Jules Feiffer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Jules Feiffer
Feiffer in 1958
Born	(1929-01-26)January 26, 1929 New York City, U.S.
Died	January 17, 2025(2025-01-17) (aged 95) Richfield Springs, New York, U.S.
Area(s)	Cartoonist author playwright screenwriter
Notable works	Feiffer (comic strip) Carnal Knowledge Little Murders Munro The Phantom Tollbooth
Awards	Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Cartooning, 1986 Inkpot Award, 1989 Comic Book Hall of Fame, 2004 National Cartoonist Society Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004
Spouse(s)	Judith Sheftel ​ ​ (m. 1961; div. 1983)​ Jennifer Allen ​ ​ (m. 1983, divorced)​ JZ Holden ​ (m. 2016)​
Children	3, including Halley

Jules Ralph Feiffer (January 26, 1929 – January 17, 2025) was an American cartoonist and writer. He was known for his clever and funny drawings and stories. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 for his cartoons, which often made people think about important topics. In 2004, he was added to the Comic Book Hall of Fame, which is a special honor for people who have made a big impact on comics.

Feiffer also wrote an animated short film called Munro, which won an Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1961. The Library of Congress, a very important library in the U.S., has recognized his amazing work as a cartoonist, writer for plays and movies, and author of books for both adults and children.

When Feiffer was 17, he started working for the famous cartoonist Will Eisner. He helped Eisner create comic strips like The Spirit. Later, in 1956, Feiffer began his own weekly comic strip called Feiffer for The Village Voice newspaper. His cartoons became very popular and appeared in many other newspapers and magazines across the country. He also wrote more than 35 books, plays, and screenplays, including several award-winning books for young readers.

Early Life and Drawing Dreams

Jules Feiffer was born in The Bronx, New York City, on January 26, 1929. His parents were David and Rhoda Feiffer. His mother was a fashion designer who drew her own designs. She always encouraged Jules to draw. He started drawing when he was only three years old!

When he was 13, his mom gave him a special drawing table. She also signed him up for art classes at the Art Students League of New York. He finished high school in 1947. He even won an art medal for a crayon drawing of a radio cowboy hero named Tom Mix.

Feiffer loved cartoons most when he was young. He felt he wasn't good enough to be just a writer or just an artist. So, he decided to combine his skills to create something unique: cartoons that told stories. He loved how comics created their own special worlds where anything could happen.

Career as a Creator

Becoming a Cartoonist

Working with Will Eisner (1946–1956)

After high school, when Feiffer was 16, he really wanted a job. He went to the office of Will Eisner, one of his favorite cartoonists. Eisner was kind and asked Feiffer what he could do. Feiffer said he would do anything, even work for free! Eisner wasn't very impressed with Feiffer's drawing at first. But he hired him because Feiffer knew so much about his work.

Eisner thought Feiffer was a good kid with lots of energy. They came from similar backgrounds, and Feiffer had a strong passion for comics. Eisner soon realized that Feiffer was much better at writing than drawing. So, Feiffer started writing the dialogue for Eisner's comic strips. He would even create entire stories based on ideas they discussed. Eisner really valued Feiffer's ideas and his ability to make characters sound real.

At The Village Voice (1956–1997)

Feiffer in 1976

After working with Eisner for almost ten years, Feiffer decided to create his own comic strips. In 1956, he started working for The Village Voice newspaper. He created a weekly comic strip that ran for 42 years, until 1997! His strips were first called Sick Sick Sick, then Feiffer's Fables, and finally just Feiffer.

A Feiffer comic strip from 1959

Feiffer's cartoons were like mini-stories that made fun of things in a clever way. They often made people laugh and think about society.

Becoming an Author

Feiffer published his first collection of cartoons, Sick, Sick, Sick, in 1958. He then released many other cartoon collections. One of his graphic stories, Passionella (1957), was even turned into a Broadway musical!

Feiffer's cartoon about Barack Obama from 2008

He wrote two novels and several children's books. Some of his popular children's books include Bark, George, Henry, The Dog with No Tail, and A Barrel of Laughs, a Vale of Tears. He also illustrated other children's books like The Phantom Tollbooth.

In 1979, Feiffer created one of the first graphic novels, called Tantrum. A graphic novel is like a long comic book that tells a complete story. He also wrote a book about the history of comic book superheroes called The Great Comic Book Heroes in 1965. His autobiography, Backing into Forward: A Memoir, came out in 2010.

Feiffer's artwork has been shown in special exhibits at places like the Library of Congress. He even gave many of his original cartoons and drawings to the Library of Congress in 1996.

Playwright and Screenwriter

Feiffer also wrote plays and movie scripts. His plays include Little Murders (1967) and Knock Knock (1976). He wrote the screenplay for the movie Popeye (1980), which was directed by Robert Altman. He also wrote the script for Carnal Knowledge (1971).

In 2017, a musical based on his book The Man in the Ceiling was produced. It was about a young cartoonist who learns to follow his dreams.

Art Instructor

Feiffer also shared his knowledge by teaching. He was a professor at Stony Brook Southampton and taught at the Yale School of Drama and Northwestern University. He also taught a course on graphic humor at Dartmouth College.

Personal Life

Feiffer in 2018

Jules Feiffer was married three times and had three children. His daughter Halley Feiffer is an actress and playwright. Another daughter, Kate Feiffer, is also a writer.

He married JZ Holden in September 2016. Jules Feiffer passed away from heart failure at his home in New York on January 17, 2025, at the age of 95.

Honors and Awards

• 1961, received a George Polk Awards for his cartoons.
• 1961, his film Munro won an Academy Award for animated short.
• 1969 and 1970, won Obie Award and Outer Circle Critics Award for his plays.
• 1986, awarded the Pulitzer Prize for political cartoons.
• 1995, chosen to be a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.
• 2004, added to the Comic Book Hall of Fame.
• 2004, received the National Cartoonists Society's Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award for his lifetime of work.
• 2010, won a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Writers Guild of America.

Selected Works

Images for kids

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  Feiffer's ad art for the musical The Nervous Set (1959)