the American animation industry fell into decline during the 1960s and 1970s, Bakshi tried to bring a change in the industry by establishing an alternative to mainstream animation in
independent
and
adult
-oriented productions. From 1972 until 1994, he directed nine theatrically-released feature films, writing five of them, and oversaw ten television projects as a director, producer and animator. Beginning his career at the
Terrytoons
television cartoon studio as a
cel
polisher, Bakshi was eventually promoted to director. He moved to the animation division of
Paramount Pictures
in 1967 and started his own studio, Bakshi Productions, in 1968. Through producer
Steve Krantz
, Bakshi made his debut feature film,
Fritz the Cat
, released in 1972. It was the first animated film to receive an
X rating
from the
Motion Picture Association of America
, and the most successful independent animated feature of all time.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/6
Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening
(born February 15, 1954) is an
American
cartoonist
,
screenwriter
and
producer
. He is the creator of the
comic strip
Life in Hell
as well as two successful television series,
The Simpsons
and
Futurama
. Groening made his first professional cartoon sale of
Life in Hell
to the avant-garde
Wet
magazine
in 1978.
Life in Hell
caught the attention of
James L. Brooks
. In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of working in
animation
for the
Fox
variety show
The Tracey Ullman Show
. The shorts would be spun off into their own series:
The Simpsons
, which has since aired
768 episodes
. In 1997, Groening, along with former
Simpsons
writer
David X. Cohen
, developed
Futurama
, an animated series about life in the year 3000, which premiered in 1999. After four years on the air, the show was canceled by Fox in 2003, but
Comedy Central
commissioned 16 new episodes from four direct-to-DVD movies in 2008. In 2002, he won the
National Cartoonist Society
Reuben Award
for his work on
Life in Hell
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/7
William Denby "Bill" Hanna
(July 14, 1910 ? March 22, 2001) was an American
animator
,
director
,
producer
,
television director
,
television producer
, and
cartoon artist
, whose movie and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the 20th century. During the 1930s, Hanna steadily gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as
Captain and the Kids
. In 1937, while working at
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
(MGM), Hanna met
Joseph Barbera
. The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing
Tom and Jerry
and
live action films
. In 1957, they co-founded
Hanna-Barbera
, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such as
The Flintstones
,
The Huckleberry Hound Show
,
The Jetsons
,
Scooby-Doo
,
The Smurfs
, and
Yogi Bear
. In 1967, Hanna?Barbera was sold to
Taft Broadcasting
for $12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company until 1991. At that time the studio was sold to
Turner Broadcasting System
, which in turn was merged with
Time Warner
, owners of
Warner Bros.
, in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors. Hanna and Barbera won seven
Academy Awards
and eight
Emmy Awards
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/8
Joseph Roland "Joe" Barbera
(March 24, 1911 ? December 18, 2006) was an influential American
animator
,
film director
,
film producer
,
storyboard artist
, and
cartoon artist
. Born in New York City, after working odd jobs and as a banker, Barbera joined
Van Beuren Studios
in 1932 and subsequently
Terrytoons
in 1936. He met his lifelong collaborator
William Hanna
while working for
Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
in 1937 and soon began producing animated shorts such as the
Tom and Jerry
series. In 1957, after MGM dissolved their animation department, they co-founded
Hanna-Barbera
, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such as
The Flintstones
,
The Huckleberry Hound Show
,
Top Cat
,
The Jetsons
,
Scooby-Doo
,
The Quick Draw McGraw Show
,
The Smurfs
,
Wacky Races
and
Yogi Bear
. Hanna and Barbera won seven
Academy Awards
and eight
Emmy Awards
. Their shows, which have translations in more than 20 languages, had a global audience in the 1960s of over 300 million people.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/9
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney
(December 5, 1901 ? December 15, 1966) was an American
film producer
,
director
,
screenwriter
, voice actor,
animator
,
entrepreneur
,
entertainer
, international
icon
and philanthropist. Disney is famous for his influence in the field of entertainment during the
20th century
. As the co-founder (with his brother
Roy O. Disney
) of Walt Disney Productions, Disney became one of the best-known motion picture producers in the world. The
corporation
he co-founded, now known as
The Walt Disney Company
, today has annual revenues of approximately U.S. $35 billion. Disney is particularly noted for being a film producer and a popular showman, as well as an innovator in
animation
and
theme park
design. He and his staff created a number of the world's most famous fictional characters including
Mickey Mouse
, a character for which Disney himself was the original voice. He has won 26
Academy Awards
out of 59 nominations, including a record four in one year, giving him more awards and nominations than any other individual. He also won seven
Emmy Awards
. He is the namesake for
Disneyland
and
Walt Disney World Resort
theme parks in the
United States
, as well as the international resorts in
Japan
,
France
, and
China
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/10
Julie Kavner
(born September 7, 1950) is an American film and television actress, comedian and
voice artist
. Noted for her role as
Marge Simpson
on the animated television series
The Simpsons
, she also voices other characters for the show, including
Patty and Selma Bouvier
. Born in Los Angeles, Kavner grew up in Southern California, attending
Beverly Hills High School
and later
San Diego State University
. Known for her improvisation and distinctive "honeyed gravel voice," Kavner was cast in her first professional acting role as
Brenda Morgenstern
in
Rhoda
in 1974. She received a
Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series
Primetime Emmy Award
in 1978 and several more award nominations for playing the character. Following
Rhoda
, Kavner was cast in
The Tracey Ullman Show
, which debuted in 1987.
