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{{Infobox_Person
i died of a broke glass bottle poken my toe and i yelled and some gang people shot me with a water gun and i said im colling the cops so they pulled out an smg an blew me to pieces.
| name = Matt Groening
| image = Matt Groening.jpg
| image_size = 200px
| caption = Matt Groening, 2005
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|02|15}}
| birth_place = [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], [[United States|U.S.]]
| death_date =
| death_place =
| known_for = ''[[The Simpsons]]''<br/> ''[[Futurama]]''<br/> ''[[Life in Hell]]''<br/> [[Bongo Comics]]
| occupation = [[Cartoonist]]
| religion = [[Agnostic]]
| spouse = Deborah Caplan (1986–1999)
| children = Homer, Abe
| website = [http://www.mattgroening.com MattGroening.com]
| footnotes =
}}

'''Matthew Abram Groening''' ({{pronEng|ˈɡreɪnɪŋ}} ''<small>GRAY</small>-ning'') (born February 15, 1954)<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/eb/question-676887/49/Matt-Groening-born When and where was Matt Groening born?—Britannica Online Encyclopedia (Accessed 01/12/08)]</ref> is an American [[cartoonist]], television producer and writer from [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], best known as the creator of ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and ''[[Futurama]]'' and the author of the weekly comic strip ''[[Life in Hell]]''. Groening distributed ''Life in Hell'' in the book corner of Licorice Pizza, a [[record store]] in which he worked. He made his first professional cartoon sale to the avant-garde [[Wet (magazine)|''Wet'' magazine]] in 1978. The cartoon is still carried in 250 weekly newspapers.
''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 Broadcasting Company|FOX]] variety show ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]''. Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his ''Life in Hell'' characters for the show. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening decided to create something new and came up with a cartoon family, [[Simpsons family|the Simpsons]] and named the members after his own parents and sisters &mdash; while [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] was an [[anagram]] of the word brat. The shorts would be spun off into their own series: ''The Simpsons'', which has since aired over 400 episodes in 19 seasons. In 1997, Groening got together with [[David X. Cohen]] and developed ''[[Futurama]]'', an animated series about life in the year 3000, which premiered in 1999. After four years on the air, the show was cancelled by Fox in 2003, but [[Comedy Central]] commissioned 16 new episodes from 4 Direct-to-DVD Movies to be aired in 2008.

Groening has won 11 [[Primetime Emmy Awards]], ten for ''The Simpsons'' and one for ''Futurama'' as well as a [[British Comedy Awards|British Comedy Award]] for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. In 2002, he won the [[National Cartoonist Society]] [[Reuben Award]] for his work on ''Life in Hell''.

==Early life==
Groening was born on February 15, 1954<ref>{{imdb name|0004981|Matt Groening}}. Retrieved on February 7, 2007</ref> in [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]] USA.<ref name="oregonian">{{cite news | last = Baker | first = Jeff | title = Groening, rhymes with reigning | work = The Oregonian | pages = D1 | publisher = Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing | date = 2004-03-14}}</ref> He grew up in Portland,<ref name=officialsite>[http://www.thesimpsons.com/actors/index.htm Matt Groening's Simpsons profile] ''thesimpsons.com''. Retrieved on March 4, 2007</ref> the [[birth order|middle child]] of five children. His mother, Margaret Wiggum,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/entertainment/2003818762_realsimpsons030.html|title=The real people behind Homer Simpson and family|accessdate=2008-01-19|author=Joseph Rose|date=2007-08-03|publisher=[[The Oregonian]]}}</ref> was once a [[teacher]], and his father, Homer Philip Groening, was a [[filmmaker]], [[advertiser]], [[writer]] and [[cartoonist]].<ref name="prodigy">{{cite web | title=Matt Groening Q&A (1993) | work=[[The Simpsons Archive]] | url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening93b.html | month=June | year=1993 | accessmonthday=January 14 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Homer, born in Main Centre, [[Saskatchewan]], [[Canada]], grew up in a [[Mennonite]], [[Plattdeutsch]]-speaking family.<ref name="menno">{{cite journal |last=Dueck |first=Dora|title=Homer Simpson has Canadian Mennonite roots. |journal=Canadian Mennonite |issue=volume 6, number 19 |date=7 October 2002 | accessmonthday=November 1}}</ref> Matt's grandfather Abram Groening was a professor at [[Tabor College]], a [[Mennonite Brethren]] liberal arts college in [[Hillsboro, Kansas|Hillsboro]], [[Kansas]] before moving to Albany College (now known as [[Lewis and Clark College]]) in [[Oregon]] in 1930.<ref name="tabor">{{cite journal |last=Suderman |first=Dale |title=Hillsboro, Home of the Simpsons. |journal=Hillsboro Free Press |date=15 August 2007 | url=http://www.hillsborofreepress.com/content/view/18085505/94/ | accessmonthday=November 4 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>

From 1972<ref name="tcj">{{cite journal |last=Groth |first=Gary |authorlink=Gary Groth |title=Matt Groening |journal=The Comics Journal |issue=141 |pages=78–95 |month=April | year=1991}}</ref> to 1977, Groening attended [[The Evergreen State College]] in [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]], [[Washington]],<ref name="evergreen">{{cite web |url=http://www.evergreen.edu/alumni/writersproject/mattgroening.htm |title=Matt Groening at Evergreen |accessdate=2007-08-30 |work=The Evergreen State College}}</ref> a [[liberal]] school which he described as "a [[hippie]] college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest."<ref name="laweekly">{{cite web | title=Life in the 31st century | date=1999-03-24 | last=Lloyd | first=Robert | work=LA Weekly | url=http://www.laweekly.com/ink/99/18/tv-lloyd.php | accessmonthday=December 30 | accessyear=2005}}</ref> He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, ''The Cooper Point Journal'', for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons.<ref name=tcj/> He befriended fellow cartoonist [[Lynda Barry]] after discovering that she had written a fan letter to [[Joseph Heller]], one of Groening's favorite authors, and had gotten a reply back.<ref name="cartoon">{{Comic strip reference | cartoonist=Groening, Matt | strip=[[Life in Hell]] | date=January 14, 2000 | syndicate=Acme Features Syndicate | panel=5–6 }}</ref> Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration."<ref name="motherjones">{{cite web | title=Matt Groening | work=[[Mother Jones (magazine)|Mother Jones]] | url=http://www.motherjones.com/arts/qa/1999/03/groening.html | last=Doherty | first=Brian | date=March /April 1999 | accessmonthday=January 14 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> He has also cited the [[Walt Disney Animation Studios|Disney animated]] film ''[[One Hundred and One Dalmatians]]'' as what got him interested in cartoons.<ref>{{cite video |people=Groening, Matt; Mirkin, David; Scully, Mike; Anderson, Bob|year=2005|title=The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen & One Greyhounds"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

