Mike Judge facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Mike Judge
Judge at SXSW 2024
Born	Michael Craig Judge (1962-10-17) October 17, 1962 (age 62) Guayaquil, Ecuador
Education	University of California, San Diego (BS)
Occupation	Actor animator writer producer director
Years active	1983–present
Spouse(s)	Francesca Morocco ​ ​ (m. 1989; div. 2009)​
Children	3
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Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, and director. He is famous for creating popular animated TV shows like Beavis and Butt-Head and King of the Hill. He also co-created the live-action series Silicon Valley.

Judge has written and directed several movies, including Beavis and Butt-Head Do America, Office Space, and Idiocracy. He also co-wrote Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe.

He was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and grew up in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He studied physics at the University of California, San Diego. After college, he became interested in animation and making short films. His animated short Frog Baseball led to the successful Beavis and Butt-Head series on MTV.

In 1995, Judge and writer Greg Daniels created King of the Hill. This show became very popular and ran for 13 seasons, making it one of the longest-running animated series in America. Later, he created Silicon Valley for HBO, which also received great reviews.

Judge has won several awards for his work, including a Primetime Emmy Award for King of the Hill and Critics' Choice Television Awards for Silicon Valley.

Early Life and Education

Michael Craig Judge was born on October 17, 1962, in Guayaquil, Ecuador. He is one of three children. His mother was a librarian, and his father was an archaeologist. When he was born, his father was working in Ecuador to help with farming.

When Judge was three years old, his family moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico. He attended St. Pius X High School. In 1985, he earned a degree in physics from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD).

Career Beginnings

From Science to Animation

After graduating from college in 1985, Mike Judge had a few short jobs in physics and engineering. However, he found these jobs boring. In 1987, he moved to Silicon Valley to work for a company that made video cards. He didn't like the company's culture and left after less than three months.

Soon after, he became a bass player in a touring blues band for two years. During this time, he also took math classes. In 1989, he started making his own animated short films at home in Richardson, Texas.

The Birth of Beavis and Butt-Head

In 1991, one of his short films, Office Space (also known as the Milton shorts), was bought by Comedy Central. This happened after an animation festival in Dallas. He then decided to focus on his animation career.

In 1992, he created Frog Baseball. This short film featured two characters named Beavis and Butt-Head. It was shown on Liquid Television, an animation show on MTV. This led to the creation of the Beavis and Butt-Head TV series on MTV. Judge voiced both main characters and many others. He also wrote and directed most of the episodes.

The show is about two teenage friends, Beavis and Butt-Head, who love heavy metal. They live in the fictional town of Highland, Texas. The show became very popular and also led to a movie, Beavis and Butt-Head Do America (1996), and a spin-off show called Daria.

After a long break, new episodes of Beavis and Butt-Head aired in 2011 and again from 2022 to 2023.

Major TV Shows and Films

King of the Hill Success

In 1995, after the success of Beavis and Butt-Head, Judge decided to create another animated series. This new show was called King of the Hill. Judge came up with the idea, designed the main characters, and wrote the first script. He worked with Simpsons writer Greg Daniels.

The show is about the Hill family, a middle-class family living in a small town in Texas. Judge voiced characters like Hank Hill and Jeff Boomhauer. King of the Hill first aired in 1997 and quickly became a big hit for Fox. It was praised by critics and audiences. The show ran for 13 seasons, ending in 2010.

Live-Action Movies

While working on King of the Hill, Judge also wrote and directed live-action films.

His first live-action movie was Office Space (1999). This film was based on his earlier Milton short films. It starred Jennifer Aniston and Ron Livingston. The movie is about people working in an office and dealing with boring jobs. It was well-received by critics and became a cult classic after its release on VHS and DVD.

Judge's third film was Idiocracy (2006), a comedy about a future where people have become less intelligent. The film starred Luke Wilson and Maya Rudolph. It had a limited release but later gained a cult following.

His fourth film, Extract (2009), was a comedy set in a factory. Judge made a small appearance in the film. It received mixed reviews but was a minor success.

Silicon Valley and Tales from the Tour Bus

In 2014, Judge created his fourth TV show, Silicon Valley, for HBO. This live-action comedy is about young people trying to make it big in the tech world of Northern California. The show was very popular and received great reviews. It ran for six seasons, ending in 2019.

In 2017, Judge's fourth animated series, Tales from the Tour Bus, premiered on Cinemax. This show focused on stories about famous musicians.

Recent Projects

Bandera Entertainment and Revivals

In June 2020, Comedy Central announced that Beavis and Butt-Head would return with new seasons and specials. In February 2022, it was confirmed that the revival would instead be on Paramount+, along with a new movie, Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe. New episodes of the show began airing in August 2022.

In January 2022, Judge and Greg Daniels started a new animation company called Bandera Entertainment. They announced that a revival of King of the Hill was one of their projects. In January 2023, Hulu officially ordered the new King of the Hill series.

Bandera Entertainment has also produced other shows, including Praise Petey (2023) and In the Know (2024). Judge's new show, Common Side Effects, is currently airing on Adult Swim and streaming on Max.

Personal Life

Judge with his daughters at the Paramount Theatre (Austin, Texas), February 8, 2009

Mike Judge married Francesca Morocco in 1989, and they divorced in 2009. They have two daughters together. He also has a son with Katrina Holden Bronson. The family lives in Austin, Texas, and Santa Monica, California.

Political Views (Simplified)

Mike Judge usually avoids talking about his own political beliefs. His shows, like King of the Hill and The Goode Family, often make fun of different ways of thinking, but he says he tries to keep his shows more about social topics than politics. He believes social humor is funnier.

Filmography

Movies

Television Shows

Other Appearances

Awards and Nominations

Images for kids

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  Judge in 2009

See also

In Spanish: Mike Judge para niños