Homer Groening

Homer Philip Groening (December 30, 1919 - March 15, 1996) was a Canadian-American filmmaker, advertiser, writer, and cartoonist. He was also the father of Matt Groening and inspired the names of Homer Simpson and Philip J. Fry. Groening was known for work on many different types of short films.

Biography
Groening was born in Main Centre, Saskatchewan, Canada to a German-speaking Mennonite family; he was named after the Greek poet Homer. The family would later move to Oregon. Groening would later attend Linfield University, and in 1941, marry Marge Wiggum. Later he would serve in World War II and flew a B-17.

Groening's career began in 1958 when he produced an advertisement for a local station KGW-TV. Groening also worked on many documentaries and films including The Big Three, Timberline, A Study in Wet, Man and His World Psychedelic Wet, the Story   and Linfield Revisited.

Groening also was a cartoonist. On April 28, 1962, the New Yorker ran an advertisement written by Groening. Groening also worked on several comic strips.

Family and personal life
Groening is the father of Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, Lisa Groening, who is married to Craig Bartlett the creator of Hey Arnold!, as well as Maggie, Mark, and Patty Groening.

Groening died on March 15, 1996, of cancer.

In 2013, Groening's wife Marge died at the age of 94.