==Career==
In 1977, at the age of 23, Groening moved to [[Los Angeles]] to become a [[writer]]. He went through what he described as "a series of lousy jobs," including being an extra in the film ''When Everyday Was The Fourth of July'',<ref name="playboy">{{cite journal |last=Sheff |first=David |authorlink= |title=Matt Groening |journal=Playboy |volume=54 |issue=6 |month=June | year=2007 |url=http://playboy.com/arts-entertainment/features/matt-groening/matt-groening-01.html }}</ref> bussing tables,<ref name="latimesmag">{{cite book |last=Morgenstern |first=Joe |authorlink=Joe Morgenstern |coauthors= |title=Los Angeles Times Magazine |chapter=Bart Simpson's Real Father |pages=12–18, 20, 22 |year=1990-04-29}}</ref> washing dishes at a nursing home, landscaping in a sewage treatment plant,<ref name = "metroactive"/> and chauffeuring and [[ghostwriter|ghostwriting]] for a retired [[Western (genre)|Western]] director.<ref name="salon">{{cite web |title=Matt Groening |work=[[Salon]] |url=http://archive.salon.com/people/bc/2001/01/30/groening/ |last=Chocano |first=Carina |date=2001-01-30 |accessmonthday=September 4 |accessyear=2007}}</ref><ref name="avclub">{{cite web | title=Matt Groening | date=2006-04-26 | last=Rabin | first=Nathan | work=[[The Onion AV Club]] | url=http://www.avclub.com/content/node/47771 | accessmonthday=January 14 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>

[[Image:Life-in-Hell-No-4.jpg|thumb|right|Cover of ''Life In Hell'' No. 4, published in 1978.]]

Groening described life in Los Angeles to his friends in the form of a self-published [[comic book]] entitled ''Life in Hell'', which was loosely inspired by a chapter entitled "How to Go to Hell" in [[Walter Kaufmann (philosopher)|Walter Kaufmann's]] book ''Critique of Religion and Philosophy''.<ref name="mygeneration">{{cite web | title=Matt Groening | date=May -June 2001 | last=McKenna | first=Kristine | work=My Generation | url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening01a.html | accessmonthday=February 3 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Groening distributed the comic book in the book corner of Licorice Pizza, a [[record store]] in which he worked. He made his first professional cartoon sale to the avant-garde [[Wet (magazine)|''Wet'' magazine]] in 1978.<ref name=mygeneration/> The strip, entitled "Forbidden Words," appeared in the September/October issue of that year.<ref name="latimesmag"/><ref name="wet">{{cite web |title=World Wide WET - early |work=Wunderland.com |url=http://www.wunderland.com/WTS/Rash/misc/wet/wet1.htm |accessmonthday=September 4 |accessyear=2007}}</ref>

Groening gained employment at the ''[[Los Angeles Reader]]'', a newly formed [[alternative newspaper]], delivering papers,<ref name=tcj/> typesetting, editing and answering phones.<ref name=metroactive/> He showed his cartoons to the editor, James Vowell, who was impressed and eventually gave him a spot in the paper.<ref name=tcj/> ''Life in Hell'' made its official debut as a comic strip in the ''Reader'' on April 25, 1980.<ref name="latimesmag"/><ref name="aan">{{cite web |url=http://www.aan.org/gyrobase/Aan/viewCompany?oid=oid%3A1157 |title=Acme Features Syndicate |accessdate=2007-08-30 |work=Association of Alternative Newsweeklies }}</ref>

Vowell also gave Groening his own weekly music column, "Sound Mix," in 1982. However, the column would rarely actually be about music, as he would often write about his "various enthusiasms, obsessions, [[pet peeves]] and problems" instead.<ref name="laweekly"/> In an effort to add more music to the column, he "just made stuff up,"<ref name="playboy"/> concocting and reviewing fictional bands and non-existent records. In the following week's column, he would confess to fabricating everything in the previous column and swear that everything in the new column was true. Eventually, he was finally asked to give up the "music" column.<ref name="royale">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |title=Simpsons Comics Royale |chapter=My Rock 'n' Roll Life, Part One: So You Want To Snort Derisively |pages=92–93 |year=2001 |publisher=Perennial |location=New York |isbn=0-060-93378-X}}</ref>

''Life in Hell'' became popular almost immediately.<ref name="vanityfair">{{cite web | title=Simpson Family Values | work=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] | url=http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2007/08/simpsons200708?printable=true&currentPage=all| last=Ortved | first=John | month=July | year=2007 | accessmonthday=September 2 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> In November 1984, Deborah Caplan, Groening's then-girlfriend and co-worker at the ''Reader'', offered to [[publishing|publish]] "Love is Hell", a series of relationship-themed ''Life in Hell'' strips, in book form.<ref name="loveishell">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |title=Love is Hell: Special Ultra Jumbo 10th Anniversary Edition |chapter=Introduction |year=1994 |publisher=Pantheon Books |location=New York |isbn=0-679-75665-5}}</ref> Released a month later, the book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. ''Work is Hell'' soon followed, also published by Caplan.<ref name=tcj />

Soon afterward, Caplan and Groening left and put together the Life in Hell Co., which handled [[merchandising]] for ''Life in Hell''.<ref name="latimesmag"/> Groening also started a [[syndicate]], Acme Features Syndicate, which syndicated ''Life in Hell'', [[Lynda Barry]] and [[John Callahan (cartoonist)|John Callahan]], but now only syndicates ''Life in Hell''.<ref name=tcj/> ''Life in Hell'' is still carried in 250 weekly newspapers and has been [[anthology|anthologized]] in a series of books, including ''School is Hell'', ''Childhood is Hell'', ''The Big Book of Hell'' and ''The Huge Book of Hell''.<ref name=officialsite/> Groening has stated that he will "never give up the comic strip. It's my foundation."<ref name="tvhost">{{cite web | title=Prime time is heaven for 'Life in Hell' Artist | work=TV Host | url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening89.html | last=Bergman | first=Erik H. | date=1989-12-16 | accessdate=March 23 | accessyear=2007}}</ref>

