Homer Groening | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 30, 1919 |
| Died | March 15, 1996 (aged 76) |
| Occupation(s) | Director, producer, writer, advertiser, cartoonist |
| Years active | 1958-1996 |
| Spouse |
Marge Wiggum (m. 1941) |
| Children | 5, including Matt |
Homer Philip Groening (December 30, 1919 - March 15, 1996) was a Canadian-American filmmaker, advertiser, writer, and cartoonist.[1][2] He was also the father of Matt Groening and inspired the names of Homer Simpson and Philip J. Fry.[3][4][5][6][7][8] Groening was known for work on many different types of short films.[9][10]
Groening was born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada to a German-speaking Mennonite family;[11][12] he was named after the Greek poet Homer.[13][14][15] The family would later move to Oregon.[16] Groening would later attend Linfield University, and, in 1941, marry Marge Wiggum. Homer later would serve in World War II and flew a B-17.[17][18]
Groening's career began in 1958 when he produced an advertisement for a local station KGW-TV.[17] Groening also worked on many documentaries and films including The Big Three, Timberline, A Study in Wet,[19] Man and His World Psychedelic Wet, the Story[20][21][22][23][24] and Linfield Revisited.[25]
Groening also was a cartoonist. On April 28, 1962, the New Yorker ran an advertisement written by Groening. Groening also worked on several comic strips.[25]
Groening is the father of Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, Lisa Groening, who is married to Craig Bartlett the creator of Hey Arnold!,[26][27] as well as Maggie, Mark, and Patty Groening.[20][28][29]
Groening died on March 15, 1996, of cancer.[30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37]
In 2013, Groening's wife Marge died at the age of 94.[37][38][39]