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Ken Keeler Biography

Birth Name:Kenneth Charles Keeler

Birth Place:United States

Profession Writer, Producer, Soundtrack

Fast Facts

  • Won two Annie Awards for Outstanding Music in an Animated Television Production for "The Simpsons" in 1998 and 2004
  • Won two Writers Guild of America Awards for Animation for "Futurama" in 2003 and 2011
  • Has a Master's degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford and a Ph․D․ in Applied Mathematics from Harvard University
  • Worked in a research job at Bell Labs after college, which he quit after a year to try his hand at writing for "The Late Show with David Letterman․"
  • Quote: "(On switching to writing): "Bender's ["Futurama" character] serial number is 1729, a historically significant integer to mathematicians everywhere; that 'joke' alone is worth six years of grad school, I'd say․""
  • Best known as the writer and executive producer of "Futurama" and the writer and producer of "The Simpsons․"
  • Performed Chopin's "Polonaise in C Minor" for the "Futurama" episode "Godfellas" where the character Bender is playing the piano
  • In the "Futurama" episode "The Prisoner of Benda," the theorem that saves the day is a real one that he proved because the writers were curious if their storyline was actually possible

Awards

  • 1992Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Individual Achievement in Writing in a Variety or Music Program: nominated
  • 1996Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less): nominated
  • 1997Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Music and Lyrics: winner
  • 1997Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less): winner
  • 1998Annie-Outstanding Individual Achievement for Music in an Animated Television Production: winner
  • 1998Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Music and Lyrics: winner
  • 1999Annie-Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Television Production: nominated
  • 1999Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming One Hour or Less): nominated
  • 2001Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour): nominated
  • 2002Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour): winner
  • 2003Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour): nominated
  • 2003Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Music and Lyrics: nominated
  • 2003WGA Award (TV)-Animation: winner
  • 2004Annie-Outstanding Music in an Animated Television Production: winner
  • 2004Annie-Outstanding Music in an Animated Television Production: nominated
  • 2004Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Music and Lyrics: nominated
  • 2004Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program (For Programming Less Than One Hour): nominated
  • 2011Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program: winner
  • 2011WGA Award (TV)-Animation: winner
  • 2012Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program: nominated
  • 2014Primetime Emmy-Outstanding Animated Program: nominated