===''The Simpsons''===
{{Main|The Simpsons}}
[[Image:Simpsons on Tracey Ullman.png|thumb|250px|right|The design of the Simpson family, circa 1987.]]
''[[Life in Hell]]'' caught the attention of [[Hollywood]] [[writer]]-[[Film producer|producer]] and [[Gracie Films]] founder [[James L. Brooks]], who had been shown the strip by fellow producer Polly Platt.<ref name=vanityfair/><ref name="script">{{cite web | title=Keep 'em Laughing |month=October | year=1999 | last=Kim | first=John W. | work=Scr(i)pt | url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening99d.html | accessmonthday=January 14 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of working in [[animation]] on an undefined future project,<ref name="prodigy"/> which would turn out to be developing a series of short animated skits, called "bumpers," for the [[Fox Broadcasting Company|FOX]] variety show ''[[The Tracey Ullman Show]]''. Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his ''Life in Hell'' characters for the show. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening decided to create something new and came up with a cartoon family, [[Simpsons family|the Simpsons]].<ref name=nytimes>{{cite news |first=A.O. |last=Scott |authorlink=A.O. Scott |title=Homer's Odyssey |url=http://www.nytimes.com/2001/11/04/magazine/04SIMPSONS.html |work=The New York Times |date=2007-11-04 |accessdate=2007-09-19 }}</ref> He allegedly designed the five members of the family in only ten minutes.<ref>{{cite video |people= Rose, Charlie (Host, Executive producer) |date=July 30 2007 |title= Charlie Rose:A Conversation About The Simpsons Movie |url=http://www.charlierose.com/shows/2007/07/30/1/a-conversation-about-the-simpsons-movie |medium= Television production |publisher=Charlie Rose, Inc. |accessdate=2007-07-31}}</ref>

[[Image:groening at comiccon.jpg|left|thumb|200px|Groening on the ''Simpsons'' panel at [[Comic Con|Comic Con International]] in San Diego.]]
Groening [[storyboard]]ed and scripted every short (now known as ''[[The Simpsons shorts]]''), which were then [[animation|animated]] by a team including [[David Silverman]] and [[Wes Archer]], both of whom would later become [[Film director|directors]] on the series.<ref name="silverman">{{cite web | title=The David Silverman Interview | last=Heintjes | first Tom | work=Hogan's Alley | url=http://cagle.msnbc.com/hogan/interviews/silverman.asp | accessmonthday=January 13 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> The shorts premiered on ''The Tracey Ullman'' show on April 19, 1987.

Although ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' was not a big hit,<ref name=vanityfair/> the popularity of the shorts led to a half-hour [[spin-off]] in 1989. The [[The Simpsons|series]] quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the surprise of many. Groening said: "Nobody thought ''The Simpsons'' was going to be a big hit. It sneaked up on everybody."<ref name="laweekly"/>

''The Simpsons'' was co-developed by Groening, Brooks, and [[Sam Simon]], a writer-producer with whom Brooks had worked on previous projects. Groening and Simon, however, did not get along<ref name=vanityfair/> and were often in conflict over the show;<ref name=latimesmag/> Groening once described their relationship as "very contentious."<ref name="nytimes"/> Simon eventually left the show in 1993 over creative differences.<ref name="ew">{{cite web |title=Conan on being left out of "Simpsons Movie" |work=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20035285_20035331_20046980,00.html |last=Snierson |first=Dan |date=2007-07-18 |accessmonthday=September 4 |accessyear=2007}}</ref>

Although Groening has pitched a number of [[spin-off]]s from ''The Simpsons'', those attempts have been unsuccessful. In 1994, Groening and other ''Simpsons'' producers pitched a [[live-action]] [[spin-off]] about [[Krusty the Clown]] (with [[Dan Castellaneta]] playing the lead role), but were unsuccessful in getting it off the ground.<ref name=avclub/><ref name="npr">From a radio interview with Groening that aired on the [http://www.npr.org/templates/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=13&prgDate=22-Apr-98 April 22, 1998 edition] of ''[[Fresh Air]]'' on [[NPR]]. [http://www.npr.org/ramfiles/fa/19980422.fa.ram Link to stream] (''13 minutes, 21 seconds in'')</ref> Groening has also pitched "Young [[Homer Simpson|Homer]]" and a spin-off about the non-Simpsons citizens of [[Springfield (The Simpsons)|Springfield]].<ref name=shortfilms>{{cite video | people=Groening, Matt; Oakley, Bill;, Weinstein, Josh; Appel, Richard; Cohen, David; Pulido, Rachel; Smith, Yeardley; Reardon, Jim; Silverman, David|year=2005|title=The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref>

In 1995, Groening got into a major disagreement with [[James L. Brooks|Brooks]] and other ''Simpsons'' producers over "[[A Star Is Burns]]", a [[fictional crossover|crossover]] episode with ''[[The Critic]]'', an animated show also produced by Brooks and staffed with many former ''Simpsons'' crew members. Groening claimed that he feared viewers would "see it as nothing but a pathetic attempt to advertise ''The Critic'' at the expense of ''The Simpsons''," and was concerned about the possible implication that he had created or produced ''The Critic''.<ref name="flux">{{cite web | title=Life in Hell | work=Flux Magazine | url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening95.html | last=Paul | first=Alan | date=1995-09-30 | accessmonthday=December 26 | accessyear=2005}}</ref> He requested his name be taken off the episode.<ref name="latimes">{{cite web |title=Matt Groening's Reaction to The Critic's First Appearance on The Simpsons |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=http://www.critic.nohomers.net/Special_Extras_Matt_Groening_Reaction.html |last=Brennan |first=Judy |date=1995-03-03 |accessdate=2007-09-04}}</ref>

Groening is credited with writing or co-writing the episodes "[[Some Enchanted Evening (The Simpsons episode)|Some Enchanted Evening]]", "[[The Telltale Head]]", "[[Colonel Homer]]" and "[[22 Short Films About Springfield]]", as well as ''[[The Simpsons Movie]]'', released in 2007.<ref name="variety>{{cite web|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117940840?categoryid=14&cs=1|title=Homer going to bat in '07|accessdate=2006-07-03|author=Fleming, Michael|date=2006-04-02|publisher=Variety.com}}</ref> He has had several [[cameo appearance]]s in the show, with a speaking role in the episode "[[My Big Fat Geek Wedding]]". He currently serves at ''The Simpsons'' as an [[Executive Producer|executive producer]] and [[Creative Consultant|creative consultant]].

