Seth MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. [1] MacFarlane began his career as an animator and writer for Hanna-Barbera for several television series, including Johnny Bravo , Cow and Chicken , Dexter's Laboratory , and created a sequel to his college thesis film Larry & Steve . [2]
Since 1999, MacFarlane has served as creator, writer, executive producer, and lead voice actor in the adult animated sitcom Family Guy on FOX. He voices the characters of Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin among other characters. The series has garnered critical acclaim with critics and audiences and has won numerous awards. Since then MacFarlane has co-created, co-writes, executive produces, and lead voices in FOX's American Dad! and wrote, co-created, executive produced, and had a supporting voice role in The Cleveland Show , which was a spin-off of Family Guy. In 2012, MacFarlane made his feature film directorial debut for Universal Pictures with Ted , a fantasy comedy which was well received by critics and audiences. He went on to act, write, produce, and direct two more features for Universal—the western comedy A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014) and a sequel to his first film Ted 2 (2015). In 2017, MacFarlane created his fourth show, The Orville . He has also appeared in the films Hellboy II: The Golden Army (2008), Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder (2009), The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! (2010), Tooth Fairy (2010), Movie 43 (2013), Sing (2016), and Logan Lucky (2017).
MacFarlane has received numerous awards and nominations for his work on film, television, music, and video games. He has also received twenty-three Emmy Award nominations, winning five for Family Guy . His directorial film debut in Ted earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song. In addition, he has received five Grammy Award nominations and two British Academy of Film and Television Arts among others.
† | Denotes works that have not yet been released |
Year | Title | Credited as | Role | Notes | Ref. | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | |||||
1995 | The Life of Larry | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Larry, Steve, Lois (voice), Himself | Student film | [2] |
2005 | Inside the CIA | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Stan Smith, Roger (voice) | Short film | [3] |
2005 | Stewie Griffin: The Untold Story | No | No | Executive | Yes | Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, Various voices | Direct-to-video | [4] |
2006 | Life is Short | No | No | No | Yes | Dr. Ned | Short film | [5] |
2008 | The Negotiating Table | No | Yes | No | Yes | Alan Richdale (voice) | Short film | [6] |
2008 | Hellboy II: The Golden Army | No | No | No | Yes | Johann Kraus (voice) | [7] | |
2009 | Futurama: Into the Wild Green Yonder | No | No | No | Yes | Mars Vegas Singer (voice) | Direct-to-video | [8] |
2010 | The Drawn Together Movie: The Movie! | No | No | No | Yes | I.S.R.A.E.L. (voice) | Direct-to-video | [9] |
2010 | Tooth Fairy | No | No | No | Yes | Ziggy | [10] | |
2012 | Ted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Ted (voice and motion capture) | [11] | |
2013 | Movie 43 | No | No | No | Yes | Himself | Cameo | [12] |
2014 | A Million Ways to Die in the West | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Albert Stark | [13] | |
2015 | Ted 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Ted (voice and motion capture) | [14] | |
2016 | Sing | No | No | No | Yes | Mike (voice) | [15] | |
2017 | Logan Lucky | No | No | No | Yes | Max Chilblain | [16] | |
2024 | May the 12th Be with You | No | No | No | Yes | Stewie Griffin (voice) | Short film | [17] |
2025 | The Naked Gun † | No | Story | Yes | No | — | Post-production | [18] |
Year | Title | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|
2015 | This Changes Everything | Documentary | [19] |
2020 | aTypical Wednesdays | [20] | |
2020 | Books of Blood | [21] |
Year | Title | Credited as | Role | Notes | Ref. | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Creator | Director | Writer | Producer | Actor | |||||
1996 | Jungle Cubs | No | No | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes | [22] | |
