Overview (3)

Mini Bio (1)

Trade Mark (14)

Often references musicals and Broadway musical numbers



Frequently uses cutaways



New England-based humor



Frequently makes the foil of the main character an animal, usually the family pet



Frequently mocks neoconservatives





Always hires Walter Murphy to write the theme music to his shows

His shows often tend to break the fourth wall



Frequently makes references to popular television shows from the 1970s and 1980s





The voices of Peter, Brian, Quagmire, Tom Tucker, and Stewie Griffin on Family Guy (1999)

Animates characters with large, jutting heads



Extremely dark and grotesque gags



Endless popular culture references



His shows follow the customs of the traditional sitcom, but with a twist



As singer: rich baritone voice.



Trivia (53)



Older brother of Rachael MacFarlane and brother-in-law of her husband, Spencer Laudiero . Uncle of their two children.

The name of his production company, Fuzzy Door, comes from the name of his apartment when he attended Rhode Island School of Design ("RISD"). The door to the house was covered in fur.



Based the voice of Peter Griffin mostly from a loud mouthed security guard that worked on the campus where he attended college.





Was given voice training by a 90-year-old couple who also trained Frank Sinatra

Is a skilled pianist. Has a baritone singing range.



He has English, Scottish, and Irish ancestry.



Once resided in Wrentham, Massachusetts.



On his father's side, he is the grandson of Milton Worcester MacFarlane and Selina Alfreda Shean, and on his mother's side, he is the grandson of Arthur Woodbury Sager and Berta Rogers. Through his maternal grandmother, he is a descendant of Mayflower passengers William Brewster, and his wife, Mary.



Is a devoted supporter of the Democratic Party, and is known for mercilessly mocking and lambasting conservatives and their policies through his shows. Ironically, his shows air on the FOX network, which is largely a Republican-supporting channel.



Graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhose Island with his Bachelor's degree in Fine Arts (1995). He later received an honorary degree (Doctor of Fine Arts) from the Rhode Island School of Design (2007).



Was supposed to board the first plane which crashed into the Twin Towers on September 11th, but he missed his flight due to his travel agent giving him the wrong departure time.





Is a huge fan and personal friend of Keith Olbermann



Was voted as the "Smartest Man on TV" by Entertainment Weekly, the magazine that initially criticized Family Guy (1999), but had recently been more receptive to the show.



He considered working for the Walt Disney Company after graduating from the Rhode Island School of Design, but decided against it due to criticism from religious welfare groups. Instead he worked for Hanna-Barbera after the studio received his thesis film, The Life of Larry (1995), which was sent to them by Seth's professor at the RISD. It was accepted into the "What A Cartoon!" shorts program spearheaded by Fred Seibert . It was produced at the studio as a seven-minute short under the title "Larry and Steve". McFarlane performed several of the voice acting roles, some of which he eventually used in Family Guy (1999) for patriarch Peter Griffin and Brian, the family dog.



Is an accomplished crooner, a talent he ably demonstrated as a guest on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (1992) singing "You're the Cream in My Coffee" backed by Rickey Minor and the Tonight Show Band (5 August 2010).



Considers Reichtum ist keine Schande (1979) to be the funniest movie ever made.



Distant cousin of Ashley Judd . Both are descendants of William Brewster and wife, who came over to Massachusetts, America, on the Mayflower.



He found out about his Oscar nomination for Ted (2012) while announcing the 85th Academy Award nominations with Emma Stone . After the press applauded for him, MacFarlane joked "That's cool, I got nominated. I get to go to the Oscars now" because he had already been commissioned to host the ceremony.



Met Kara Vallow at Hanna-Barbera Studios, where he worked as a writer for Johnny Bravo (1997).



Does not like the crime drama Der Pate (1972).



Favorite Western television series is Rauchende Colts (1955).



Favorite Western film is Der Mann der Liberty Valance erschoss (1962). Prefers Western movies from the 1940s and 1950s as opposed to Spaghetti Westerns, which he finds to be too drab.

The International Astronomers Union (IAU) has renamed asteroid 1999-UL46 to "70713 SethMcFarlane", citing his role as a founding member of the Board of Advisors to the Science and Entertainment Exchange, a Los Angeles branch office of the National Academy of Sciences.





Once said his favorite movie is Meine Lieder, meine Träume (1965).



Endorsed Bernie Sanders in the 2016 presidential election of the United States.



