Sam Simon facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Sam Simon
Simon in 2008
Born	Samuel Michael Simon (1955-06-06)June 6, 1955 Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Died	March 8, 2015(2015-03-08) (aged 59) Pacific Palisades, California, U.S.
Alma mater	Stanford University
Occupation	Director, producer, writer, boxing manager, philanthropist
Years active	1979–2015
Known for	The Simpsons
Spouse(s)	Jennifer Tilly ​ ​ (m. 1984; div. 1991)​ Jami Ferrell ​ ​ (m. 2000; div. 2000)​
Partner(s)	Kate Porter (2012–2015)

Samuel Michael Simon (born June 6, 1955 – died March 8, 2015) was an American director, producer, and writer. He was also a passionate animal rights activist and a generous philanthropist. Sam Simon is best known for helping to create the popular TV show The Simpsons.

He started his career as a cartoonist and then became a storyboard artist. Later, he wrote for TV shows like Taxi and Cheers. In his later years, Sam Simon focused on helping others. He started The Sam Simon Foundation, which helps animals. He also supported many other charities. People often called him a "Renaissance man" because he was good at so many different things.

Sam Simon was diagnosed with a serious illness in 2012. He passed away on March 8, 2015, at the age of 59. He left most of his money to the charities he cared about.

Early Life and Education

Sam Simon was born on June 6, 1955, in Los Angeles, California. He grew up in nice areas like Beverly Hills and Malibu. His family even lived across the street from the famous comedian Groucho Marx. Sam's father made clothes, and his family had a comfortable life.

From a young age, Sam loved art. He even appeared on TV art shows when he was only five years old. The famous Walt Disney once told him that he would work at his studio one day!

Sam went to Beverly Hills High School. There, he played football and drew cartoons for the school newspaper. He was voted "Most Humorous" and "Most Talented" in his final year. He then went to Stanford University and graduated in 1977. Even though he was good at football, he quit the team after just one day. He studied psychology but spent a lot of time drawing comics for the college newspaper.

Career in Television

Starting Out in TV

While still in college, Sam Simon worked as a sports cartoonist for newspapers. After graduating, he started working at Filmation Studios. He drew storyboards and wrote for animated shows like The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle and Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.

A producer at Filmation was impressed by Sam's writing. So, Sam wrote a sample script for the TV show Taxi. It was so good that it was produced and aired! Sam was then hired as a writer for Taxi and quickly became the main person in charge of the show for its last season.

After Taxi, Sam worked on other popular shows. He was a writer and producer for Cheers from 1982 to 1985. He also created, wrote, and produced a short TV show called Shaping Up in 1984. He also wrote for Best of the West, Barney Miller, and It's Garry Shandling's Show. In 1991, he wrote a movie called The Super.

Creating The Simpsons

Sam Simon helped create the super famous animated show The Simpsons. It first aired in 1989 and is still on TV today! Many people think it's one of the best TV shows ever.

The Simpsons started as short cartoons on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. Sam was an executive producer and writer for that show. Two years later, these short cartoons became a full TV series. For The Simpsons, Sam worked with Matt Groening (who came up with the idea and the main characters) and James L. Brooks. Sam was a main producer and creative supervisor for the first four seasons. He put together and led the first team of writers for the show.

Sam left The Simpsons in 1993 because he wasn't enjoying it anymore. He wanted to work on other projects. Before he left, he made a deal that gave him a share of the show's profits every year. This meant he continued to earn a lot of money from The Simpsons, even after he stopped working on it. He later said he felt he got "too much credit" and that the money was "ridiculous."

Later TV Work

In 1994, Sam Simon helped create a TV show called The George Carlin Show with comedian George Carlin. Sam was the main producer and directed some episodes.

In the late 1990s, Sam mostly worked as a director. He directed episodes for shows like Men Behaving Badly, Friends, The Norm Show, and The Michael Richards Show. He also worked as a producer and director for The Drew Carey Show from 1998 to 2003.

Sam decided to step back from full-time TV work because it could be very stressful. He said that working in TV was "the greatest job in the world" because you make people smile. But he also wanted a life outside of it. He still contributed to Howard Stern's radio shows. In 2012, he returned to TV for a short time as a consultant and director for the show Anger Management.

Helping Others

Animal Rights and Foundations

The MY Sam Simon Sea Shepherd vessel, named after Sam Simon, which he helped fund

Sam Simon was a strong supporter of animal rights and was a vegan. He called himself an "animal lover." Around the year 2000, he joined People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Starting in 2002, he used his own money to fund The Sam Simon Foundation. This foundation has a mobile clinic that offers free surgeries for cats and dogs. It also rescues shelter dogs and trains them to become service dogs for people with disabilities, especially those who are deaf. The foundation also trains dogs to help soldiers returning from war who have post-traumatic stress disorder. Sam said that spending money on this work gave him great joy. The foundation does not accept donations from the public.

In 2011, Sam started another non-profit called The Sam Simon Foundation: Feeding Families. This is a food truck that delivers vegan food to low-income families every week. He also gave a large amount of money to the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in 2012. This money helped them buy a new ship for their fleet, which was named the MY Sam Simon in his honor. Sam believed that helping animal charities could bring real success and visible results. He gave away most of his money because he found nothing more enjoyable than helping others.

Boxing

Sam Simon loved boxing. He started training himself and even won some amateur fights. For eight years, he managed the heavyweight boxer Lamon Brewster. Sam helped Brewster become the World Boxing Organization Heavyweight Champion in 2004. This was a huge moment for Sam, and he said it was one of the greatest achievements of his life. He spent a lot of his own money to support Brewster, paying him a salary and letting him live in one of his houses. Sam never intended to make a lot of money from boxing.

Poker

Sam Simon was also a regular poker player, especially Texas hold 'em. He learned the game as a child from family poker nights. He played in the World Series of Poker (WSOP) every year from 2007 to 2011. He finished well in six different events, winning prize money. His biggest win was over $57,000 in a tournament in 2010. Sam's private poker games with his celebrity friends were known to be very fun and lively.

Awards and Recognition

Sam Simon won nine Primetime Emmy Awards for his work in television. He won Emmys for The Tracey Ullman Show and multiple times for The Simpsons as an outstanding animated program. He also received a Peabody Award for The Simpsons in 1996.

In 2013, he received a lifetime achievement award from the Writers Guild of America Award for his animation work. The next year, he received the Valentine Davies Award for his amazing humanitarian and charity efforts.

Personal Life

Sam Simon was married twice. He was married to actress Jennifer Tilly from 1984 to 1991, and they remained friends after their divorce. He later married Jami Ferrell for a short time in 2000. At the time of his death, he was dating Kate Porter, a make-up artist.

Sam became a vegetarian at age 19 and then a vegan around 2000. He had three dogs. He lived in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles, in a special house that was rebuilt to be very environmentally friendly after a fire. It used recycled materials and solar panels for power. Sam also had a large collection of famous artworks.

Illness and Death

In late 2012, Sam Simon was diagnosed with a serious illness. Doctors told him he had only a few months to live. He decided to leave his large fortune to various charities. He said, "The truth is, I have more money than I'm interested in spending. Everyone in my family is taken care of. And I enjoy this."

Sam Simon passed away at his home in Los Angeles on March 8, 2015, at the age of 59. The The Simpsons episode "Waiting for Duffman" was dedicated to his memory.

Filmography

Images for kids

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  Sam Simon in 2008

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  The MY Sam Simon Sea Shepherd vessel, named after Sam Simon, which he helped fund

See also

In Spanish: Sam Simon para niños