====''The Simpsons'' character names====
Groening famously named the main Simpson characters after members of his own family: his parents, Homer and Margaret (Marge or Marjorie in full), and his younger sisters, Lisa and Margaret (Maggie). Claiming that it was a bit too obvious to name a character after himself, he chose the name "Bart," an [[anagram]] of brat.<ref name="americasfirstfamily">{{cite video|people=BBC|year=2000|title=The Simpsons: America's First Family (6 minute edit for the season 1 DVD)|url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0250735/|format=DVD|location=UK|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref><ref name="radiotimes">{{cite web |last=Duncan |first=Andrew |title=Matt Groening |work=[[Radio Times]] | url=http://www.snpp.com/other/interviews/groening99c.html | date=September 18–24 1999 | accessmonthday=September 19 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> However, he stresses that aside from some of the [[sibling rivalry]], his family is nothing like the Simpsons.<ref name="Planet Simpson">{{cite book | last=Turner | first=Chris | title=Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation | id=ISBN 0-679-31318-4}}</ref> Groening also has an older brother and sister, Mark and Patty, Groening divulged that Mark "is the actual inspiration for Bart" in a 1995 interview.<ref name="flux"/> When it came time to give [[Abraham Simpson|Grampa Simpson]] a first name, Groening says he refused to name him after his own grandfather, Abraham Groening, leaving it to other writers to choose a name. By coincidence, the writers chose the name Abraham, unaware that it was also the name of Groening's grandfather.<ref name="oldmoney">{{cite video | people=Groening, Matt|year=2002|title=The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Old Money"| medium=DVD|publisher=20th Century Fox}}</ref> Maggie Groening has co-written a few ''Simpsons'' books featuring her cartoon namesake.<ref name="msu">{{cite web |title=Index to Comic Art Collection: "Gro" to "Groenne" |work=Michigan State University Libraries |url=http://www.lib.msu.edu/comics/rri/grri/groan.htm |accessdate=2007-09-04}}</ref>

The name "Wiggum" for police chief [[Clancy Wiggum]] is Groening's mother's maiden name.<ref name="royale2">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |title=Simpsons Comics Royale |chapter=47 Secrets About ''The Simpsons'', A Poem of Sorts, and Some Filler |pages=90–91 |year=2001 |publisher=Perennial |location=New York |isbn=0-060-93378-X}}</ref> The names of [[List of characters from The Simpsons|a few other characters]] were taken from major street names in Groening's hometown of [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], including [[Flanders family|Flanders]], [[List of characters from The Simpsons#The Lovejoy family|Lovejoy]], [[Herb Powell|Powell]], [[Joe Quimby|Quimby]] and [[List of Springfield Elementary School students#Kearney Zzyzwicz|Kearney]].<ref name="vancouversun">{{cite web | title=Painting the town in Portland | date=2007-01-06 | last=Blake | first=Joseph | work=The Vancouver Sun | url=http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/travel/story.html?id=f90268d8-6a5b-438d-9509-f03ecff27cc1 | accessmonthday=January 13 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> Despite common fan belief that [[Sideshow Bob|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]]''.<ref name="mtv">{{cite news|url=http://www.mtv.com/movies/news/articles/1565538/20070725/story.jhtml|title='Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To 'Burns-Sexual' Smithers|accessdate=2007-08-17|date=2007-07-26|author=Larry Carroll|publisher=[[MTV]]}}</ref>

===''Futurama''===
{{Main|Futurama}}
After spending a few years researching [[science fiction]], Groening got together with ''Simpsons'' writer/producer [[David X. Cohen]] (still known as David S. Cohen at the time) in 1997 and developed ''[[Futurama]]'', an animated series about life in the year 3000.<ref name="motherjones"/><ref name="theface">{{cite journal |last=Needham |first=Alex |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20000824051707/www.frcr.com/library/the_face1.html |title=Nice Planet...We'll Take It! |journal=The Face }issue=33 |date=October 1999}}</ref> By the time they pitched the series to [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and [[plot (narrative)|storyline]]s; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions.<ref name="theface"/> Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life."<ref name="motherjones"/>

The show premiered on March 28, 1999. After four years on the air, the show was cancelled by Fox. In a similar situation as ''[[Family Guy]]'', however, strong DVD sales and very stable ratings on [[Cartoon Network (United States)|Cartoon Network]] brought Futurama back to life, which is slated for four [[direct-to-video|direct-to-DVD]] movies, as confirmed by Groening in an April 2006 interview.<ref name="avclub"/> [[Comedy Central]] commissioned 16 new episodes (edited from the four movies) to be aired in 2008.<ref name=reuters>{{cite web|author=Wallenstein, Andrew|url=http://entertainment.tv.yahoo.com/entnews/va/20060622/115104459800.html|title="Futurama" gets new life on Comedy Central|publisher=Reuters|date=June 22, 2006|accessdate=2006-10-08}}</ref> Groening's sole writing credit for the show was the premiere episode, "[[Space Pilot 3000]]", co-written with Cohen.