1996–1999 | Ace Ventura: Pet Detective | No | No | Yes | No | No | 4 episodes | [22] | |
1997 | What a Cartoon! | No | Yes | Yes | No | Yes | Larry, Steve (voice) | Episode: "Larry & Steve" | [23] |
1997–2004 | Johnny Bravo | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Scott, Bird Forema, Mr. Magician (voice) | 10 episodes Also storyboard artist for 3 episodes Voice episode: "Traffic Troubles/My Funny Looking Friend" | [24] [22] |
1997–1998 | Dexter's Laboratory | No | No | Yes | No | No | 4 episodes Also storyboard artist for 2 episodes | [22] | |
1997 | Cow and Chicken | No | No | Yes | No | No | 3 episodes Also storyboard artist for 2 episodes | [22] | |
1998 | Oh Yeah! Cartoons | No | No | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Zoomates" | [25] | |
1999–present | Family Guy | Yes | No | Yes | Executive | Yes | Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, Various voices | [26] | |
2002–2003 | Gilmore Girls | No | No | No | No | Yes | Zach Bob Merriam, Folk singer (voice) | 3 episodes | [27] |
2003 | Will & Grace | No | No | No | No | Yes | Pencil Sharpener (voice) | Episode: "Fagmalion Part II: Attack of the Clones" | [28] |
2003 | 3 South | No | No | No | No | Yes | Max (voice) | Episode: "Cock Tale" | [29] |
2003 | Aqua Teen Hunger Force | No | No | No | No | Yes | Wayne the Brain McClain (voice) | Episode: "Super Trivia" | [30] |
2003 | The Pitts | No | No | No | Consulting | Yes | Radio Announcer, Movie Dad and Son (voice) | 7 episodes Voice episode: 2 episodes | [28] [31] |
2003–2005 | Crank Yankers | No | No | No | No | Yes | Dick Rogers, Arthur Johnson (voice) | 4 episodes | [28] |
2004–2005 | Star Trek: Enterprise | No | No | No | No | Yes | Ensign Rivers | 2 episodes | [32] |
2005–present | American Dad! | Yes | No | Yes | Executive | Yes | Stan Smith, Roger, Various voices | [33] | |
2005–2021 | Robot Chicken | No | No | No | No | Yes | Various voices | 28 episodes | [34] |
2006–2009 | Late Show with David Letterman | No | No | No | No | Yes | Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin (voice) | 2 episodes | [35] |
2006 | The War at Home | No | No | No | No | Yes | Hillary's Date | Episode: "I Wash My Hands of You" | [36] |
2006 | Help Me Help You | No | No | No | No | Yes | Seth | Episode: "Moving On" | [37] |
2006 | MADtv | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself | Episode: "12.5" | [38] |
2007 | 59th Primetime Emmy Awards | No | No | No | No | Yes | Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin (voice) | TV special | [39] |
2008 | Yin Yang Yo! | No | No | No | No | Yes | The Manotaur (voice) | 2 episodes | [40] |
2009 | Bones | No | No | No | No | Yes | Stewie Griffin (voice) | Episode: "The Critic in the Cabernet" | [41] |
2009–2010 | FlashForward | No | No | No | No | Yes | Agent Jake Curdy | 2 episodes | [42] |
2009–2013 | The Cleveland Show | Yes | No | Yes | Executive | Yes | Tim the Bear, Various voices | 88 episodes | [43] |
2009 | Family Guy Presents: Seth & Alex's Almost Live Comedy Show | No | No | Yes | Executive | Yes | Himself | TV special | [44] |
2010 | Comedy Central Roast of David Hasselhoff | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself (host) | TV special | [45] |
2010 | Phineas and Ferb | No | No | No | No | Yes | Jeff McGarland (voice) | Episode: "Nerds of a Feather" | [46] |
2011 | Comedy Central Roast of Donald Trump | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself (host) | TV special | [47] |
2011 | Comedy Central Roast of Charlie Sheen | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself (host) | TV special | [48] |
2011 | Seth MacFarlane: Swingin' in Concert | No | No | Yes | Executive | Yes | Himself | TV special | [49] |
2012 | Saturday Night Live | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself (host) | Episode: "Seth MacFarlane/Frank Ocean" | [50] |
2012–2018 | Jimmy Kimmel Live! | No | No | No | No | Yes | Ted, Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin (voice) | 2 episodes | [51] [52] |
2013 | 85th Academy Awards | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Himself (host) Ted (voice) | TV special | [53] |
2013 | The Simpsons | No | No | No | No | Yes | Ben (voice) | Episode: "Dangers on a Train" | [54] |
2013 | Futurama | No | No | No | No | Yes | Seymour (voice) | Episode: "Game of Tones" | [55] |