The Tracey Ullman Show
included a series of
animated shorts
about a
dysfunctional family
. Voices were needed for the shorts, so the producers decided to ask Kavner to voice Marge. The shorts would eventually be spun off into
The Simpsons
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/11
Bill Oakley
(born February 27, 1966) is an
American
television writer and producer, known for his work on the animate comedy series
The Simpsons
. Oakley and
Josh Weinstein
became best friends and writing partners at
high school
; Oakley then attended
Harvard University
and was Vice President of the
Harvard Lampoon
. He worked on several short term media projects, including writing for the variety show
Sunday Best
, but was then unemployed for a long period. Oakley and Weinstein eventually penned a
spec script
for
Seinfeld
, after which they wrote "
Marge Gets a Job
", an episode of
The Simpsons
. Subsequently, the two were hired to write for the show on a permanent basis in 1992. After they wrote episodes such as "
$pringfield (Or, How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Legalized Gambling)
", "
Bart vs. Australia
" and "
Who Shot Mr. Burns?
", the two were appointed
executive producers
and
showrunners
for the
seventh
and
eighth
seasons of the show. They attempted to include several emotional episodes focusing on the
Simpson family
, as well as several high-concept episodes such as "
Homer's Enemy
", "
Two Bad Neighbors
" and "
The Principal and the Pauper
", winning three
Primetime Emmy Awards
for their work. After they left
The Simpsons
, Oakley and Weinstein created
Mission Hill
. The show was plagued by promotional issues and was swiftly canceled. They worked as
consulting producers
on
Futurama
, then created
The Mullets
in 2003. The two wrote several unsuccessful TV pilots, and were due to serve as showrunners on
Sit Down, Shut Up
in 2009. Oakley left the project over a contract dispute. He has since written for
The Cleveland Show
, without Weinstein. Oakley is married to fellow writer Rachel Pulido.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/12
Dan Povenmire
(b. 1963) is an
American
television director
,
writer
,
producer
,
storyboard artist
, and actor associated with several
animated television series
, best known as the co-creator of the Disney animated series
Phineas and Ferb
in which he also voices the show's villain,
Heinz Doofenshmirtz
. Povenmire grew up in
Mobile, Alabama
, where he was a talented art student who spent summers outdoors and making movies. Povenmire attended the
University of South Alabama
before deciding to pursue a film career and transferring to the
University of Southern California
School of Cinematic Arts. Povenmire has been a long-time contributor to the animation business, working on several different animated television series such as
The Simpsons
,
Rocko's Modern Life
and
SpongeBob SquarePants
. He was a longtime director on the prime time series
Family Guy
,
where he was nominated for an
Annie Award
in 2005. He left the series to create
Phineas and Ferb
with
Jeff "Swampy" Marsh
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/13
Al Jean
(born January 9, 1961) is an award-winning American
screenwriter
and producer, best known for his work on
The Simpsons
. He was born and raised in
Detroit
,
Michigan
and graduated from
Harvard University
in 1981. Jean began his writing career in the 1980s with fellow Harvard alum
Mike Reiss
. It was first broadcast on
ABC
in January 1994 and was well-received by critics, but did not catch on with viewers and only lasted for two seasons. In 1994, Jean and Reiss signed a three-year deal with
The Walt Disney Company
to produce other television shows for ABC and the duo created and executive produced
Teen Angel
, which was canceled in its first season. Jean returned full-time to
