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Name: Seth MacFarlane
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Date of Birth:
October 26, 1973
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Place of Birth:
Not available
Mini-bio:
Animation pioneer Seth MacFarlane followed in the footsteps of Matt Groening, Trey Parker, and Matt Stone, and others by creating (at age 25!) one of the top-tiered animated series on national televis... read moreion. Family Guy, which debuted in 1999, preserved the sitcom-family premise of The Simpsons but upped the irreverence quotient tenfold (defying many who regarded such an accomplishment as impossible), meanwhile tossing in dozens upon dozens of off-the-cuff (and frequently risqué) references to pop culture -- citing everything from Oz to The Wizard of Oz, The $25,000 Pyramid to songs by a-ha, and thus seizing upon instant identification with Gen-X and Gen-Y viewers. Episodes, which began mundanely enough, could immediately segue, without advance notice, into music video-style montages, game-show sequences, multi-character musical production numbers, mock historical sequences, etc. The basic premise revolved around the nutty Griffin clan of Quahog, Rhode Island: obese toy manufacturer dad Peter; neurotic housewife Lois; ne'er-do-well, dim-bulb 13-year-old son Chris; the angst-ridden 16-year-old daughter Meg, and -- what really made the series bizarre and original -- Stewie, a one-year-old infant with a massive head, a genius IQ, and the verbal erudition of Rex Harrison.Family Guy found a sizeable audience and lasted for many seasons, yet reportedly suffered from a tumultuous history at Fox, where it endured repeat cancellations, numerous rerun episodes, and reemergence on different networks and in different time slots, meanwhile becoming a cult hit on DVD. In the interim, MacFarlane branched out into another animated sitcom, American Dad (2005), which essentially amounted to a reimagined version of the Family Guy (irreverence intact) with a political twist: the patriarch in this cartoon carried a secret identity as a CIA agent; he also boasted a tentacled, acid-mouthed alien for a sidekick with a voice that bore a startling resemblance to that of the late Paul Lynde. ~ Nathan Southern, Rovi
Seth MacFarlane mini-bio: Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an Emmy-winning American animator, screenwriter, producer, director, and voice actor. He is best known as the creator of the animated series Family Guy and American Dad!.