2014 | Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey | No | No | No | Executive | Yes | Giordano Bruno (voice) | 13 episodes Voice episode: "Standing Up in the Milky Way" | [56] [57] |
2014 | 2015 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Himself (host) | TV special | [58] |
2015 | 2016 Breakthrough Prize Ceremony | No | No | Yes | No | Yes | Himself (host) | TV special | [59] |
2016 | Bordertown | No | No | No | Executive | Yes | Peter Griffin (voice) | 13 episodes Voice episode: "American Doll" | [60] [61] |
2017–2022 | The Orville | Yes | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Ed Mercer | 36 episodes | [62] |
2019 | The Loudest Voice | No | No | No | No | Yes | Brian Lewis | 5 episodes | [63] |
2020 | Cosmos: Possible Worlds | No | No | No | Executive | Yes | Harry S. Truman (voice) | 13 episodes Voice episode: 3 episodes | [64] |
2022 | The End is Nye | Yes | No | No | Executive | Yes | Various roles | 6 episodes | [65] |
2024–present | Ted | Yes | Yes | Yes | Executive | Yes | Ted (voice and motion capture) | [66] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2007 | The Winner | Executive producer | 6 episodes | [67] |
2013–2014 | Dads | Executive producer | 18 episodes | [68] |
2015–2016 | Blunt Talk | Executive producer | 20 episodes | [69] |
2024 | Good Times: Black Again | Executive producer | 10 episodes | [70] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2006 | Family Guy Video Game! | Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin, Brian Griffin, Glenn Quagmire, Various voices | [71] | |
2012 | Family Guy: Back to the Multiverse | [72] | ||
2014 | Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff | [73] | ||
2023 | Fortnite Battle Royale | Peter Griffin (voice) | [74] |
Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2008–2009 | Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy | Various voices | 50 episodes; also creator, writer, and director | [75] |
2020 | The At-Home Variety Show | Himself (host) | 15 episodes; also writer, and executive producer | [76] |
2024 | Hot Ones | Peter Griffin, Stewie Griffin | Episode: "Peter Griffin Bares It All While Eating Spicy Wings" | [77] |
Family Guy is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series premiered on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII, with the rest of the first season airing from April 11, 1999. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois, their children, Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic pet dog, Brian. Set in the fictional city of Quahog, Rhode Island, the show exhibits much of its humor in the form of metafictional cutaway gags that often lampoon American culture.
Seth Woodbury MacFarlane is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, comedian, and singer. He is best known as the creator and star of the television series Family Guy and The Orville (2017–2022), and co-creator of the television series American Dad! and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013). He also co-wrote, co-produced, directed, and starred in the films Ted (2012) and its sequel Ted 2 (2015), and A Million Ways to Die in the West (2014).
StewartGilligan "Stewie" Griffin is a fictional character from the animated television series Family Guy. He is voiced by the series creator Seth MacFarlane and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Stewie was created and designed by MacFarlane himself, who was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company, based on The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve, two shorts made by MacFarlane featuring a middle-aged man named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve.
Peter Löwenbräu Griffin Sr. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is voiced by the series' creator, Seth MacFarlane, and first appeared on television, along with the rest of the Griffin family, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow" on January 31, 1999. Peter was created and designed by MacFarlane himself. MacFarlane was asked to pitch a pilot to the Fox Broadcasting Company based on Larry & Steve, a short made by MacFarlane which featured a middle-aged character named Larry and an intellectual dog, Steve. For the series, Larry was renamed Peter.
