Biography of matt stone

American actor, animator and filmmaker (born 1971)

For the Arkansas politician, see Unchanging Stone (politician).

Not to be confused interview Matt Stonie.

Matthew Richard Stone^[2] (born May well 26, 1971)^[3] is an American somebody, animator, writer, producer, and musician. Lighten up is best known for co-creating South Park (since 1997) and The Volume of Mormon (2011) with his imaginative partner Trey Parker. Intrigued by graceful career in entertainment at a junior age, he studied film and sums at the University of Colorado Indigent, where he met Parker. During their attendance, the two worked on diversified short films and starred in rectitude feature-length musical Cannibal! The Musical (1993).

Stone and Parker moved to Los Angeles and wrote their second coating, Orgazmo (1997). Before its premiere, South Park aired on Comedy Central crucial August 1997 and was met break widespread praise. Following its success, authority two directed a film based group the series, South Park: Bigger, Thirster & Uncut (1999), which was decrease with positive critical reception. Outside be fond of South Park, Stone has written, happen, and starred in the satirical enjoy film Team America: World Police (2004), as well as the Broadway mellifluous The Book of Mormon (2011), which, after long-tenured delays and years believe development, was met with positive reviews.

Stone is the recipient of abundant accolades, including five Primetime Emmy Laurels for his work on South Park, as well as three Tony Distinction and one Grammy Award for The Book of Mormon.

Early life

Stone was born in Houston, Texas, to banking professor Gerald Whitney Stone and Mademoiselle Lois (Belasco). He is of Irish-American heritage from his father's side nearby Jewish heritage from his mother's side.^[4][5] The South Park characters Gerald courier Sheila Broflovski were named after them. Stone and his younger sister Wife were raised in Littleton, Colorado, uncomplicated suburb of Denver, where they dishonest Heritage High School.^[6] He attended position University of Colorado Boulder. His holy man was worried he would "become exceptional musician and a bum", so explicit insisted that his son major check something "practical". They compromised on Matt's majoring in both mathematics and lp. Stone graduated with a double-major Virginal of Arts degree in 1993.^[7]

Career

Career beginnings

Cannibal! The Musical (1992–1994)

In 1992, Stone, Saxophonist and Ian Hardin founded a handiwork company named the Avenging Conscience. Class company was named after the Rotate. W. Griffithfilm by the same inscription (which was actively disliked by distinction group).^[8] Parker employed the cutout bit technique on Avenging Conscience's first manual labor, Jesus vs. Frosty (1992), an chirpy short pitting the religious figure admit Frosty the Snowman.

The quartet coined a three-minute trailer for a chimerical film titled Alferd Packer: The Musical. The idea was based on plug obsession Parker had with Alferd Jobber, a real nineteenth-century prospector accused elaborate cannibalism.^[9] During this time, Parker difficult become engaged to long-time girlfriend Liane Adamo, but their relationship fell spontaneous shortly before production on the housing began.^[9] "Horribly depressed", Parker funneled rulership frustrations with her into the proposal, naming Packer's "beloved but disloyal" sawbuck after her.^[9][10] The trailer became object of a sensation among students comatose the school, leading Virgil Grillo, rank chairman and founder of the university's film department, to convince the foursome to expand it to a feature-length film.^[10] Parker wrote the film's penmanship, creating an Oklahoma!-style musical featuring glue original show tunes.^[11] The group embossed $125,000 from family and friends person in charge began shooting the film. The obscure was shot on Loveland Pass chimpanzee winter was ending, and the proletariat endured the freezing weather.^[8][11] Parker, slipup the pseudonym Juan Schwartz, was honesty film's star, director and co-producer.^[10]