The Simpsons
during the tenth season (1998). He became show runner once again with the start of the thirteenth season in 2001, this time without Reiss, and has held that position since then. Jean was also one of the writers and producers that worked on
The Simpsons Movie
, a feature-length film based on the series that was released in 2007.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/14
James L. Brooks
(born May 9, 1940) is an
American
director
,
producer
and
screenwriter
. Growing up in
North Bergen, New Jersey
, Brooks endured a fractured family life and passed the time by reading and writing. After dropping out of
New York University
, he got a job as an usher at
CBS
, going on to write for the CBS News broadcasts. He moved to
Los Angeles
in 1965 to work on
David L. Wolper
's documentaries. Brooks wrote for several shows before being hired as a story editor on
My Friend Tony
and later creating the series
Room 222
. Although he did not intend to do so, Brooks returned to television in 1987 as the producer of
The Tracey Ullman Show
. He hired cartoonist
Matt Groening
to create
a series of shorts
for the show, which eventually led to
The Simpsons
in 1989.
The Simpsons
won numerous awards and is still running after 22 years. Brooks also co-produced and co-wrote the 2007 film adaptation of the show,
The Simpsons Movie
. In total, Brooks has received 47 Emmy nominations, winning 20 of them.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/15
Jeff "Swampy" Marsh
(born December 9, 1960) is an
American
television director
,
writer
,
producer
,
storyboard artist
, and actor associated with several
animated television series
. Marsh was born in
Santa Monica, California
, where he grew up with a heavily
blended family
dynamic. Marsh has been and continues to be a driving force behind several animation projects, working for over six seasons on the animated television series
The Simpsons
.
Marsh continued to work on other animated television series, including
King of the Hill
and
Rocko's Modern Life
,
before moving to England in 1996. While in England, Marsh worked on several animated programs, including
Postman Pat
and
Bounty Hamster
,
and worked for BKN New Media Ltd. to produce several feature films. After six years living in England, Marsh was asked by his longtime partner
Dan Povenmire
to help produce
Phineas and Ferb
in 2007, a concept the two had while working together on
Rocko's Modern Life.
Marsh accepted and moved back to the United States; the series has since garnered Marsh two
Emmy Awards
nominations for songwriting.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/17
Isaac Lee Hayes, Jr.
(1942-2008) was an
American
Grammy Award
and
Academy Award
winning
soul
and
funk
singer
,
songwriter
,
musician
,
record producer
,
arranger
, and
actor
. Hayes was one of the main creative forces behind
Southern soul
music label
Stax Records
, for which he served as both an in-house songwriter/producer and later as its premier recording artist. In addition to his work in
popular music
, Hayes has also written scores for several
motion pictures
as well. His best known film score, for the 1971
blaxploitation
film
Shaft
, earned Hayes an
Academy Award for Best Original Song
(the first Academy Award received by an
African-American
in a non-acting category) and two
Grammy Awards
. Hayes received a third Grammy for his 1971 album
Black Moses
. In 1992, Hayes was crowned an honorary king of
Ghana
's
Ada
district thanks to his humanitarian deeds. From 1997 to 2006, he provided the voice for "
Chef
", a singing ladies' man and elementary school cook, on the animated sitcom
South Park
. There are conflicting statements from Hayes' publicists and others as to why he left the show, and this controversy is satirized in the
South Park
episode, "
The Return of Chef
".