Lois Patrice Griffin is a fictional character from the American animated television series Family Guy. She is voiced by Alex Borstein and first appeared in the show's pilot episode, "Death Has a Shadow", on January 31, 1999. Writer Seth MacFarlane created and designed Lois after his 1995 student film, The Life of Larry, was picked up by 20th Century Fox for a series order. Lois is the matriarch of the Griffin family. She and her husband Peter have three children: Meg, Chris, and Stewie.
Brian Griffin is a fictional character from the American animated sitcom Family Guy. He is one of the main characters of the series and a member of the Griffin family. Created, designed, and voiced by Seth MacFarlane, he is an anthropomorphic white labrador retriever who is the best friend of both Peter and Stewie Griffin and comic foil with the ability to speak, sing, drive, and stand on two legs.
"Road to Rhode Island" is the 13th episode of the second season, and the first episode of the Road to ... series, of the American animated television series Family Guy, and the 20th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on May 30, 2000. In the episode, Brian volunteers to bring Stewie home from his grandparents' house in Palm Springs, but the pair miss their flight and must embark on a cross-country journey home. Meanwhile, Peter becomes addicted to watching a series of marriage counseling videos hosted by an adult film star.
"Death Has a Shadow" is the series premiere and the first episode of the first season of the American animated television series Family Guy. Written by series creator Seth MacFarlane and directed by Peter Shin, the episode aired as a sneak peek on Fox in the United States on January 31, 1999, following Super Bowl XXXIII. In this episode, Peter loses his job after drinking too much at a stag party, causing him to fall asleep at work. He signs up for welfare to keep his wife Lois from finding out but gets much more money than he expected. After spending his money foolishly, Lois finds out and Peter decides to dump it from a blimp at the Super Bowl. He is arrested for welfare fraud and must await his family's rescue, as well as various performers who would later serve as frequent recurring and guest voices on the series.
The first season of Family Guy aired on Fox from January 31 to May 16, 1999, and consisted of only seven episodes, making it the shortest season to date. The series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, son Stewie and their anthropomorphic dog Brian, all of whom reside in their hometown of Quahog, a fictional city in the U.S. state of Rhode Island. The show features the voices of series creator Seth MacFarlane, Alex Borstein, Seth Green, and Lacey Chabert in the roles of the Griffin family. The executive producers for the first season were David Zuckerman and MacFarlane. It is also the only full season to feature Chabert, before she was replaced by Mila Kunis for the rest of the series' run, starting with the season two episode "Da Boom".
The Griffin family is a fictional family and main characters in the animated television series Family Guy, and who also appear in The Cleveland Show. The Griffins are a dysfunctional family consisting of the married couple Peter and Lois, their three children Meg, Chris, and Stewie, and their anthropomorphic dog Brian. They live at 31 Spooner Street in the fictional town of Quahog, Rhode Island. Their family car resembles a red seventh-generation Ford Country Sedan. They were created by Seth MacFarlane, in model of his two animated films, The Life of Larry and Larry & Steve. The family and the show itself debuted on January 31, 1999, after Super Bowl XXXIII, in the episode "Death Has a Shadow".
The eighth season of animated television series Family Guy first aired on the Fox network in twenty-one episodes from September 27, 2009, to May 23, 2010, before being released as two DVD box sets and in syndication. It ran on Sunday nights between May and July 2010 on BBC Three in the UK. The series follows the dysfunctional Griffin family—father Peter, mother Lois, daughter Meg, son Chris, baby Stewie and dog Brian, all of whom reside in their hometown of Quahog.
"Road to the Multiverse" is the first episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. Directed by Greg Colton and written by Wellesley Wild, the episode originally aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2009, along with the series premiere of The Cleveland Show. In "Road to the Multiverse", two of the show's main characters, baby genius Stewie and anthropomorphic dog Brian, both voiced by series creator Seth MacFarlane, use an "out-of-this-world" remote control to travel through a series of parallel universes. They eventually end up in a world where dogs rule and humans obey. Brian becomes reluctant to return to his own universe, and he ultimately ends up breaking the remote, much to the dismay of Stewie, who soon seeks a replacement. The "Road to" episodes which have aired throughout various seasons of Family Guy were inspired by the Road to ... comedy films starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope and Dorothy Lamour, though this episode was not originally conceived as a "Road to" show.