Is one of the featured singers on Barbra Streisand 's duets album "Encores". On the album's notes, she refers to MacFarlane as "one of the most versatile and multi-talented people" she has met.



Loves Kermit the Frog. On The Orville (2017), his character Captain Ed Mercer has a plush of Kermit the Frog in his office.

Received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 6259 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California on April 23, 2019.



Participated in the 2007-2008 Writers Guild of America Strike.



Owns a production company named Fuzzy Door Productions.





Is a huge fan of Grammy Award winner Billy Joel

Son of Ron MacFarlane.



Brother of Rachael MacFarlane.



Was a protege to Norman Lear.



Was raised Roman Catholic but turned it into a joke by age 11 and became an atheist.



He was booked to fly from Boston to Los Angeles on American Airlines Flight 11 on Sept. 11, 2001. But his travel agent had mistakenly told him that the flight left at 8:15 a.m., not 7:45 a.m. "And I had a hangover from the night before" he said. He missed the flight, having turned up late. The plane was hijacked and crashed into the World Trade Center 47 minutes after takeoff. Mark Wahlberg was also supposed to be on this flight, but chose not to fly to Los Angeles on the 11 September, instead flying on a later day.



Personal Quotes (16)

[on criticism] The only way it gets to me is that it demonstrates a deterioration of the power of restrained, critical, rational thought that was once more ubiquitous in our society. In the sixties and seventies, there was such a high regard in this country for the achievements of human beings in science, in technology, in space exploration. And in some ways, we've turned into this wimpy, astrology-loving, angel-loving, pseudo-scientific culture that no longer has that ability. We've gotten lazy in our willingness to use our brains.





[on Liebe (2012)] The last time Austria and Germany got together and co-produced something, it was Hitler.

The only problem is time.



The good thing about Broadway is that you don't have to worry about an airdate. It gets done when it gets done.



When you are in a room and your job is to write jokes 10 hours a day, your mind starts going to strange places.



With any half-hour comedy, it kind of takes on its own life and finds itself.





The success of Die Simpsons (1989) really opened doors. It showed that if you were working in animation you didn't necessarily have to be working in kids' television.



[on the death of Adam West Family Guy (1999) has lost it's mayor, and I have lost a friend. Adam West was a joy to work with and the kind of guy you always wanted to be around. His positivity, good nature, and sense of fun were undeniable, and it was always a big jolt of the best kind of energy when he walked in to record the show. He knew comedy and he knew humanity. I am beyond fortunate enough to have had the privilege of working with him, and he will be profoundly missed by all of us. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for all that you have given us, Mr. Mayor. You're irreplaceable.



In 2011, my friend and colleague Jessica Barth , with whom I worked on the Ted films, confided in me regarding her encounter with Harvey Weinstein and his attempted advances. She has since courageously come forward to speak out. It was with this account in mind that, when I hosted the Oscars in 2013, I couldn't resist the opportunity to take a hard swing in his direction. Make no mistake, this came from a place of loathing and anger. There is nothing more abhorrent and indefensible than abuse of power such as this. I respect and applaud my friend Jessica and those sharing their stories for their decision to come forward, and for being champions of the truth.



The online pitchfork mobs are notoriously quick to attack over many things that simply qualify as satire or free speech. The disproportionately persecuted Justine Sacco comes to mind. But when you're causing actual suffering - such as taking a fish out of the water and watching while it struggles to breed for the purpose of entertainment - expect widespread outrage. Do not fuck with animals, Logan Paul . It's sick, cruel, sadistic, and they can't speak for themselves and call you an asshole.

The only reason it hasn't really affected me as it maybe could have is I didn't really know that I was in any danger until after it was over, so I never had that panic moment. After the fact, it was sobering, but people have a lot of close calls; you're crossing the street and you almost get hit by a car. This one just happened to be related to something massive. I really can't let it affect me because I'm a comedy writer. I have to put that in the back of my head.



I'm wide open to getting married, but actors are not easy people to date. You end up sharing that person with this other mistress that is their career. I very much like the traditional courtship method of making a date. That's what they do in normal places, but Hollywood's not normal.





Chris Elliott could read the phonebook and he's funny.



I'll tell you what I think is not okay. Have you ever seen that show on MSNBC, Lockup (2005) It's a reality show that takes place inside a prison. Do the prisoners have to sign release forms? Or do they have to be on it whether they like it or not?

Fox is notorious for having a very thick skin about taking shots at themselves.



Salary (1)