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/18
Phil Hartman
(September 24, 1948 – May 28, 1998) was a
Canadian
-born American
actor
,
comedian
,
writer
and
graphic artist
. Born in
Brantford, Ontario
, Hartman and his family later immigrated to the United States. He attended
California State University, Northridge
, graduating with a degree in graphic arts and going on to design several album covers. He joined
The Groundlings
in 1975 and there helped
Paul Reubens
to develop his character
Pee-wee Herman
, co-wrote the screenplay for the film
Pee-wee's Big Adventure
and made recurring appearances on Reubens' show
Pee-wee's Playhouse
. Hartman became well-known in the late 1980s when he joined the sketch comedy show
Saturday Night Live
. He won fame for his impressions, particularly of President
Bill Clinton
, and stayed on the show for eight seasons. Called "the Glue" for his ability to hold the show together and help other cast members, Hartman won a
Primetime Emmy Award
for his
SNL
work in 1989. In 1995, after scrapping plans for his own variety show, he starred as Bill McNeal in the
NBC
sitcom
NewsRadio
. He also had frequent roles on
The Simpsons
, and appeared in the films
Houseguest
,
Sgt. Bilko
,
Jingle All the Way
, and
Small Soldiers
. He was shot dead by his wife Brynn while he slept in his
Encino, California
home in 1998. In the weeks following his death, Hartman was celebrated in a wave of tributes.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/19
Trey Parker
(born
Randolph Severn Parker III
; October 19, 1969) is an American
animator
,
screenwriter
,
director
,
producer
,
voice artist
,
musician
and actor, best known for being the co-creator of the
television series
South Park
along with his creative partner and best friend
Matt Stone
. Parker started his film career in 1992, making a holiday short titled
Jesus vs. Frosty
. His first success came from
Cannibal! The Musical
. From there he made another short titled
Jesus vs. Santa
, which led him and his college friend,
Matt Stone
, to create the
animated
television series
South Park
, which began airing on television in 1997. He has won 4
Emmy Awards
for his role in South Park, winning for both "Outstanding Programming More Than One Hour" and "Outstanding Programming Less Than One Hour". He has co-written and co-directed the 2011 multi-
Tony Award
winning
musical
The Book of Mormon
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/20
Maggie Roswell
(born November 14, 1952) is an American film and television actress and
voice artist
from
Los Angeles, California
. Roswell made her acting break-through in the 1980s with appearances in films such as
Midnight Madness
(1980),
Lost in America
(1985), and
Pretty in Pink
(1986), and guest appearances on television shows such as
Remington Steele
,
Masquerade
, and
Happy Days
. She appeared frequently in the sketch comedy
The Tim Conway Show
from 1980 to 1981, and did voice acting for a few animated films and television shows. Roswell also performed in some theater plays, including one in 1988 directed by
Julia Sweeney
. Together they established the Roswell 'n' Rayle Company, creating and voicing advertisements for companies. Because of her move to Denver, Roswell had to travel to Los Angeles twice a week to tape
The Simpsons
. This ultimately led to her requesting a pay raise in 1999; however, Fox refused to offer her the amount she wanted so she quit the show. Roswell returned to
The Simpsons
in 2002 after reaching a deal to record her lines from her Denver home.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/21
Josh Weinstein
(born May 5, 1966) is an
American
television writer and producer, known for his work on the animated comedy series
The Simpsons
. Weinstein and
Bill Oakley
became best friends and writing partners at
St. Albans High School
; Weinstein then attended
Stanford University
and was
editor-in-chief
of the
Stanford Chaparral
. He worked on several short-term media projects, including writing for the variety show
Sunday Best
, but was then unemployed for a long period. Weinstein and Oakley eventually penned a
spec script
for
Seinfeld
, after which they wrote "
Marge Gets a Job
", an episode of
The Simpsons
. Subsequently, the two were hired to write for the show on a permanent basis in 1992. After they left
The Simpsons
, Oakley and Weinstein created
Mission Hill
. The show was plagued by promotional issues and was swiftly canceled. The two wrote several unsuccessful TV pilots, and were due to serve as showrunners on
Sit Down, Shut Up
in 2009. Oakley left the project over a contract dispute, but Weinstein remained until it was canceled.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/22
Matthew Richard "Matt" Stone
(born May 26, 1971) is an
American
screenwriter
,
producer
,
voice artist
,
musician
and
actor
, best known for being the co-creator of
South Park
along with creative partner and best friend,
Trey Parker
. Stone and Parker launched their largely collaborative careers in 1992, making a holiday short titled
Jesus vs. Frosty
. Their first success came from
Alferd Packer: The Musical
, subsequently distributed as
Cannibal! The Musical
. From there he made another short title
Jesus vs. Santa
, leading him and his college friend
Trey Parker
to create the
animated
television series
South Park
, which has been on television for over a decade. He has four Emmy Awards for his role in
South Park
, winning for both "Outstanding Programming More Than One Hour" and "Outstanding Programming Less Than One Hour".
