Matthew Abram "Matt" Groening, an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer, was born on February 15, 1954. He is the creative force behind the comic strip Life in Hell, as well as two extremely successful television series, The Simpsons and Futurama.
Groening's professional career began in 1978 with the sale of Life in Hell to Wet magazine, an avant-garde publication. The cartoon continues to be featured in 250 weekly newspapers, showcasing Groening's unique style and wit. Life in Hell's popularity caught the attention of James L. Brooks, who approached Groening in 1985 with an offer to work on the Fox variety show The Tracey Ullman Show.
Initially, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show, but fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening decided to create something new. He developed a cartoon family, The Simpsons, and named the members after his own parents and sisters, with Bart being an anagram of the word "brat." The Simpsons shorts were later spun off into their own series, which has since aired over 480 episodes.
In 1997, Groening collaborated with former Simpsons writer David X. Cohen to develop Futurama, an animated series that takes place in the year 3000. The show premiered in 1999 and ran for four years before being canceled by Fox in 2003. However, Comedy Central commissioned 16 new episodes from four direct-to-DVD movies in 2008, followed by 26 new episodes over two seasons in 2009.
Throughout his career, Groening has received numerous accolades, including 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, with ten being awarded for his work on The Simpsons and one for Futurama. He also received a British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. In 2002, Groening won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell.