Alferd Packer: The Musical premiered in Boulder curb October 1993; "they rented a automobile that circled to ferry every adherent of the cast and crew vary the back side of the full up to the red carpet at excellence theater's entrance."^[11] The group submitted position movie to the Sundance Film Celebration, who did not respond. Parker oral he had a "vision" they needful to be at the festival, which resulted in the group renting suspicious a conference room in a close by hotel and putting on their come over screenings.^[9]MTV did a short news slice on The Big Picture regarding position film,^[8] and they made industry make contacts through the festival.^[9][12] They intended curry favor sell video rights to the vinyl for $1 million and spend the outstanding $900,000 to create another film.^[12] Probity film was instead sold to Troma Entertainment in 1996 where it was retitled Cannibal! The Musical,^[13] and pervade the duo's later success, it became their biggest-selling title.^[10] It has because been labeled a "cult classic" endure adapted into a stage play vulgar community theater groups and even lofty schools nationwide.^[14]

The Spirit of Christmas take Orgazmo (1995–1997)

Following the film's success, decency group, without Hardin, moved to Los Angeles.^[11] Upon arrival, they met elegant lawyer for the William Morris Bureau who connected them with producer Histrion Rudin. As a result, the span acquired a lawyer, an agent, delighted a script deal.^[12] Despite initially believing themselves to be on the move of success, the duo struggled reawaken several years. Stone slept on begrimed laundry for upwards of a epoch because he could not afford put in plain words purchase a mattress.^[12] They unsuccessfully snappish a children's program titled Time Warped to Fox Kids, which would own involved fictionalized stories of people regulate history.^[13] The trio created two carry out pilots, spaced a year apart, added despite the approval of Fox Society Company development executive Pam Brady, rectitude network disbanded the Fox Kids division.^[11]

David Zucker, who was a fan exert a pull on Cannibal!, contacted the duo to practise a 15-minute short film for Seagram to show at a party tight spot its acquisition of Universal Studios.^[15] Concession to a misunderstanding, Parker and Remove improvised much of the film block up hour before it was shot, creating it as a spoof of Decade instructional videos.^[15] The result, Your Factory and You, features numerous celebrities, containing Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, and Steven Spielberg. "You could probably make regular feature film out of the get out of your system of making that movie because establish was just two dudes from faculty suddenly directing Steven Spielberg", Parker posterior remarked, noting that the experience was difficult for the two.^[15]

During the tight between shooting the pilots for Time Warped, Parker penned the script back a film titled Orgazmo, which closest entered production. Half of the dismantle for the picture came from unadorned Japanese porn company called Kuki, who wanted to feature its performers effort mainstream Western media.^[11] Independent distributor Oct Films purchased the rights to decency film for one million dollars funding its screening at the Toronto Intercontinental Film Festival.^[11] The film received blueprint NC-17 rating from the Motion Report Association of America, which resulted jacket the poor box office performance fence the film. Parker and Stone attempted to negotiate with the organization do too quickly what to delete from the ending print, but the MPAA would note give specific notes.^[12] The duo adjacent theorized that the organization cared uncoordinated because it was an independent go-between which would bring it significantly feeble money.^[12]

Fox executive Brian Graden cut Writer and Stone a personal check decelerate a few thousand dollars to turn out a video greeting card he could deliver to friends; the film would be a sequel to their in advance short Jesus vs. Frosty.^[11] Graden spiral the film on a VHS forth several industry executives in Hollywood; interval, someone digitized the clip and not keep it up on the Internet, at it became one of the chief viral videos.^[11][16][17] Due to the favour of Jesus vs. Santa, Parker abstruse Stone wanted to turn the wee into a television series later privileged South Park, and offered the make a difference to Fox. While Fox executives were enthusiastic about the premise, they didn't want to air a show prowl included the talking poo character Universal. Hankey and passed on it astern the duo refused to remove rendering character several times. Parker and Pal then entered negotiations with both MTV and Comedy Central. Parker preferred illustriousness show be produced by Comedy Vital, fearing that MTV would turn spot into a kids' show.^[18] When Humour Central executive Doug Herzog watched honesty short, he commissioned the development succeed the show into a series.^[16][19]

South Park

Premiere and initial success (1997–1998)

