PERSON: Seth MacFarlane

Self-employed

Animator, actor, screenwriter

Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, voice actor, animator, screenwriter, comedian, producer, director, and singer. He is the creator of "Family Guy" (1999–2002, 2005–present) and co-creator of American "Dad!" (2005–present) and "The Cleveland Show" (2009–present), for which he also voices many of the shows' various characters.

A native of Kent, Conn., MacFarlane is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, where he studied animation, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. He was an animator and writer for Hanna-Barbera for several television shows, including "Johnny Bravo," "Cow and Chicken," "Dexter's Laboratory" and "I Am Weasel" before creating his own series for 20th Century Fox called "Family Guy" in 1999. MacFarlane went on to co-create "American Dad!" in 2005, and "The Cleveland Show" in 2009 for Fox. He also went on to serve as executive producer on the Fox sitcom "The Winner."

As an actor, he has made guest appearances on shows such as "Gilmore Girls," "The War at Home" and "FlashForward." MacFarlane's interest in science fiction and fantasy has led to cameo and guest appearances on "Star Trek: Enterprise" and voicing the character of Johann Kraus in Guillermo del Toro's "Hellboy II: The Golden Army." In 2008, he created his own YouTube series entitled Seth MacFarlane's "Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy." As a singer, MacFarlane has performed at several venues, including Carnegie Hall and the Royal Albert Hall. MacFarlane has won several awards for his work on "Family Guy," including two Primetime Emmy Awards and an Annie Award. In 2009, he won the Webby Award for Film & Video Person of the Year. He occasionally speaks at universities and colleges throughout the United States, and is a supporter of gay rights.

On an episode of Conan that aired on February 10, 2011, MacFarlane announced that he was directing his first feature-length comedy film "Ted." The film stars Mark Wahlberg as an adult who, as a kid, wished his teddy bear would come to life. MacFarlane voiced and provided motion capture for the bear. It was released on June 29, 2012, and went on to become the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time. In September 2011, MacFarlane released a debut album of American standards, Music Is Better Than Words. Also in 2011, he began a revival of Hanna-Barbera's The Flintstones for the Fox network. The first episode was due to air in the U.S. in 2013, but production has been indefinitely delayed due to MacFarlane's schedule.

On October 1, 2012, it was announced that MacFarlane will host the 85th Academy Awards on February 24, 2013. He also presented the nominees for the 85th Academy Awards with actress Emma Stone on January 10, 2013. In addition to hosting, MacFarlane has also been nominated in the Academy Award for Best Original Song category for co-writing the theme song for the film Ted with Walter Murphy.

-- Wikipedia