Homer Groening

Homer Groening
See caption
Groening in 1973
Born(1919-12-30)December 30, 1919
Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada
DiedMarch 15, 1996(1996-03-15) (aged 76)
Occupation(s)Director, producer, writer, advertiser, cartoonist
Years active1958-1996
Spouse
Marge Wiggum
​
(m. 1941)​
Children5, including Matt

Homer Philip Groening (December 30, 1919 - March 15, 1996) was a Canadian-American filmmaker, advertiser, writer, and cartoonist.[1][2] He was the father of Matt Groening and inspired the names of Homer Simpson and Philip J. Fry.[3][4][5][6] Groening was known for work on many different types of short films.[7][8]

Biography

Groening was born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada to a German-speaking Mennonite family;[9][10] he was named after the Greek poet Homer.[11][12][13] The family would later move to Oregon.[3] Groening attended Linfield College in Portland. After graduating in 1941, he married Marge Groening (née Wiggum). He served as a pilot in World War II, flying a B-17 Bomber.[14][15]

Groening's career began in 1958 when he produced an advertisement for a local station KGW-TV.[14] Groening also worked on many documentaries and films including The Big Three, Timberline, A Study in Wet,[16] Man and His World Psychedelic Wet, the Story[17][18][19][20][21] and Linfield Revisited.[22] 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.[22]

Family and personal life

Groening was the father of Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, Lisa Groening, who is married to Craig Bartlett the creator of Hey Arnold!,[23][24] as well as Maggie, Mark, and Patty Groening.[17][25][26] Groening died on March 15, 1996, of cancer.[27][28][29] Following his death, his wife Marge lived another 17 years and died on April 22, 2013.[29][30] She was 94 years old.[31]

References

  1. ^ Amidi, Amid (February 6, 2011). "Dad of "Simpsons" Creator Matt Groening Was a Filmmaker Too". Cartoon Brew. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  2. ^ "The Simpsons Archive: Matt Groening Q&A; (June 1993)". May 10, 2007. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved November 4, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Mohan, Marc (January 15, 2015). "Portland filmmaker (and 'Simpsons' inspiration) Homer Groening gets his due with a screening of his work". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Advance Publications. Archived from the original on January 20, 2015. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  4. ^ "Homer Groening: The Legend, the Father, the Simpson". Portland Monthly. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  5. ^ Rose, Joseph (August 1, 2007). "The real people behind Homer Simpson and family". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon: Advance Publications. Retrieved September 27, 2023.
  6. ^ "The Simpsons Archive: Matt Groening Q&A; (June 1993)". May 10, 2007. Archived from the original on May 10, 2007. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  7. ^ "Groening to discuss Homer's work in Portland, his father's short films". katu.com. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  8. ^ Tribune Staff (January 16, 2015). "Homer Groening's films add a little D'oh! to Hollywood theatre retrospective". PortlandTribune.com. Pamplin Media Group. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  9. ^ Times Staff (March 19, 1996). "Homer Groening, Cartoonist's Father, 'Simpsons' Inspiration". Seattle Times. Associated Press. Retrieved October 19, 2023.
  10. ^ "Arts&Culture 6-19". legacy.canadianmennonite.org. Retrieved November 1, 2023.
  11. ^ De La Roca, Claudia (May 1, 2012). "Matt Groening Reveals the Location of the Real Springfield". Smithsonian Magazine. Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian Institution. Archived from the original on May 1, 2012. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  12. ^ BBC (2000). 'The Simpsons': America's First Family (six-minute edit for the season 1 DVD) (DVD). UK: 20th Century Fox. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
  13. ^ Sadownick, Doug (February 26, 1991). "Matt Groening". No. 571. Advocate.
  14. ^ a b Delzio, Melissa (January 6, 2020). "Homer Groening". PDX Design History. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  15. ^ "AP Film Studies: Homer's Odyssey". Willamette Week. January 14, 2015. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  16. ^ Groening, Homer (May 1, 1964), A Study in Wet (Documentary, Short, Sport), retrieved September 26, 2023
  17. ^ a b Crow, Jonathan (September 14, 2014). "Before The Simpsons: Homer Groening Directs a 1969 Short Film, The Story, Starring His Kids Maggie, Lisa & Matt". Open Culture. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  18. ^ "Meet the real-life 'Simpsons' kids in a 1969 film made by Matt Groening's father, Homer". DangerousMinds. January 30, 2014. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  19. ^ Lynch, E. D. W. (February 22, 2014). "The Story, A 1969 Short Film by Homer Groening Starring His Kids Maggie, Lisa, and Matt". Laughing Squid. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  20. ^ ""Simpsons" Creator Matt Groening's Dad Was Named Homer, and He Made Movies". Mental Floss. February 6, 2012. Archived from the original on November 16, 2022. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  21. ^ "Oregon Midcentury Genius presents: Selected Short Films by Homer Groening (January 2015) – Oregon Cartoon Project". Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  22. ^ a b "Homer Groening". lambiek.net. Retrieved September 26, 2023.
  23. ^ "My Simpsons Collection". August 20, 2008. Archived from the original on August 20, 2008. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  24. ^ Owen, Aled (June 14, 2023). "Why We Have 'The Simpsons' to Thank for 'Hey Arnold!'". Collider. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  25. ^ "Creating 'The Simpsons:' How Matt Groening's Own Family Inspired the Characters". Biography. January 30, 2020. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  26. ^ "Matt Groening's Mother, Inspiration For Marge Simpson, Dies". www.wbur.org. May 7, 2013. Retrieved September 28, 2023.
  27. ^ AP Staff (March 19, 1996). "Homer Groening, Cartoonist's Father, 'Simpsons' Inspiration". The Seattle Times. The Associated Press. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  28. ^ LA Times Staff (March 22, 1996). "Homer Groening; Cartoonist and Filmmaker". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 1, 2024 – via L.A. Times Archive.
  29. ^ a b BBC Staff (May 7, 2013). "Margaret Groening, Marge Simpson 'inspiration', dies". BBC News. London: British Broadcasting Corporation . Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  30. ^ CBS Staff (May 7, 2013). "Margaret Groening, inspiration for "The Simpsons" mom, dies at 94". CBS News. New York. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  31. ^ Post Staff (May 9, 2013). "Marge Groening, Inspiration For Son Matt Groening's Marge Simpson, Has Died". The Huffington Post. New York. Retrieved September 1, 2024.