A
Star Trek-watching, show tune-singing, entertainment-obsessed fanboy, MacFarlane began drawing cartoons at 2 years old and was publishing his own comic strip in his hometown newspaper by the age of 8. Sure of what he wanted to do for a living, the New England-born animator landed a job with Hanna-Barbera straight out of art school, drawing storyboards and writing scripts for such series as
Dexter's Laboratory and
Johnny Bravo. FOX soon approached him about creating his own show, and in 1999 the cult favorite
Family Guy was born. With offbeat characters (many of whom were voiced by MacFarlane, who won a 2000 Emmy for his voice work), wall-to-wall pop-culture references and outrageous, politically incorrect humor that sparked all kinds of complaints, the cartoon sitcom had a rocky road and was canceled in 2002. But its surprisingly robust DVD sales prompted the network to give it another go in 2005, and MacFarlane continued his domination of FOX's Sunday-night animation block with
American Dad that same year and
The Cleveland Show in 2009. Off screen, MacFarlane is a talented pianist.
Seth MacFarlane Fast Facts:
- Started drawing cartoons at age 2; his strip Walter Crouton was published in his hometown newspaper when he was 8.
- Was hired by Hanna-Barbera after college when one of his professors sent his thesis film to the noted Hollywood animators.
- The evil Griffin baby Stewie on Family Guy which MacFarlane voiced was based on his cousin Tyler.
- In 1999, Rev. Richardson Schell, the headmaster of the Kent School, began writing letters to Family Guy advertisers complaining that the show was offensive and asking them to drop their sponsorship. Schell neglected to mention that he had a personal connection to show's creator: MacFarlane had graduated from the Kent School in 1991.
- Was booked on the hijacked Sept. 11, 2001, Boston-Los Angeles flight that hit the north tower of the World Trade Center, but he missed the plane.
- An avid Trekker, he guest-starred on a few episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise.
- When Family Guy was brought back in 2005, it marked the first time that a canceled series had been revived based on DVD demand and syndicated ratings.
- Seth MacFarlane Relationships:
- Perry MacFarlane - Mother
- Rachael MacFarlane - Sister
- Ron MacFarlane - Father
- Seth MacFarlane Awards:
- 2000 Emmy: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance - Winner
- 2000 Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or less) - Nominee
- 2002 Emmy: Outstanding Music and Lyrics - Winner
- 2005 Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) - Nominee
- 2006 Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) - Nominee
- 2009 Emmy: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance - Nominee
- 2008 Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program (for programming one hour or more) - Nominee
- 2009 Emmy: Outstanding Comedy Series - Nominee
- 2009 Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program (for Programming Less Than One Hour) - Nominee
- 2012 Oscar: Best Achievement in Music (Original Song) - Nominee
- 2011 Emmy: Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics - Nominee
- 2012 Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program - Nominee
- 2013 Emmy: Outstanding Voice-Over Performance - Nominee
- 2011 Emmy: Outstanding Animated Program - Nominee
- 2013 Emmy: Outstanding Special Class Program - Nominee
- 2010 Emmy: Outstanding Original Music and Lyrics - Nominee
- College:
- Rhode Island School of Design, Providence, RI (1995)