Alex Hirsch facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alex Hirsch
Hirsch in 2018
Born	Alexander Robert Hirsch (1985-06-18) June 18, 1985 (age 40) Piedmont, California, U.S.
Education	California Institute of the Arts (BFA)
Occupation	Animator writer producer voice actor
Years active	2008–present

Alex Hirsch, born on June 18, 1985, is a talented American animator, writer, producer, and voice actor. He is most famous for creating the animated TV show Gravity Falls for Disney Channel and Disney XD. In Gravity Falls, he also provides the voices for popular characters like Grunkle Stan, Soos Ramirez, and Bill Cipher. This show has won many awards, including BAFTA and Annie Awards.

Hirsch has also written popular books based on Gravity Falls. In 2016, he co-wrote Gravity Falls: Journal 3, which became a No. 1 New York Times Best Seller. It stayed on the list for 47 weeks. In 2018, he wrote Gravity Falls: Lost Legends, which also made it onto The New York Times Best Seller list. His latest book, The Book of Bill, released in 2024, was also a best-seller.

Early Life and School Days

Alex Hirsch's father is Jewish, but Alex grew up without a specific religion. His family celebrated both Christmas and Hanukkah. When he was between 9 and 13 years old, Alex and his twin sister spent summers with their great-aunt Lois. They stayed at her cabin in the woods. These summer adventures later inspired the setting and stories of Gravity Falls.

Alex went to Piedmont High School. When he was a junior, he won the school's Bird Calling Contest in 2002. This win even led to him appearing on the Late Show with David Letterman.

After high school, Hirsch attended the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts). There, he worked on many projects and short films. His senior film, Off The Wall, mixed animation with live action. He also created "Cuddle Bee Hugs N'Such" with Adrian Molina. This short film was chosen by Nicktoons Network for their series Shorts in a Bunch. In 2006, he spent a summer in Portland, working on an animated film for Laika. He earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 2007.

Alex Hirsch's Career in Animation

Alex Hirsch with a Grunkle Stan puppet at San Diego Comic-Con in 2013

Alex Hirsch's first job after college was at Cartoon Network. He worked as a writer and storyboard artist for the show The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack. He worked with other talented artists there, including J. G. Quintel and Pendleton Ward. Later, he helped create the pilot episode for the Disney Channel series Fish Hooks.

Creating Gravity Falls

In 2012, Hirsch created Gravity Falls for Disney Channel. The show is set in the mysterious town of Gravity Falls, Oregon. It first aired in June 2012. The voice cast included Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal, along with Hirsch himself.

During the show's run, Alex Hirsch voiced several characters. These included Grunkle Stan, Soos Ramirez, Old Man McGucket, and the villainous Bill Cipher. In 2014, the series moved to Disney XD. Gravity Falls won a BAFTA Children's Award and an Annie Award in 2015. It was also nominated for a Peabody Award in 2016. Hirsch decided to end Gravity Falls in February 2016 to work on new projects.

Gravity Falls Books and Treasure Hunt

In July 2016, Alex Hirsch organized a worldwide treasure hunt for Gravity Falls fans. This event was called the "Cipher Hunt". Clues were hidden in different countries, like the United States, Japan, and Russia. The goal was to find a statue of the character Bill Cipher. After two weeks, fans found the statue in Reedsport, Oregon.

The hunt happened around the same time his book, Gravity Falls: Journal 3, was released. The book came out on July 26, 2016. It quickly became a No. 1 New York Times Best Seller. It stayed on the list for almost a year. A special edition of the book was released in June 2017. It included cool features like writing that could only be seen with a blacklight, special pages, and a monocle. As of January 2024, Gravity Falls: Journal 3 has sold over 1.3 million copies.

In February 2018, Hirsch announced a new Gravity Falls graphic novel on Twitter. He released puzzle pieces that, when put together, showed the cover. The book, Gravity Falls: Lost Legends; 4 All-New Adventures!, was written by Hirsch. It was released on July 24, 2018, and also became a New York Times Best Seller.

In 2024, Hirsch wrote The Book of Bill. This Gravity Falls novel is for an older audience. It tells the story from Bill Cipher's point of view. It explains his origins and what happened to him after the show ended. The Book of Bill became an Amazon and No. 1 New York Times Best-Seller.

Other Voice Acting and Projects

Besides Gravity Falls, Alex Hirsch has lent his voice to other animated shows. He voiced characters in Phineas and Ferb and Rick and Morty. He was also the announcer for the Chelsea Peretti comedy special, One of the Greats.

In 2018, Hirsch was a story contributor for the animated Spider-Man movie Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse. He also voiced characters in The Angry Birds Movie 2 (2019) and The Mitchells vs. the Machines (2021). In 2023, he voiced characters in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.

On August 27, 2018, Hirsch signed a deal with Netflix. He has been working on an adult animated series for the company. As of 2022, this show was still in development.

Hirsch also worked as a co-executive producer for the Netflix series Inside Job. The first part of the show came out in October 2021. The second part was released in November 2022. A second season was planned, but the series was cancelled in January 2023.

Alex Hirsch is also the voice of King and Hooty in the Disney Channel animated series The Owl House. This show was created by Dana Terrace and premiered in January 2020.

Personal Life and Inspirations

Gravity Falls was greatly inspired by Alex Hirsch's own childhood. It reflects his relationship with his twin sister, Ariel Hirsch. They spent summer vacations together, and many of their real-life experiences made it into the show. For example, they lived in Piedmont and went trick-or-treating as kids.

Dipper Pines, one of the main characters in Gravity Falls, is based on Hirsch's memories of being a kid. When Alex was Dipper's age, he tried to teach himself to speak backwards. He described himself as "that neurotic kid who would carry 16 disposable cameras everywhere I went."

The character Mabel Pines was inspired by Ariel, Alex's sister. Alex said that Ariel "really did wear wacky sweaters and have a different ridiculous crush, every week," just like Mabel. In the show, Mabel gets a pet pig, which was something Ariel always wanted as a child. The character of Grunkle Stan was inspired by Alex's grandfather, also named Stan. Alex said his grandfather "was a guy that told tall tales and would frequently mess with us to get a rise out of us."

From 2015 until sometime before April 2022, Hirsch was in a relationship with The Owl House creator Dana Terrace. Hirsch has spoken about the importance of including diverse characters in shows.

Film and Television Work

Alex Hirsch has worked on many films and TV shows. Here are some of them:

Film Roles

Television Roles

Awards and Nominations

Alex Hirsch and Gravity Falls have received several awards and nominations:

See also

In Spanish: Alex Hirsch para niños