George Meyer facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
George Meyer
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Meyer in 1992
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| Born | 1956 (age 68–69) Pennsylvania, U.S. |
| Occupation | Television writer |
| Period | 1981–present |
| Genre | Humor |
| Partner | Maria Semple |
| Children | 1 |
George Meyer (born in 1956) is a talented American writer and producer. He is most famous for his amazing work on the TV show The Simpsons. He wrote scripts and jokes, and helped guide the show's writing team for many years. Many people say he truly shaped the funny style of The Simpsons.
George grew up in Tucson, Arizona, and went to Harvard University. While there, he became the president of the Harvard Lampoon, a famous humor magazine. He graduated in 1978 with a degree in biochemistry. Instead of going to medical school, he tried different jobs. In 1981, he was hired by David Letterman to write for his show, Late Night with David Letterman.
After a few years, Meyer left Letterman's show. He then wrote for other TV shows like Saturday Night Live. Later, he started his own humor magazine called Army Man, which became very popular. In 1989, he joined The Simpsons writing team. He also helped write The Simpsons Movie. George Meyer is with writer Maria Semple, and they have a daughter.
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Growing Up and School Years
George Meyer was born in Pennsylvania, United States, in 1956. He grew up in Tucson, Arizona, as the oldest of eight children. His family was Roman Catholic and had German roots. Both of his parents worked in real estate.
George sometimes joked about his childhood. He said a common argument in his home was "which family member ruined a holiday." His sister also mentioned that George was often blamed for family problems. Because his family was so big, they didn't do many group activities. So, George spent a lot of time watching television and reading Mad magazine.
He was an Eagle Scout and an altar boy. He also wrote for his school newspaper. When he was young, he hoped to become either a priest or a baseball player. He wasn't very interested in TV, except for shows like Get Smart and Batman. He liked their "silly, disrespectful humor."
Meyer went to Harvard University and became the president of the Harvard Lampoon. He said that people taking humor "very seriously" at the Lampoon "changed [his] life." In 1977, he and other Lampoon writers created a book called The Harvard Lampoon Big Book of College Life.
His grades at Harvard were average, and he sometimes felt sad. He finished college in 1978 with a degree in biochemistry. He was accepted into medical school but decided not to go. George later shared that his Catholic upbringing made him feel that small mistakes were as bad as big ones.
Writing for Television and More
After college, Meyer moved to Denver, Colorado. He hoped to win a lot of money by "scientifically" betting on dog racing. But he ran out of money very quickly. He then worked at different jobs, like being a substitute teacher and a clothing salesman. He even won $2,000 on the game show Jeopardy!.
His friends, who also wrote for Harvard Lampoon, told comedian David Letterman about Meyer. Letterman hired him to write for his new late-night show, Late Night with David Letterman. Letterman was very impressed, saying, "Everything in his submission... was so beautifully honed." Meyer created many funny, repeated jokes for the show.
Meyer left Letterman's show in 1983 to write for The New Show. This was a short-lived variety series created by Lorne Michaels, who also created Saturday Night Live. Meyer shared an office with writer Jack Handey, who gave him comedy advice. After this, he joined the writing teams for Not Necessarily the News and Saturday Night Live in 1985.
He later called working on Saturday Night Live an "exciting, frustrating, stressful, and unforgettable experience." However, his work wasn't always popular with the other writers. He felt his ideas were "really fringey" and many of his sketches were cut. He left the show in 1987.
Meyer then moved to Boulder, Colorado, wanting to get away from New York. There, he wrote a movie script for David Letterman. The movie project didn't happen, but some of its jokes were later used in The Simpsons. He spent time skiing and going to poetry readings.
He also started his own humor magazine, a small publication called a zine, named Army Man. He wrote most of the first issue himself and printed only 200 copies for friends. Meyer wanted to create a magazine that was just meant to be funny. He said he "didn't know what [he] was doing" and even reprinted material without asking permission.
Army Man quickly became very popular. Rolling Stone magazine even put it on their "Hot List" in 1989. Meyer said the only rule for the magazine was that the jokes had to be funny and short. He stopped publishing after the third issue. He worried that if the magazine became too big, it would lose its special qualities.
