Matt Groening
About
Biography
Filmography
Family & Companions
Bibliography
Biography
As the creator of the long-running animated TV series "The Simpsons" (Fox, 1989- ), as well as the equally venerable weekly comic strip "Life in Hell," cartoonist Matt Groening watched his creations spawn numerous print and merchandise incarnations that helped make him a influential figure in world pop culture.
Born on Feb. 15, 1954, Groening moved from his hometown of Portland, OR to Los Angeles in 1977 with the intent of becoming a writer. It was in LA that he began "Life in Hell" as a hand-copied strip that was distributed via the record store at which he worked. The strip gained notoriety among comic and underground press aficionados, and received its largest exposure in the weekly independent newspaper The Los Angeles Reader. The Reader also granted Groening a music column, which he devoted to personal issues and fabricated write-ups of fictitious bands and albums. In 1984, Groening and his wife Deborah Caplan published his first "Life in Hell" book, called Love in Hell, and eventually set up a distribution company, Life in Hell Co., which handled the syndication and merchandise for all of Groening's projects.
The following year, he was contacted by writer/producer/director James L. Brooks to create animation for an upcoming project. Brooks' original idea was to use the angst-ridden "Life in Hell" characters, but Groening created a whole new set in order to avoid jeopardizing his comic strip. The new characters - a nuclear family based on his own parents and siblings, which utilized several of their real names - were dubbed the Simpsons.
"The Simpsons" debuted on "The Tracey Ullman Show" (Fox, 1987-90) in 15-minute skits, and immediately took off with audiences. A half-hour spin off show followed in 1989, before a "Simpsons" series was launched that same year. Groening himself confessed that he was surprised by the show's massive popularity, which continued throughout the 1990s and into the next century. In the mid-'90s, Groening attempted to create several spin-off projects, including several live-action features and series based on "Simpsons"-related characters, but none came to fruition.
Meanwhile, Groening expanded further into publishing by creating Bongo Comics Group in 1993; the company published the many "Simpsons" comic books, while a second company, Zongo Comics, released more mature titles by artists such as Mary Fleener and Gary Panter.
In 1999, Groening and "Simpsons" writer David X. Cohen created "Futurama" (Fox, 1999-2003), an animated science-fiction/comedy series which earned a small but loyal audience during its four years on the network. Following its cancellation, the series did remarkably well in syndication on The Cartoon Network and on DVD, helping to spawn a series of direct-to-DVD movies that continued the series' storylines.
In 2006, Groening announced he would serve as a writer and producer on the long-awaited theatrical "Simpsons" movie. He also found time to perform as a member of the Rock and Roll Remainders, a rock band that featured several popular writers (including Stephen King, Amy Tan, and Scott Turow) among its rotating members.
Filmography
Cast (Feature Film)
Writer (Feature Film)
Producer (Feature Film)
Music (Feature Film)
Misc. Crew (Feature Film)
Cast (Special)
Writer (Special)
Animation (Special)
Special Thanks (Special)
Director (TV Mini-Series)
Producer (TV Mini-Series)
Animation (TV Mini-Series)
Life Events
1977
Moved to Los Angeles
1977
First publication of the cartoon strip "Life in Hell"
1984
First book published, Love is Hell; content taken from the weekly "Life in Hell" comic strip
1986
Made TV debut as an animator and writer with segments of "The Simpsons" for "The Tracey Ullman Show" (Fox)
1989
Feature debut as a screenwriter, "The Simpsons" (Fox), made up of five shorts from "The Tracey Ullman Show"
1989
Created and executive produced the animated series "The Simpsons" (Fox)
1989
Made TV debut as an executive producer and creator with the first full length Simpsons special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire," which aired as "The Simpsons Christmas Special" during first season of "The Simpsons"
1993
Formed comic-book company Bongo Comics Group
1993
Launched four "Simpsons" related comic books: Simpson's Comics, Bartman, Itchy & Scratchy Comics, and Radioactive Man
1998
Created and executive produced the animated series "Futurama" (Fox)
1999
Executive produced and had a speaking role in the animated holiday special "Olive, the Other Reindeer" (Fox)
2004
Made his first speaking appearance on an episode of "The Simpsons" at a comic book convention
2006
Fox signed on for another two seasons of "The Simpsons," which made it the longest running cartoon in TV history
2007
Executive produced "The Simpsons Movie," a feature adaption of long-running animated series
2010
Made first speaking appearance as himself on an episode of "Futurama"
2012
Celebrated 500th episode of "The Simpsons" (Feb. 19)
2012
Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame
2015
Celebrated the 27th season of "The Simpsons"
Family
Companions