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/23
Stephen Hillenburg
(1961?2018) was an American cartoonist,
animator
, and former
marine biologist
. He is the creator of the
Nickelodeon
television series
SpongeBob SquarePants
(1999?), which he has also directed, produced, and written. It has gone on to become one of the
longest-running American television series
as well as the highest-rated show ever to air on Nickelodeon. Born in
Lawton, Oklahoma
and raised in
Anaheim, California
, Hillenburg became fascinated with the ocean as a child and developed an interest in art. He started his professional career in 1984, instructing marine biology, at the
Orange County Marine Institute
, where he wrote
The Intertidal Zone
, an informative comic book about
tide-pool
animals, which he used to educate his students. He was later offered a job on the Nickelodeon animated television series
Rocko's Modern Life
(1993?1996) after his success with short films
The Green Beret
and
Wormholes
(both 1992), which he made while studying animation. Besides his two
Emmy Awards
and six
Annie Awards
for
SpongeBob SquarePants
, Hillenburg has also received other recognition, such as an accolade from
Heal the Bay
for his efforts on elevating marine life awareness, and the
Television Animation Award
from the
National Cartoonists Society
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/24
Yeardley Smith
(
; born
Martha Maria Yeardley Smith
on July 3, 1964) is a
French
-born
American
actress
,
voice actress
,
writer
and
painter
. She is best known for her long-running role as
Lisa Simpson
on the animated television series
The Simpsons
. She was born in
Paris
and moved with her family to
Washington, D.C.
in 1966. As a child, Smith was often mocked because of her voice and unusual first name. She became a professional actress in 1982 after graduating from drama school and moved to
New York City
in 1984 where she appeared in the
Broadway
production of
The Real Thing
. She made her film debut in 1985's
Heaven Help Us
, followed by roles in
The Legend of Billie Jean
and
Maximum Overdrive
. She moved to
Los Angeles
,
California
in 1986 and received a recurring role in the television series
Brothers
. In 1987, she auditioned for a role in a series of animated
shorts
about a
dysfunctional family
on
The Tracey Ullman Show
. Smith intended to audition for the role of
Bart Simpson
, but the casting director felt her voice was too high, so she was given the role of Lisa instead. She voiced Lisa for three seasons on
The Tracey Ullman Show
, and in 1989, the shorts were spun off into their own half-hour show,
The Simpsons
. For her work as the character, Smith received a
Primetime Emmy Award
for
Outstanding Voice-Over Performance
in 1992.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/25
Seth MacFarlane
(born October 26, 1973) is an American
animator
, writer,
producer
, actor,
singer
,
voice actor
, and
director
best known for creating the
animated
sitcoms
Family Guy
,
American Dad!
and
The Cleveland Show
, for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters. A native of
Kent
,
Connecticut
, MacFarlane is a graduate of the
Rhode Island School of Design
, where he studied animation, earning a
Bachelor of Fine Arts
Degree. He was an animator and writer for
Hanna-Barbera
for several television shows, including
Johnny Bravo
,
Cow and Chicken
and
Dexter's Laboratory
, before creating his own series for
20th Century Fox
entitled
Family Guy
in 1999. MacFarlane would go on to co-create
American Dad!
in 2005,
The Winner
in 2007 and
The Cleveland Show
in 2009 for 20th Century Fox. As a performer, MacFarlane has sung at several venues, including
Carnegie
and
Royal Albert Hall
. MacFarlane has won several awards for his work on
Family Guy
, including two
Primetime Emmy Awards
, and an
Annie Award
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/26
James Garland "J. G." Quintel
(born September 13, 1982) is an
American
animator
,
television writer
, and
voice actor
. Best known as the creator of the
animated television series
,
Regular Show
, which debuted in September 2010, Quintel also was the creative director for
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
, an animated series that appeared on television from June 2008 to August 2010. In December 2009,
ASIFA-Hollywood
nominated Quintel for an
Annie Award
in the category of "
Directing in a Television Production
" for his directing work on an episode of
The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack
. In September 2011, the
Academy of Television Arts & Sciences
nominated Quintel for a
Primetime Emmy Award
in the
Outstanding Short-format Animated Program category
for
Regular Show.
