Patricia was an art dealer. He is starting to think about other projects, like developing a show starring the Simpsons' favorite entertainer, Krusty, the dissolute clown. [96] In January 2022, Groening's tenth child Satori was born. Deborah Kaplan is currently available. "But I thought I would have a little bit more leeway since I made Fox so much money with 'The Simpsons. 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. "It turns out I was the latest in a long line of writer-chauffeurs," Mr. Groening said. ------------------------------------------. It sneaked up on everybody. "What's happened is that mainstream culture has gotten so good at marketing pseudo-hipness that it overwhelms other choices that are out there.". From his office on the Fox lot Mr. Groening cheerfully presides over this merchandising mania. Maratona Especial Os Simpsons (since 2017). Matt Groening Love Is Hell 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. The couple have two children together: a son, Homer, and a daughter, Maggie. [17] He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons. For more information, please consult the OP. For a man who has become famous on the strength of his dark musings, starting with "Life in Hell," his weekly comic strip, Mr. Groening (it rhymes with complaining, his publicist says) comes off in person as surprisingly benign: big, bearish and still a bit astonished to find his jokes getting so out of hand. All Rights Reserved. 3) Disgusted? And they said, 'Don't make it like "Blade Runner"!' The daily task of writing the show is left to a team of writers, whom he calls his "Harvard-grad-brainiac-bastard-eggheads." It's my foundation,"[37] the June 16, 2012 strip marked Life in Hell's conclusion. [53] While designing Lisa, Groening "couldn't be bothered to even think about girls' hair styles". 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. It was at this time that he began drawing cartoons for his self-published book titled Life in Hell, which was based on his struggles and featured Binky an oppressed rabbit. "If there's a message that runs through the show," he told The New York Times in 2001, well after he had become wealthy and influential beyond his wildest dreams, "it's that maybe the authorities don't have your best interests at heart. "He was a deviant.". 6, the list of recipients had grown from 20 to 500. At 39, Mr. Groening still observes many of the customs of the youthful counterculture where he got his start: his hair is longish, his attire runs toward T-shirts and sneakers, and instead of business cards he hands out his phone number on little bits of torn paper. 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. [12] Although Groening previously stated, "I'll never give up the comic strip. ", The Simpsons are offspring of Bongo, Akbar and Jeff, only slightly less hapless. [8][9] Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up in a Plautdietsch-speaking family. [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. [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. He simply shrugs and buys more computer games, like the electronic ant farm that once caught his fancy. "[42] Simon eventually left the show in 1993 over creative differences. 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. 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 | Matt Groening was born on 15 February 1954, at Portland, in Oregon, USA. [72] Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life. [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. 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. 2002, 2003 and 2004. He received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on February 14, 2012. Perhaps, were he to walk in off the street, he could get a job as a writer on the show. Mr. Groening has several theories for the success of his unusually caustic brand of humor. When he and former "Simpsons" show runner David X. Cohen (now the show runner on "Futurama") first approached Fox with the new idea, the network went into instant paroxysms of ecstasy. [27] He showed his cartoons to the editor, James Vowell, who was impressed and eventually gave him a spot in the paper. [18] Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration. Then Fox moved "Futurama" to Tuesday night, and audiences fell to about 8 million. Associated Press articles: Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. She was Groenings long-time girlfriend before she married him in 2011. After four years the show was cancelled, however, it maintained a strong fan following. 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). Were it not for the clueless executives, the inane network decisions, the petty betrayals at the hands of people who benefit from his success, he might have stagnated by now. Ten years later, at the age of 46, Groening is responsible for a comic strip syndicated in 250 newspapers, more than 25 books, two prime-time animated series and untold containers full of valuable merchandise. 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. From 1972 through 1977, Groening studied at The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, a liberal arts school that Groening described as a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest. While at college, he befriended famous cartoonist Lynda Barry, whom he also regards as a great inspiration. The Simpsons is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. But the conformity of a suburban existence soon proved dull, even to a young Groening. The couple divorced in 1999. 