===Other pursuits===
In 1994, Groening formed [[Bongo Comics|Bongo Comics Group]] (named after the character Bongo from ''[[Life in Hell]]''<ref name="royale3">{{cite book |last=Groening |first=Matt |title=Simpsons Comics Royale |chapter=The Secret Life of Lisa Simpson |pages=128 |year=2001 |publisher=Perennial |location=New York |isbn=0-060-93378-X}}</ref>) with [[Steve Vance]], [[Cindy Vance]] and [[Bill Morrison (comics)|Bill Morrison]], which publishes comic books based on ''[[The Simpsons]]'' and ''[[Futurama]]'' (including ''Futurama Simpsons Infinitely Secret Crossover Crisis'', a [[fictional crossover|crossover]] between the two), as well as a few original titles. According to Groening, the goal with Bongo is to "[try] to bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market."<ref name="flux" /> He also formed [[Zongo Comics]] in 1995, an [[imprint]] of Bongo that published comics for more mature readers,<ref name="flux"/> which included three issues of [[Mary Fleener]]'s ''Fleener''<ref name="fleener">[http://www.maryfleener.com/covers/comic_covers.html Mary Fleener ~ Comic Book Covers] URL accessed on September 19, 2007.</ref> and seven issues of his close friend [[Gary Panter|Gary Panter's]] ''Jimbo'' comics.<ref name="zograf">{{cite web |title=Meet The End of The Century With... Gary Panter |url=http://www.aleksandarzograf.com/writes/writes_Gary_Panter_interviewed.html |last=Zograf |first=Aleksandar |accessdate=2007-09-04}}</ref>
Groening is known for his eclectic taste in music. His favorite band is [[Captain Beefheart]] and his Magic Band.<ref name="laweekly2">{{cite web | title=All Tomorrow's Parties Today | date=2003-11-05 | last=Payne | first=John | work=LA Weekly |url=http://www.laweekly.com/general/features/all-tomorrows-parties-today/2241/ |accessdate=2007-09-04}}</ref> He guest-edited [[Da Capo Press|Da Capo Press's]] ''Best Music Writing 2003''<ref>[http://www.perseusbooksgroup.com/dacapo/book_detail.jsp?isbn=0306812363 Dacapo Books] URL accessed on September 4, 2007.</ref> and curated the US [[All Tomorrow's Parties (music festival)|All Tomorrow's Parties]] [[music festival]] in 2003.<ref name="laweekly2"/><ref>[http://www.atpfestival.com/archive/archived_event.php?archive=2 All Tomorrow's Parties - Archive] URL accessed on September 4, 2007.</ref> He also plays the [[cowbell (instrument)|cowbell]] in the all-author [[rock and roll]] band [[Rock Bottom Remainders|The Rock Bottom Remainders]], whose other members include [[Dave Barry]], [[Ridley Pearson]], [[Scott Turow]], [[Amy Tan]], [[James McBride (musician)|James McBride]], [[Mitch Albom]], [[Roy Blount Jr.]], [[Stephen King]], [[Kathi Goldmark]], and [[Greg Iles]].<ref>[http://www.rockbottomremainders.com/ Rock Bottom Remainders Official site] URL accessed on March 4, 2007</ref> <!---He also wrote a mostly fictional biography of the band [[The Residents]]. (This requires a citation)--->

==Awards==
Groening has been nominated for 25 [[Emmy awards]] and has won eleven: ten for ''The Simpsons'' and one for ''Futurama'' in the "[[Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming less than One Hour)|Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less)]]" category.<ref name="Emmy">[http://www.emmys.org/awards/awardsearch.php Emmy Awards official site]''emmys.org''. Retrieved on March 4, 2007</ref> Groening received the 2002 [[National Cartoonist Society]] [[Reuben Award]], and had been nominated for the same award in 2000.<ref>[http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards2.asp THE OUTSTANDING CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR] ''reuben.org''. URL accessed on January 13, 2007</ref> He received a [[British Comedy Awards|British Comedy Award]] for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.britishcomedyawards.com/pastwinners.html|title=The Past Winners|accessdate=2007-10-17|publisher=British Comedy Awards}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Groening and Deborah Caplan married in 1986<ref name="metroactive">{{cite web | title='Life' Before Homer |date=2000-11-02 | last=von Busack | first=Richard | work=Metroactive | url=http://www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/11.02.00/groening-0044.html | accessdate=2007-04-28}}</ref> and had two sons together, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe,<ref name="radiotimes"/> both of whom Groening occasionally portrays as rabbits in ''Life in Hell''. The couple divorced in 1999 after thirteen years of marriage.<ref name="salon"/> Following this, Groening was in a six-year relationship with dating expert Lauren Frances.<ref name="riptide">{{cite web | title=Free Panties and Dating Advice | date=2006-10-17 | last=Oberkreser | first=Lyssa | work=Riptide | url=http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2006/10/free_panties_and_dating_advice.php | accessdate=2008-03-20}}</ref>

Groening identifies himself as [[agnostic]]<ref name="agnostic">{{cite web | title=Yes, There Is A Hell | last=Allen | first=Norm | work=[[Free Inquiry]] | url=http://www.secularhumanism.org/library/fi/sidelines_19_3.html | accessmonthday=February 26 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> and a [[Modern liberalism in the United States|liberal]]<ref name="imdb.com">{{cite web | title='The Simpsons: The Movie' Taking Shape | url=http://www.imdb.com/news/sb/2004-10-04 | accessmonthday=March 16 | accessyear=2008}}</ref> and has often made campaign contributions to [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic Party]] candidates.<ref name="newsmeat">{{cite web | title=Matt Groening's Federal Campaign Contribution Report | work=[[Newsmeat.com]] | url=http://www.newsmeat.com/celebrity_political_donations/Matt_Groening.php | accessmonthday=July 22 | accessyear=2007}}</ref> His first cousin, [[Laurie Monnes Anderson]], is a member of the [[Oregon State Senate]] representing eastern [[Multnomah County, Oregon|Multnomah County]].<ref name=mortenson>{{cite news|title=Lawmaker feels void after mother's death|date=2004-11-19|work=[[The Oregonian]]|last=Mortenson|first=Eric}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
*{{imdb name|id=0004981|name=Matt Groening}}
*[http://snpp.com/guides/meta.html#groening Incomplete list of Matt Groening appearances on ''The Simpsons''] at [[The Simpsons Archive]]
*[http://www.archive.org/details/the_story The Story (1969) - Matt Groening tells a story to his sisters Lisa & Maggie in this film by father, Homer]

{{start box}}
{{succession box
| title=''[[The Simpsons]]'' [[showrunner]]<br />(with [[James L. Brooks]] and [[Sam Simon]])<br/>Seasons 1 and 2
| before=—
| years=1989–1991
| after=[[Al Jean]] and [[Mike Reiss]]
}}
{{end box}}
{{Simpsons writers}}
{{Oregon Modern History}}

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Revision as of 17:03, 21 November 2008

Matt Groening
Matt Groening, 2005
Born (1954-02-15) February 15, 1954 (age 70)
Portland, Oregon, U.S.
OccupationCartoonist
Known forThe Simpsons
Futurama
Life in Hell
Bongo Comics
SpouseDeborah Caplan (1986–1999)
ChildrenHomer, Abe
WebsiteMattGroening.com

Matthew Abram Groening (Template:PronEng GRAY-ning) (born February 15, 1954)[1] is an American cartoonist, television producer and writer from Portland, Oregon, best known as the creator of The Simpsons and Futurama and the author of the weekly comic strip Life in Hell. Groening distributed Life in Hell in the book corner of Licorice Pizza, a record store in which he worked. He made his first professional cartoon sale to the avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978. The cartoon is still carried in 250 weekly newspapers.