Henry Wellesley Wild is an American screenwriter, producer, and voice actor. He is best known for writing and producing several episodes of the animated series Family Guy and for being the developer of the 2020 revival of Animaniacs. He was a former executive producer and an occasional voice actor for the former.
"Brian Griffin's House of Payne" is the 15th episode of the eighth season of the animated comedy series Family Guy. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on March 28, 2010. The episode features Brian after he discovers an old script he had written that Stewie found in the basement, and subsequently pitches the show to television executives. The show is quickly and dramatically altered by the executives and James Woods, however, much to Brian's frustration, who nevertheless attempts to adapt to the new format. Meanwhile, Chris and Meg attempt to hide the fact that Stewie is unconscious, after they accidentally bump him down a flight of stairs in the house.
The "Road to ..." episodes, also known as the Family Guy Road shows, are a series of episodes in the animated series Family Guy. They are a parody of the seven Road to ... comedy films, starring Bing Crosby, Bob Hope, and Dorothy Lamour.
Laugh It Up, Fuzzball: The Family Guy Trilogy consists of three episodes of the American animated sitcom Family Guy. The episodes are a crossover and parody retelling of the Star Wars original trilogy, consisting of the films Star Wars (1977), The Empire Strikes Back (1980), and Return of the Jedi (1983). The first episode, "Blue Harvest" (2007), was released to commemorate the original film's 30th anniversary. Due to its success, it was followed by two direct-to-video sequels: "Something, Something, Something, Dark Side" (2010) and "It's a Trap!" (2011), which were subsequently aired on television in edited versions, omitting most profanity and sexual references. The trilogy was released on Blu-ray and DVD in the United States on December 21, 2010. Its title comes from a phrase Han Solo said to Chewbacca in The Empire Strikes Back as the latter was laughing at the former.
Ted is a 2012 American fantasy comedy film co-produced and directed by Seth MacFarlane and written by MacFarlane, Alec Sulkin, and Wellesley Wild based on a story written by MacFarlane. The film stars Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, with Joel McHale and Giovanni Ribisi in supporting roles, and MacFarlane providing the voice and motion capture of the title character. The film tells the story of John Bennett, a Boston native whose childhood wish brings his teddy bear friend Ted to life. However, in adulthood, Ted and John's friendship begins to interfere with the progression of John's relationship with his girlfriend, Lori Collins.
"Seahorse Seashell Party" is the second episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series Family Guy, and the 167th episode overall. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on October 2, 2011. The episode mainly centers around the Griffins, who are riding out an oncoming hurricane. In their attempt to pass the time, they participate in numerous activities and games. After being condemned by her family yet again, Meg, having had enough of being bullied over the years, loses her temper and confronts them for their abusiveness, eventually leading the entire family to turn their rage on each other. Meanwhile, Brian secretly consumes magic mushrooms which causes him to have hallucinations.
Night of the Hurricane is a 2011 crossover event on the Animation Domination lineup on Fox. The event involved the three animated television series created by Seth MacFarlane: The Cleveland Show,Family Guy andAmerican Dad!. The event depicts a hurricane which hits the towns of Stoolbend, Quahog and Langley Falls. The actual three-way crossover of the event occurs at the end on American Dad! with the three fathers of each family in the same scene.
Family Guy is an American animated comedy franchise created by Seth MacFarlane and originally developed for Fox. Consisting of two television series: Family Guy (1999–present) and The Cleveland Show (2009–2013), the franchise primarily focuses on the Griffin family and their friends and associates. The franchise also shares a fictional universe with American Dad! (2005–present), another series developed by MacFarlane with the same art style, to which it features numerous crossovers and shared characters.
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