Quintel currently works for
Cartoon Network Studios
in
Burbank, California
developing episodes for
Regular Show
.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/27
Zenas Winsor McCay
(
c.
1867?71
? July 26, 1934) was an American
cartoonist
and
animator
. He is best known for the comic strip
Little Nemo
(1905?14; 1924?26) and the animated film
Gertie the Dinosaur
(1914). From a young age, McCay was a quick, prolific, and technically dextrous artist. He started his professional career making posters and performing for
dime museums
, and began illustrating newspapers and magazines in 1898. He joined the
New York Herald
in 1903, where he created popular comic strips such as
Little Sammy Sneeze
and
Dream of the Rarebit Fiend
. Between 1911 and 1921 McCay self-financed and animated ten films, some of which survive only as fragments. McCay and his assistants worked for twenty-two months on his most ambitious film,
The Sinking of the Lusitania
(1918), a patriotic recreation of the
German torpedoing in 1915
of the
RMS Lusitania
. In his drawing, McCay made bold, prodigious use of linear perspective, particularly in detailed architecture and cityscapes. He textured his editorial cartoons with fine
hatching
, and made color a central element in
Little Nemo
. His comic strip work has influenced generations of cartoonists and illustrators. He pioneered
inbetweening
, the use of
registration marks
,
cycling
, and other animation techniques that later became standard.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/28
Akira Toriyama
(born April 5, 1955) is a Japanese
manga artist
and
game artist
. He is best known for his manga series
Dr. Slump
(1980?1984) and
Dragon Ball
(1984?1995), as well as for being the character designer for the
Dragon Quest
series of video games. Toriyama is regarded as one of the artists that changed the history of manga, as his works are highly influential and popular, particularly
Dragon Ball,
which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration. He earned the 1981
Shogakukan Manga Award
for best
sh?nen
or
sh?jo
manga with
Dr. Slump
, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful
anime
series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended. His next series,
Dragon Ball
, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold more than 230 million copies worldwide, it is the second best-selling manga of all time and is considered to be one of the main reasons for the "Golden Age of
Jump
," the period between the mid-1980s and the mid-1990s when manga circulation was at its highest. Overseas,
Dragon Ball
's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting Japanese animation's popularity in the Western world.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/29
Hayao Miyazaki
(born 1941) is a Japanese film director, producer, screenwriter, animator, author, and
manga artist
. A co-founder of
Studio Ghibli
, a film and animation studio, he has attained international acclaim as a masterful storyteller and as a maker of
anime
feature films, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest animation directors. Born in
Bunky?
, Tokyo, Miyazaki expressed interest in manga and animation from an early age, and he joined
Toei Animation
in 1963. During his early years at Toei Animation he worked as an
in-between artist
and later collaborated with director
Isao Takahata
. Notable films to which Miyazaki contributed at Toei include
Doggie March
and
Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon
. Miyazaki co-founded Studio Ghibli in 1985. He directed several films with Ghibli, including
Castle in the Sky
in 1986,
My Neighbor Totoro
in 1988,
Kiki's Delivery Service
in 1989, and
Porco Rosso
in 1992. Miyazaki's works are characterized by the recurrence of themes such as humanity's relationship with
nature
and technology, the wholesomeness of natural and traditional patterns of living, the importance of art and craftsmanship, and the difficulty of maintaining a
pacifist
ethic in a violent world. The protagonists of his films are often strong girls or young women, and several of his films present morally ambiguous antagonists with redeeming qualities.
Portal:Animation/Selected biography/30
Terence Vance "Terry" Gilliam
(born 22 November 1940) is an American-born British
screenwriter
,
film director
,
animator
,
actor
and member of the
Monty Python
comedy troupe. Gilliam has directed 12 feature films, including
Time Bandits
(1981),
Brazil
(1985),
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen
(1988),
The Fisher King
(1991),
12 Monkeys
(1995), and
The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus
(2009). The only "Python" not born in Britain, he became a naturalised British citizen in 1968. In 2006, he formally
renounced
his American citizenship.
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