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 [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". Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening created a new set of characters, the Simpson family. (2002). Let us look in detail into Groenings family tree. There are Bart cake pans, Bart bicycles and Bart pinball machines, Bart note cards, Bart soda bottles and Bart game books. And yet he speaks like the kid who just made it big, who still can't believe his luck. 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. They divorced in 1999 and Groening married Argentine artist Agustina Picasso in 2011. [75] Comedy Central commissioned an additional 26 new episodes, and began airing them in 2010. Its shorts were spun off into their own series, The Simpsons, which has since aired 727 episodes. Groening is a guy who lunches with Rupert Murdoch and finds him congenial. He grew up in Portland and did his schooling from the Ainsworth Elementary School and Lincoln High School. 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. Anyone can read what you share. Menu Log In Sign Up 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. 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). Groening feared that he would have to give up his ownership rights, and that the show would fail and take down his comic strip with it. Matt Groening married Deborah Caplan in 1986. Groening is married to his wife Agustina Picasso an Argentine artist. "Do people who don't have cockroaches and can afford their rent, are they happier?" The broken-down car has alternately been described as a '63 Dodge Dart and a '72 Datsun. The comic strip Life in Hell was a huge success. Most importantly, The Simpsons retained the subversive undercurrent that has driven its creator since he was a bored grade school student. He was an English major and a World War II vet. The final episode aired on September 4, 2013. A fan of science fiction, he had been thinking about creating a show about the future for some time. Deborah Caplan and Matt Groening are divorced after a marriage of 13 years. He first sold his comic to magazine Wet, in 1978. [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". At its peak, the cartoon became carried in 250 weekly newspapers. He used to write articles and draw cartoon illustrations for the journal. And judging from the success of "The Simpsons," what Americans hold most dear is disrespect itself. The pilot episode of "Futurama" was scheduled to air in the coveted slot between "The Simpsons" and "The X-Files" on Sunday night, and was watched by 19 million viewers. (Statements like these, of course, set off fits of right-wing apoplexy, much to the amusement and delight of everyone else. Six years later, after Groening penned an angry letter to the editor over the dismissal of a writer, the paper fired him by replacing his strip with another cartoonist's work while Groening was out of town on a book-signing tour for "Work Is Hell." In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. ), 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. In 2013, the couple had a son named . They said, 'It doesn't make any difference!'". 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. By his own description, Mr. Groening behaved as a child much as Bart Simpson would if only he had more scholastic aptitude. ``Matt didn't particularly have a reputation for discipline,'' says Randy Michael Signor, a former Reader editor who today works in . After marriage, he became step father to Augustina Picassos daughter Camille. He made his first professional cartoon sale of Life in Hell to the avant-garde magazine Wet in 1978. The number was later limited to nine spikes, all of the same size. In 1987, Groening married fellow Weekly staffer Deborah Caplan. [85], Groening is known for his eclectic taste in music. He also invited the off-the-wall submissions of campus cartoonists, finding himself inspired by the original works of fellow undergrad Lynda Barry. Has two sons with Deborah Caplan: Homer Groening (born 1991) and Abe Groening (born 1993). As Flaubert might have said, "Binky, c'est tout le monde." Commentary for ", Silverman, David; Reardon, Jim; Groening, Matt. Growing up in Portland, Oregon, Matt Groening did not particularly like school, which is what originally turned him towards drawing. Writer/director Deborah Kaplan met partner, writer/director Harry Elfont, at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts' prestigious film school. Contents 1 Children 2 Siblings 3 Residences 4 Footnotes (including sources) Children Siblings Residences 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. 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." Later, Groening attended Evergreen State College in Olympia, Wash., which was known for its extremely liberal (no grades, no core requirements) liberal arts program. The Simpsons Backgroung and creation Matt Groening (1954-) biography on Film Reference. Groening celebrates his birthday on February 15th, every year. But he realized that Fox would own whatever characters went on the air. He is not. 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).