Seth MacFarlane facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seth MacFarlane
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MacFarlane in 2017
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Seth Woodbury MacFarlane
October 26, 1973 Kent, Connecticut, U.S.
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| Education | Rhode Island School of Design (BFA) |
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| Years active | 1995–present |
| Organization | Fuzzy Door Productions |
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| Awards | Full list |
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Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, writer, director, and singer. He is famous for creating several popular animated television shows. These include Family Guy and American Dad!. He also co-created The Cleveland Show.
MacFarlane is also the creator and star of the science-fiction TV series The Orville. He has directed and starred in movies like Ted and A Million Ways to Die in the West. Besides his work in TV and film, he is a talented singer who has released many albums of jazz and swing music. He has won five Primetime Emmy Awards for his work.
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Early Life and Schooling
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane was born in Kent, Connecticut. His parents, Ronald and Ann, were both teachers. He has a younger sister, Rachael, who is also a voice actress.
From a very young age, MacFarlane loved to draw. When he was only two, he started drawing cartoon characters like Fred Flintstone. By the time he was nine, he was creating his own weekly comic strip called Walter Crouton for his local newspaper.
After high school, MacFarlane went to the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) to study animation. For his final school project, he created an animated short film called The Life of Larry. This film would later become the inspiration for Family Guy. A professor at RISD was so impressed that he sent the film to the animation studio Hanna-Barbera.
Career in Television
Working at Hanna-Barbera
After graduating from college, MacFarlane was hired by Hanna-Barbera, the studio famous for cartoons like The Flintstones and Scooby-Doo. He worked as a writer and artist on shows for Cartoon Network, including Johnny Bravo, Cow and Chicken, and Dexter's Laboratory.
While at Hanna-Barbera, he made a sequel to his student film called Larry & Steve. It was about a man named Larry and his smart dog, Steve. Executives at the Fox network saw his Larry films and became interested in working with him.
Creating Family Guy
MacFarlane wanted to create animated shows for a prime-time audience, similar to The Simpsons. He pitched his idea for Family Guy to Fox. The network gave him a small budget of $50,000 to create a pilot episode. MacFarlane worked for six months, drawing and animating the pilot mostly by himself in his kitchen.
Fox loved the pilot and ordered a full series. Family Guy first aired on January 31, 1999. MacFarlane was only 24 years old, making him the youngest executive producer in television at the time. He voices many of the show's main characters, including Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, and Glenn Quagmire. The show became very popular and has won several awards.
Other Animated Shows
In 2005, MacFarlane co-created another successful animated show called American Dad!. The show is about the Smith family. MacFarlane voices the father, Stan Smith, and the family's alien, Roger. His sister, Rachael MacFarlane, voices the daughter, Hayley.
He also developed a spin-off of Family Guy called The Cleveland Show. It focused on the character Cleveland Brown and his family. The show ran for four seasons from 2009 to 2013.
The Orville
In 2017, MacFarlane created The Orville, a science-fiction series that is a tribute to shows like Star Trek. He also stars in the show as Captain Ed Mercer, the commander of the starship Orville. The show first aired on Fox and later moved to Hulu.
Career in Film
MacFarlane directed his first live-action movie, Ted, in 2012. The film is about a man whose childhood teddy bear comes to life. MacFarlane also wrote the movie and provided the voice for Ted. The movie was a big success, and a sequel, Ted 2, was released in 2015. A prequel TV series was later made for the streaming service Peacock.
In 2014, he directed and starred in the comedy film A Million Ways to Die in the West. He has also had voice roles in animated movies like Sing and Hellboy II: The Golden Army.
Music Career
MacFarlane is also a professional singer with a love for big band and jazz music. He was inspired by singers like Frank Sinatra. He has a baritone singing voice and trained with the same coaches who taught Sinatra.
He has released nine studio albums, including Music Is Better Than Words (2011) and a Christmas album, Holiday for Swing (2014). His albums have been nominated for five Grammy Awards. He has performed with famous orchestras at venues like the Royal Albert Hall in London.
Activism and Charity
Supporting Causes
MacFarlane is a supporter of the Democratic Party. He also strongly supports gay rights and has spoken about the importance of equality for the LGBT community.
He often speaks at colleges and universities, including Harvard and Stanford. During the Hollywood writers' and actors' strikes in 2007 and 2023, he supported the writers and actors who were fighting for better pay and working conditions.
Science and History
MacFarlane has a deep interest in science. He was the executive producer of Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey, a science documentary series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson. The show was an update to the famous 1980 series Cosmos: A Personal Voyage by his hero, Carl Sagan.
He also donated money to the Library of Congress to create a special collection of Carl Sagan's work. In 2024, he worked with director Martin Scorsese to help restore and preserve classic animated shorts.
Personal Life
MacFarlane lives in Beverly Hills, California.
On September 11, 2001, he was scheduled to fly from Boston to Los Angeles on American Airlines Flight 11. However, he was running late after a celebration the night before and his travel agent had given him the wrong departure time. He arrived at the airport just a few minutes after the gate closed and missed the flight. The plane he was supposed to be on was one of the planes hijacked in the September 11 attacks.
His mother, Ann, passed away in 2010. MacFarlane has spoken about how much he was influenced by her.
Awards and Recognition
MacFarlane has won many awards for his work in television, film, and music.
- Five Primetime Emmy Awards for Family Guy.
- Five Grammy Award nominations for his music albums.
- An Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song for "Everybody Needs a Best Friend" from the movie Ted.
- A star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, which he received in 2019.
- In 2020, he was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame.
In 2022, a new species of frog discovered in Ecuador was named Hyloscirtus sethmacfarlanei in his honor.
Filmography
- Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story (2005)
- Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008)
- Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009)
- The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! (2010)
- Tooth Fairy (2010)
- Ted (2012)
- Movie 43 (2013)
- A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014)
- Ted 2 (2015)
- Sing (2016)
- Logan Lucky (2017)
Discography
- Music Is Better Than Words (2011)
- Holiday for Swing (2014)
- No One Ever Tells You (2015)
- In Full Swing (2017)
- Once in a While (2019)
- Great Songs from Stage & Screen (2020)
- Blue Skies (2022)
- We Wish You the Merriest (with Elizabeth Gillies) (2023)
- Lush Life: The Lost Sinatra Arrangements (2025)
Images for kids
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MacFarlane speaking at a Writers Guild of America rally in Culver City on November 9, 2007
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MacFarlane being interviewed at the Fox Fall Eco-Casino Party in Hollywood on September 8, 2008
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Frank Sinatra significantly influenced MacFarlane and his music.
See also
In Spanish: Seth MacFarlane para niños