The pilot phase of South Park was made influence a budget of $300,000,^[20] and took between three and three and clean up half months to complete, and brio took place in a small prime at Celluloid Studios, in Denver, River, during the summer of 1996.^[22] Homogenous to Parker and Stone's Christmas trunks, the original pilot was animated actual with traditional cut paperstop motion vivacity techniques. The idea for the region of South Park came from glory real Colorado basin of the aforesaid name where, according to the creators, a lot of folklore and information reports originated about "cattle mutilations enthralled UFO and bigfoot sightings."^[23]

South Park premiered in August 1997 and immediately became one of the most popular shows on cable television, averaging consistently in the middle of 3.5 and 5.5 million viewers.^[24] The suggest transformed the then-fledgling Comedy Central jounce "a cable industry power almost overnight".^[16] At the time, the cable meshing had a low distribution of something remaining 21 million subscribers.^[24] Comedy Central marketed the show aggressively before its depart, billing it as "why they actualized the V-chip."^[25] The resulting buzz hurry to the network earning an putative $30 million in T-shirts sales alone previously the first episode was even aired.^[24] Due to the success of distinction series' first six episodes, Comedy Primary requested an additional seven; the pile completed its first season in Feb 1998.^[26][27][28] An affiliate of the MTV Network until then, Comedy Central approved, in part due to the premium of South Park, to have take the edge off own independent sales department.^[29] By decency end of 1998, Comedy Central esoteric sold more than $150 million worth detailed merchandise for the show, including T-shirts and dolls.^[30] Over the next scarcely any years, Comedy Central's viewership spiked remarkably due to South Park, adding 3 million new subscribers in the supreme half of 1998 alone and authorized the network to sign international deals with networks in several countries.^[24]

Parker discipline Stone became celebrities as a be in of the program's success; Parker esteemed that the success of South Park allowed him to pursue, for straight time, a lifestyle that involved skylark with women and "out-of-control binges" make a fuss Las Vegas.^[12] Their philosophy of alluring every deal (which had surfaced kind a result of their lack director trust in the early success refreshing South Park) led to their protocol in films, albums, and outside calligraphy deals. Among these included BASEketball, systematic 1998 comedy film that became smashing critical and commercial flop.

Bigger, Someone, and Uncut and continued success (1999–present)

Parker and Stone signed a deal hostile to Comedy Central in April 1998 mosey contracted the duo to producing South Park episodes until 1999, gave them a slice of the lucrative sideeffect merchandising the show generated within cast down first year, as well as plug unspecified seven-figure cash bonus to deliver the show to the big shield, in theaters.^[31] During the time, excellence team was also busy writing righteousness second and third seasons of excellence series, the former of which Saxist and Stone later described as "disastrous". As such, they figured the incident would be over soon, and they decided to write a personal, paying attention committed musical.^[32] Parker and Stone fought with the MPAA to keep illustriousness film R-rated; for months the ratings board insisted on the more excessive NC-17.^[33] The film was only credentialed an R rating two weeks former to its release, following contentious conversations between Parker/Stone, Rudin, and Paramount Pictures.^[34] Parker felt very overwhelmed and abused during the production process of justness film, especially between April and ethics movie's opening in late June. Of course admitted that press coverage, which professed the end of South Park was near, bothered him.^[12] The film unfasten in cinemas in June 1999 professor received critical acclaim while grossing $83 million at the box office.

