Childhood & Early Life
Seth MacFarlane was born on 26 October 1973, in Kent, Connecticut, USA. His father Ronald Milton MacFarlane was a prep school teacher, while his mother Ann Perry was an admissions officer. He has a sister, Rachael Ann MacFarlane, who grew up to be a voice actor.
Seth MacFarlane completed his schooling in 1991 from ‘Kent School.’ He went on to pursue his passion for animation and filming at the ‘Rhode Island School of Design’ from where he earned a bachelor in fine arts degree.
Continue Reading Below
Career
During his final year at ‘Rhode Island School of Design,’ Seth MacFarlane created a film named ‘The Life of Larry,’ which was shared by his professor to the animation studio, ‘Hanna-Barbera.’ Seth MacFarlane was later hired by ‘Hanna-Barbera’ in 1995, based on his ability to write.
At ‘Hanna-Barbera,’ he worked on Cartoon Network’s series and juggled roles between being a storyboard artist and a writer. During this period, he worked on several cartoon series, such as ‘Dexter’s Laboratory,’ ‘Johnny Bravo,’ ‘I Am Weasel,’ and ‘Cow and Chicken.’
During this period, he also worked as a freelancer for ‘Nelvana Limited’ and ‘Walt Disney Television Animation.’ He went on to work on animated television series, such as ‘Jungle Cubs’ and ‘Ace Ventura: Pet Detective.’
In 1996, Seth MacFarlane made ‘Larry & Steve,’ a sequel to ‘The Life of Larry.’ ‘Fox Broadcasting Company’ saw the films and expressed its desire to convert them into an animation series.
Though he took delight in his work at ‘Hanna-Barbera,’ Seth MacFarlane found his real interest to be animation as it dealt with humor in a different way. ‘Fox Broadcasting Company’ asked him to prepare a pilot series, which took him six months to complete.
During his tenure at ‘Hanna-Barbera,’ MacFarlane had first pitched 'Family Guy,' an adult animated sitcom, to ‘Fox Broadcasting Company.’ In 1998, ‘Fox Broadcasting Company’ purchased ‘Family Guy’ and Seth MacFarlane became the youngest executive producer of a television series at the age of 24. The series went on air in 1999. Apart from writing a few episodes, he also voiced the main characters.
The ‘Family Guy’ series became very popular. In 2005, Seth MacFarlane, along with music composer Walter Murphy, created a music album titled ‘Family Guy: Live in Vegas.’ The same year, Seth MacFarlane created another adult animated series titled ‘American Dad!’ which also received positive reviews from viewers.
In 2007, Seth MacFarlane began creating his next animation sitcom ‘The Cleveland Show.’ The show focused on ‘Cleveland Brown’ and his family. ‘Cleveland Brown’ is the central character from ‘Family Guy.’ The show had its premier two years later on May 2009. In 2007, he was also the executive producer of an action sitcom titled ‘The Winner.’
In 2008, he released a web television series called ‘Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy.’
Continue Reading Below
Along with Steven Soter and Ann Druyan, Seth MacFarlane co-produced a science documentary television series titled ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey’ in 2011. He made his directorial debut with the feature film ‘Ted’ in 2012. He also produced, wrote the screenplay, and starred in the movie.
In 2013, he announced that he would be working on the American sitcom ‘Dads.’ The show was canceled after the first season. The same year, he hosted the 85th ‘Academy Awards’ in Los Angeles.
In 2014, he hosted the ‘Breakthrough Prize’ ceremony. The same year, he executive-produced a series titled ‘Blunt Talk’ for ‘Starz.’ The show aired from August 2015 to December 2016.
Meanwhile in 2014, he co-wrote and acted in his second film ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West.’ The same year, he wrote a novel based on the film. In 2016, the animated series ‘Bordertown,’ which he had been working since 2009, was released.
On September 15, 2017, MacFarlane released his fourth studio album ‘In Full Swing.’ In 2017, he also created and starred in an American science fiction comedy-drama series titled ‘The Orville.’
On April 19, 2019, he released his album ‘Once in a While.’ In 2019, he also starred in an American drama miniseries titled ‘The Loudest Voice.’
Awards & Achievements
In 2000, Seth MacFarlane won the ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ for ‘Outstanding Voice’ for ‘Family Guy.’
In 2002, he won the ‘Primetime Emmy Award’ for ‘Outstanding Music and Lyrics’ for ‘You’ve Got a Lot to See’ from ‘Family Guy.’
In 2013, he won the ‘People’s Choice Award’ under the ‘Favorite Movie’ category for ‘Ted.’
In 2013, Seth MacFarlane also won the ‘Critics’ Choice Award’ for ‘Best Reality Series’ for his work in ‘Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey.’