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. Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening decided to create something new and came up with a cartoon family, the Simpsons and named the members after his own parents and sisters — while Bart was an anagram of the word brat. The shorts would be spun off into their own series: The Simpsons, which has since aired over 400 episodes in 19 seasons. In 1997, Groening got together with David X. Cohen and developed Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000, which premiered in 1999. After four years on the air, the show was cancelled by Fox in 2003, but Comedy Central commissioned 16 new episodes from 4 Direct-to-DVD Movies to be aired in 2008.

Groening has won 11 Primetime Emmy Awards, ten for The Simpsons and one for Futurama as well as a British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004. In 2002, he won the National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award for his work on Life in Hell.

Early life

Groening was born on February 15, 1954[2] in Portland, Oregon USA.[3] He grew up in Portland,[4] the middle child of five children. His mother, Margaret Wiggum,[5] was once a teacher, and his father, Homer Philip Groening, was a filmmaker, advertiser, writer and cartoonist.[6] Homer, born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada, grew up in a Mennonite, Plattdeutsch-speaking family.[7] Matt's grandfather Abram Groening was a professor at Tabor College, a Mennonite Brethren liberal arts college in Hillsboro, Kansas before moving to Albany College (now known as Lewis and Clark College) in Oregon in 1930.[8]

From 1972[9] to 1977, Groening attended The Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington,[10] a liberal school which he described as "a hippie college, with no grades or required classes, that drew every weirdo in the Northwest."[11] He served as the editor of the campus newspaper, The Cooper Point Journal, for which he also wrote articles and drew cartoons.[9] He befriended fellow cartoonist Lynda Barry after discovering that she had written a fan letter to Joseph Heller, one of Groening's favorite authors, and had gotten a reply back.[12] Groening has credited Barry with being "probably [his] biggest inspiration."[13] He has also cited the Disney animated film One Hundred and One Dalmatians as what got him interested in cartoons.[14]

Career

In 1977, at the age of 23, Groening moved to Los Angeles to become a writer. He went through what he described as "a series of lousy jobs," including being an extra in the film When Everyday Was The Fourth of July,[15] bussing tables,[16] washing dishes at a nursing home, landscaping in a sewage treatment plant,[17] and chauffeuring and ghostwriting for a retired Western director.[18][19]

Cover of Life In Hell No. 4, published in 1978.

Groening described life in Los Angeles to his friends in the form of a self-published comic book entitled Life in Hell, which was loosely inspired by a chapter entitled "How to Go to Hell" in Walter Kaufmann's book Critique of Religion and Philosophy.[20] Groening distributed the comic book in the book corner of Licorice Pizza, a record store in which he worked. He made his first professional cartoon sale to the avant-garde Wet magazine in 1978.[20] The strip, entitled "Forbidden Words," appeared in the September/October issue of that year.[16][21]

Groening gained employment at the Los Angeles Reader, a newly formed alternative newspaper, delivering papers,[9] typesetting, editing and answering phones.[17] He showed his cartoons to the editor, James Vowell, who was impressed and eventually gave him a spot in the paper.[9] Life in Hell made its official debut as a comic strip in the Reader on April 25, 1980.[16][22]

Vowell also gave Groening his own weekly music column, "Sound Mix," in 1982. However, the column would rarely actually be about music, as he would often write about his "various enthusiasms, obsessions, pet peeves and problems" instead.[11] In an effort to add more music to the column, he "just made stuff up,"[15] concocting and reviewing fictional bands and non-existent records. In the following week's column, he would confess to fabricating everything in the previous column and swear that everything in the new column was true. Eventually, he was finally asked to give up the "music" column.[23]

Life in Hell became popular almost immediately.[24] In November 1984, Deborah Caplan, Groening's then-girlfriend and co-worker at the Reader, offered to publish "Love is Hell", a series of relationship-themed Life in Hell strips, in book form.[25] Released a month later, the book was an underground success, selling 22,000 copies in its first two printings. Work is Hell soon followed, also published by Caplan.[9]

Soon afterward, Caplan and Groening left and put together the Life in Hell Co., which handled merchandising for Life in Hell.[16] Groening also started a syndicate, Acme Features Syndicate, which syndicated Life in Hell, Lynda Barry and John Callahan, but now only syndicates Life in Hell.[9] Life in Hell is still carried in 250 weekly newspapers and has been anthologized in a series of books, including School is Hell, Childhood is Hell, The Big Book of Hell and The Huge Book of Hell.[4] Groening has stated that he will "never give up the comic strip. It's my foundation."[26]

The Simpsons

Main article: The Simpsons
The design of the Simpson family, circa 1987.

Life in Hell 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.[24][27] In 1985, Brooks contacted Groening with the proposition of working in animation on an undefined future project,[6] which would turn out to be developing a series of short animated skits, called "bumpers," for the FOX variety show The Tracey Ullman Show. Originally, Brooks wanted Groening to adapt his Life in Hell characters for the show. Fearing the loss of ownership rights, Groening decided to create something new and came up with a cartoon family, the Simpsons.[28] He allegedly designed the five members of the family in only ten minutes.[29]

File:Groening at comiccon.jpg
Groening on the Simpsons panel at Comic Con International in San Diego.

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.[30] The shorts premiered on The Tracey Ullman show on April 19, 1987.

