Seth MacFarlane biography

Synopsis

Early Life and Career

Seth Woodbury MacFarlane, creator of the animated television hit Family Guy, was born in Kent, Connecticut, on October 26, 1973. His father, Ronald, was a teacher, and his mother, Ann, was an academic administrator. The soon-to-be animator was drawing beloved cartoons like Woody Woodpecker and Fred Flintstone at the age of two, and inquiring about the mechanics of animation as soon as he could talk. MacFarlane remembers, "When I was old enough to ask the question, I was asking, 'How are cartoons made? How do I do one of these?'" He got his first paying job at age nine, when he began publishing his own comic strip in the local Kent newspaper.

MacFarlane continued drawing and animating throughout high school, and then enrolled at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to study video and animation. Though his career ambitions were initially focused on Disney, MacFarlane caught the attention of Hanna-Barbera Productions with his thesis film, Life of Larry, which contained the beginnings of what would later become Family Guy. Following his graduation in 1995, MacFarlane made the journey west and moved to Los Angeles to begin his career. At Hanna-Barbera, MacFarlane worked as both animator and writer on Johnny Bravo (1997) and Cow and Chicken (1995).

Family Guy

While he worked on many other animated shows, MacFarlane's heart was still with Life of Larry. He continued to work on it, fine-tuning and revamping it into a comedy short with the new name Larry & Steve. Executives at FOX got a glimpse of MacFarlane's talent and offered him a deal to work on MadTV. Although the deal eventually fell through, it cemented the animator's relationship with FOX. Soon, the studio offered him a small amount of money to craft a pilot, hoping it would lead to a prime time series headed by MacFarlane. It was a harried time of creation and anxiety for MacFarlane, who recounts, "I spent about six months with no sleep and no life, just drawing like crazy in my kitchen and doing this pilot." Despite his limited budget, he managed to convey the overall thrust of the show and to hook studio executives with his edgy humor. Fox bought Family Guy in 1998 and slated its debut for the beginning of 1999. MacFarlane was only twenty-four and already an executive producer.

Seth MacFarlane is the voice of the Family Guy's three main characters, Peter, Stewie, and Brian Griffin. The show, a satire of the American family, plays out with cutting precision in the zany dysfunction of the Griffins from Quahog, Rhode Island.