One person who loved Army Man was Sam Simon, a producer for The Simpsons. Simon sent Meyer some early Simpsons cartoons. Meyer first turned down a job offer, but later accepted a role as a creative consultant in 1989. He joined The Simpsons along with other Army Man writers. His first credited episode was "Homer's Night Out".
Meyer became a producer in the show's second season. For many years, he played a big role in the show's group script rewriting sessions. He focused more on rewriting than writing full scripts by himself. He is only credited with writing or co-writing twelve episodes. Many people called him the "guru" of the writing room.
By 1995, Meyer felt tired of the long writing schedule for The Simpsons. He decided to leave after the sixth season to work on a movie or TV pilot. However, he soon returned as an executive producer and full-time writer. After 2001, he took on a smaller role but was still involved in rewriting. He left the show in 2005.
In 2007, Meyer returned to help write The Simpsons Movie. He later had mixed feelings about it, saying, "We worked so hard, and people liked it, but it still feels slapdash to me."
George Meyer is praised for "thoroughly shap[ing]... the comedic sensibility" of The Simpsons. In 2000, Mike Scully, the show's boss at the time, called him "the best comedy writer in Hollywood." Another writer, Jon Vitti, said Meyer's "fingerprints are on nearly every script." He added that Meyer "influences the show as much as anyone can."
Meyer tends to be suspicious of social rules and traditions. This view has influenced episodes of The Simpsons he worked on, like "Homer the Heretic" and "Bart vs. Thanksgiving". For his work on The Simpsons, Saturday Night Live, and Late Night with David Letterman, Meyer has won and been nominated for many Primetime Emmy Awards.
Besides The Simpsons, Meyer wrote, directed, and starred in his own play, Up Your Giggy, in 2002. In 2005, he also co-wrote a TV special called Earth to America.
Personal Life and Interests
George Meyer is in a relationship with the writer Maria Semple. They lived together in the 1990s, broke up, but later got back together. Their daughter, Poppy Valentina, was born in 2003. She was named after Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space. Being a father gave Meyer a "sense of hopefulness." They live in Seattle.
Although he was raised Catholic, Meyer didn't like it and later became agnostic. While working on The Simpsons, he became an atheist, following advice from fellow writer Mike Reiss. He enjoys gambling, collects items related to the space program, and practices yoga. Meyer is a big fan of the band Grateful Dead. He sees Jerry Garcia as a very important person in his life. His sister Ann is married to Jon Vitti, another writer.
Meyer cares a lot about the environment. He says the only group he truly cares about these days is Conservation International. In 2005, a new type of moss frog found in Sri Lanka was named Philautus poppiae after his daughter, Poppy. This was to honor Meyer's and Semple's efforts to help protect amphibians worldwide.
In 2006, he wrote a funny but serious article for BBC News about environmental issues. He talked about how people can be hypocrites, caring about nature but still doing things that harm it. He ended by saying that even though he might be a "fraud," he feels uneasy about how people are harming nature.
Film and Television Work
- Late Night with David Letterman (1982–1984) – writer
- Not Necessarily the News (1983–1986) – writer
- The New Show (1984) – writer
- Saturday Night Live (1985–1987) – writer
- Vanishing America (1986) – co-writer
- The Simpsons (1989–2005) – writer and producer
- "The Crepes of Wrath" (1990)
- "Bart vs. Thanksgiving" (1990)
- "Blood Feud" (1991)
- "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington" (1991)
- "Treehouse of Horror II" (contributor) (1991)
- "Separate Vocations" (1992)
- "Homer the Heretic" (1992)
- "Bart's Inner Child" (1993)
- "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" (1999)
- "Brother's Little Helper" (1999)
- "Behind the Laughter" (2000)
- "The Parent Rap" (2001)
- The Edge (1992–1993) – writer
- A.U.S.A. (2003) – consulting producer
- Complete Savages (2004–2005) – producer
- I Heart Huckabees (2004) – Credited as "Formal Couple"
- Earth To America (2005) – cowriter
- The Simpsons Movie (2007) – cowriter
See also
In Spanish: George Meyer para niños