Although The Tracey Ullman Show was not a big hit,[24] the popularity of the shorts led to a half-hour spin-off in 1989. The series quickly became a worldwide phenomenon, to the surprise of many. Groening said: "Nobody thought The Simpsons was going to be a big hit. It sneaked up on everybody."[11]

The Simpsons was co-developed by Groening, Brooks, and Sam Simon, a writer-producer with whom Brooks had worked on previous projects. Groening and Simon, however, did not get along[24] and were often in conflict over the show;[16] Groening once described their relationship as "very contentious."[28] Simon eventually left the show in 1993 over creative differences.[31]

Although Groening has pitched a number of spin-offs from The Simpsons, those attempts have been unsuccessful. In 1994, Groening and other Simpsons producers pitched a live-action spin-off about Krusty the Clown (with Dan Castellaneta playing the lead role), but were unsuccessful in getting it off the ground.[19][32] Groening has also pitched "Young Homer" and a spin-off about the non-Simpsons citizens of Springfield.[33]

In 1995, Groening got into a major disagreement with Brooks and other Simpsons producers over "A Star Is Burns", a crossover episode with The Critic, an animated show also produced by Brooks and staffed with many former Simpsons crew members. Groening claimed that he feared viewers would "see it as nothing but a pathetic attempt to advertise The Critic at the expense of The Simpsons," and was concerned about the possible implication that he had created or produced The Critic.[34] He requested his name be taken off the episode.[35]

Groening is credited with writing or co-writing the episodes "Some Enchanted Evening", "The Telltale Head", "Colonel Homer" and "22 Short Films About Springfield", as well as The Simpsons Movie, released in 2007.[36] He has had several cameo appearances in the show, with a speaking role in the episode "My Big Fat Geek Wedding". He currently serves at The Simpsons as an executive producer and creative consultant.

The Simpsons character names

Groening famously named the main Simpson characters after members of his own family: his parents, Homer and Margaret (Marge or Marjorie in full), and his younger sisters, Lisa and Margaret (Maggie). Claiming that it was a bit too obvious to name a character after himself, he chose the name "Bart," an anagram of brat.[37][38] However, he stresses that aside from some of the sibling rivalry, his family is nothing like the Simpsons.[39] Groening also has an older brother and sister, Mark and Patty, Groening divulged that Mark "is the actual inspiration for Bart" in a 1995 interview.[34] When it came time to give Grampa Simpson a first name, Groening says he refused to name him after his own grandfather, Abraham Groening, leaving it to other writers to choose a name. By coincidence, the writers chose the name Abraham, unaware that it was also the name of Groening's grandfather.[40] Maggie Groening has co-written a few Simpsons books featuring her cartoon namesake.[41]

The name "Wiggum" for police chief Clancy Wiggum is Groening's mother's maiden name.[42] 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.[43] 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.[44]

Futurama

Main article: Futurama

After spending a few years researching science fiction, Groening got together with Simpsons writer/producer David X. Cohen (still known as David S. Cohen at the time) in 1997 and developed Futurama, an animated series about life in the year 3000.[13][45] By the time they pitched the series to Fox in April 1998, Groening and Cohen had composed many characters and storylines; Groening claimed they had gone "overboard" in their discussions.[45] Groening described trying to get the show on the air as "by far the worst experience of [his] grown-up life."[13]

The show premiered on March 28, 1999. After four years on the air, the show was cancelled by Fox. In a similar situation as Family Guy, however, strong DVD sales and very stable ratings on Cartoon Network brought Futurama back to life, which is slated for four direct-to-DVD movies, as confirmed by Groening in an April 2006 interview.[19] Comedy Central commissioned 16 new episodes (edited from the four movies) to be aired in 2008.[46] Groening's sole writing credit for the show was the premiere episode, "Space Pilot 3000", co-written with Cohen.

Other pursuits

In 1994, Groening formed Bongo Comics Group (named after the character Bongo from Life in Hell[47]) 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. According to Groening, the goal with Bongo is to "[try] to bring humor into the fairly grim comic book market."[34] He also formed Zongo Comics in 1995, an imprint of Bongo that published comics for more mature readers,[34] which included three issues of Mary Fleener's Fleener[48] and seven issues of his close friend Gary Panter's Jimbo comics.[49]

Groening is known for his eclectic taste in music. His favorite band is Captain Beefheart and his Magic Band.[50] He guest-edited Da Capo Press's Best Music Writing 2003[51] and curated the US All Tomorrow's Parties music festival in 2003.[50][52] He also plays the cowbell in the all-author rock and roll band The Rock Bottom Remainders, whose other members include Dave Barry, Ridley Pearson, Scott Turow, Amy Tan, James McBride, Mitch Albom, Roy Blount Jr., Stephen King, Kathi Goldmark, and Greg Iles.[53]

Awards

Groening has been nominated for 25 Emmy awards and has won eleven: ten for The Simpsons and one for Futurama in the "Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less)" category.[54] Groening received the 2002 National Cartoonist Society Reuben Award, and had been nominated for the same award in 2000.[55] He received a British Comedy Award for "outstanding contribution to comedy" in 2004.[56]

Personal life

Groening and Deborah Caplan married in 1986[17] and had two sons together, Homer (who goes by Will) and Abe,[38] both of whom Groening occasionally portrays as rabbits in Life in Hell. The couple divorced in 1999 after thirteen years of marriage.[18] Following this, Groening was in a six-year relationship with dating expert Lauren Frances.[57]

Groening identifies himself as agnostic[58] and a liberal[59] and has often made campaign contributions to Democratic Party candidates.[60] His first cousin, Laurie Monnes Anderson, is a member of the Oregon State Senate representing eastern Multnomah County.[61]

References

  1. ^ When and where was Matt Groening born?—Britannica Online Encyclopedia (Accessed 01/12/08)
  2. ^ Matt Groening at IMDb. Retrieved on February 7, 2007
  3. ^ Baker, Jeff (2004-03-14). "Groening, rhymes with reigning". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Oregonian Publishing. pp. D1.
  4. ^ a b Matt Groening's Simpsons profile thesimpsons.com. Retrieved on March 4, 2007
  5. ^ Joseph Rose (2007-08-03). "The real people behind Homer Simpson and family". The Oregonian. Retrieved 2008-01-19.
  6. ^ a b "Matt Groening Q&A (1993)". The Simpsons Archive. 1993. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  7. ^ Dueck, Dora (7 October 2002). "Homer Simpson has Canadian Mennonite roots". Canadian Mennonite (volume 6, number 19). {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help)
  8. ^ Suderman, Dale (15 August 2007). "Hillsboro, Home of the Simpsons". Hillsboro Free Press. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  9. ^ a b c d e f Groth, Gary (1991). "Matt Groening". The Comics Journal (141): 78–95. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  10. ^ "Matt Groening at Evergreen". The Evergreen State College. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  11. ^ a b c Lloyd, Robert (1999-03-24). "Life in the 31st century". LA Weekly. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Groening, Matt (w, a). Life in Hell. January 14, 2000, Acme Features Syndicate/5–6.
  13. ^ a b c Doherty, Brian (March /April 1999). "Matt Groening". Mother Jones. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  14. ^ Groening, Matt; Mirkin, David; Scully, Mike; Anderson, Bob (2005). The Simpsons The Complete Sixth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Two Dozen & One Greyhounds" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  15. ^ a b Sheff, David (2007). "Matt Groening". Playboy. 54 (6). {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  16. ^ a b c d e Morgenstern, Joe (1990-04-29). "Bart Simpson's Real Father". Los Angeles Times Magazine. pp. 12–18, 20, 22. {{cite book}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)CS1 maint: year (link)
  17. ^ a b c von Busack, Richard (2000-11-02). "'Life' Before Homer". Metroactive. Retrieved 2007-04-28.
  18. ^ a b Chocano, Carina (2001-01-30). "Matt Groening". Salon. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  19. ^ a b c Rabin, Nathan (2006-04-26). "Matt Groening". The Onion AV Club. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  20. ^ a b McKenna, Kristine (May -June 2001). "Matt Groening". My Generation. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "World Wide WET - early". Wunderland.com. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  22. ^ "Acme Features Syndicate". Association of Alternative Newsweeklies. Retrieved 2007-08-30.
  23. ^ Groening, Matt (2001). "My Rock 'n' Roll Life, Part One: So You Want To Snort Derisively". Simpsons Comics Royale. New York: Perennial. pp. 92–93. ISBN 0-060-93378-X.
  24. ^ a b c d Ortved, John (2007). "Simpson Family Values". Vanity Fair. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  25. ^ Groening, Matt (1994). "Introduction". Love is Hell: Special Ultra Jumbo 10th Anniversary Edition. New York: Pantheon Books. ISBN 0-679-75665-5.
  26. ^ Bergman, Erik H. (1989-12-16). "Prime time is heaven for 'Life in Hell' Artist". TV Host. Retrieved March 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  27. ^ Kim, John W. (1999). "Keep 'em Laughing". Scr(i)pt. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  28. ^ a b Scott, A.O. (2007-11-04). "Homer's Odyssey". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-09-19.
  29. ^ Rose, Charlie (Host, Executive producer) (July 30 2007). Charlie Rose:A Conversation About The Simpsons Movie (Television production). Charlie Rose, Inc. Retrieved 2007-07-31. {{cite AV media}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  30. ^ Heintjes. "The David Silverman Interview". Hogan's Alley. {{cite web}}: Text "first Tom" ignored (help)
  31. ^ Snierson, Dan (2007-07-18). "Conan on being left out of "Simpsons Movie"". Entertainment Weekly. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  32. ^ From a radio interview with Groening that aired on the April 22, 1998 edition of Fresh Air on NPR. Link to stream (13 minutes, 21 seconds in)
  33. ^ Groening, Matt; Oakley, Bill;, Weinstein, Josh; Appel, Richard; Cohen, David; Pulido, Rachel; Smith, Yeardley; Reardon, Jim; Silverman, David (2005). The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "22 Short Films About Springfield" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  34. ^ a b c d Paul, Alan (1995-09-30). "Life in Hell". Flux Magazine. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  35. ^ Brennan, Judy (1995-03-03). "Matt Groening's Reaction to The Critic's First Appearance on The Simpsons". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  36. ^ Fleming, Michael (2006-04-02). "Homer going to bat in '07". Variety.com. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
  37. ^ BBC (2000). The Simpsons: America's First Family (6 minute edit for the season 1 DVD) (DVD). UK: 20th Century Fox.
  38. ^ a b Duncan, Andrew (September 18–24 1999). "Matt Groening". Radio Times. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help); Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  39. ^ Turner, Chris. Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era and Defined a Generation. ISBN 0-679-31318-4.
  40. ^ Groening, Matt (2002). The Simpsons season 2 DVD commentary for the episode "Old Money" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
  41. ^ "Index to Comic Art Collection: "Gro" to "Groenne"". Michigan State University Libraries. Retrieved 2007-09-04.
  42. ^ Groening, Matt (2001). "47 Secrets About The Simpsons, A Poem of Sorts, and Some Filler". Simpsons Comics Royale. New York: Perennial. pp. 90–91. ISBN 0-060-93378-X.
  43. ^ Blake, Joseph (2007-01-06). "Painting the town in Portland". The Vancouver Sun. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
  44. ^ Larry Carroll (2007-07-26). "'Simpsons' Trivia, From Swearing Lisa To 'Burns-Sexual' Smithers". MTV. Retrieved 2007-08-17.
  45. ^ a b Needham, Alex (October 1999). "Nice Planet...We'll Take It!". The Face }issue=33.
  46. ^ Wallenstein, Andrew (June 22, 2006). ""Futurama" gets new life on Comedy Central". Reuters. Retrieved 2006-10-08.
  47. ^ Groening, Matt (2001). "The Secret Life of Lisa Simpson". Simpsons Comics Royale. New York: Perennial. p. 128. ISBN 0-060-93378-X.
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  55. ^ THE OUTSTANDING CARTOONIST OF THE YEAR reuben.org. URL accessed on January 13, 2007
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  57. ^ Oberkreser, Lyssa (2006-10-17). "Free Panties and Dating Advice". Riptide. Retrieved 2008-03-20.
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  59. ^ "'The Simpsons: The Movie' Taking Shape". {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |accessmonthday= ignored (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
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  61. ^ Mortenson, Eric (2004-11-19). "Lawmaker feels void after mother's death". The Oregonian.
Wikiquote has quotations related to Matt Groening.
Preceded by
—
 The Simpsons showrunner
(with James L. Brooks and Sam Simon)
Seasons 1 and 2
1989–1991 		Succeeded by

Template:Simpsons writers


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