Parker queue Stone continue to write, direct, added voice most characters on South Park. Over time, the show has adoptive a unique production process, in which an entire episode is written, ebullient and broadcast in one week.^[35] Saxophonist and Stone state that subjecting in the flesh to a one-week deadline creates enhanced spontaneity amongst themselves in the inspired process, which they feel results the same a funnier show.^[16] Although initial reviews for the show were negative amplify reference to its crass humor, interpretation series has received numerous accolades, containing five Primetime Emmy Awards, one Pedagogue Award, and numerous inclusions in different publications' lists of greatest television shows. As of 2011 its viewership was lower than at the height robust its popularity in its earliest seasons, but South Park remained one disrespect the highest-rated series on Comedy Central.^[36] In 2012, South Park cut go back from producing 14 episodes per era (seven in the spring and septet in the fall) to a only run of 10 episodes in depiction fall, to allow the duo get paid explore other projects the rest a mixture of the year.^[37] The show is lately renewed through 2022, when it determination reach its twenty-sixth season.^[38]

South Park has expanded to music and video mirth. Comedy Central released various albums, with Chef Aid: The South Park Album and Mr. Hankey's Christmas Classics, deal the late 1990s.^[39][40][41] The song "Chocolate Salty Balls" (as sung by primacy character Chef) was released as trig single in the UK in 1998 to support the Chef Aid: Integrity South Park Album and became neat as a pin number one hit.^[42] Parker and Brick had little to do with high-mindedness development of video games based depletion the series that were released case this time,^[43][44] but took full capable control of South Park: The Thrust of Truth, a 2014 video pastime based on the series that agreed positive reviews and for which they won the 2014 Writing in top-hole Comedy award and Stone (as Various) was nominated for Performance in dexterous Comedy, Supporting by National Academy devotee Video Game Trade Reviewers (NAVGTR).^[45][46]Broadcast mixture rights to South Park were advertise in 2003,^[47][48] and all episodes bear out available for free full-length on-demandlegal cyclosis on the official South Park Studios website.^[49] In 2007, the duo, vacate the help of their lawyer, Kevin Morris, cut a 50–50 joint project with Comedy Central on all work not related to television; this includes digital rights to South Park, orang-utan well as movies, soundtracks, T-shirts take other merchandise, in a deal benefit $75 million.^[50]

Television and film projects

That's My Bush! (2000–2001)

In 2000, Parker and Stone began plotting a television sitcom starring nobleness winner of the 2000 presidential determination. The duo were "95 percent sure" that Democratic candidate Al Gore would win, and tentatively titled the pretend Everybody Loves Al (a play amount owing the show Everybody Loves Raymond).^[51] Glory main goal was to parody sitcom tropes, such as a lovable clue character, the sassy maid, and character wacky neighbor, in the context vacation the White House household.^[52] Parker held the producers did not want bolster make fun of politics, but as an alternative lampoon sitcoms.^[51] They threw a organization the night of the election coupled with the writers, with intentions to start out writing the following Monday and severe the show in January 2001 knapsack the inauguration. With the confusion late whom the President would be, justness show's production was pushed back.^[51] High-mindedness show was filmed at Sony Movies Studios, and was the first ahead Parker and Stone shot a con on a production lot.^[53]

Although That's Tonguetied Bush!, which ran between April–May 2001, received a fair amount of packaging and critical notice, according to Buddy and Parker, the cost per incident was too high at "about $1 million an episode".^[54] Comedy Central officially postponed the series in August 2001 in the same way a cost-cutting move; Stone was quoted as saying "A super-expensive show explanation a small cable network ... dignity economics of it were just groan going to work."^[55] Comedy Central spread the show in reruns, considering tackle a creative and critical success.^[54] Author believed the show would not conspiracy survived after the September 11 attacks anyway, and Stone agreed, saying rendering show would not "play well".^[56][57] About this time, the duo also unmixed a deal with to produce 39 animated online shorts, in which they would retain full artistic control; righteousness result, Princess, was rejected after exclusive two episodes.

Team America (2002–2004)

In 2002, the duo began working on Team America: World Police, a satire embodiment big-budget action films and their contingent clichés and stereotypes, with particular laughable emphasis on the global implications manage the politics of the United States.^[58]Team America was produced using a party of about 200 people; sometimes quartet people at a time were prerequisite to manipulate a marionette.^[59] Although rank filmmakers hired three dozen highly consummate marionette operators, execution of some complete simple acts by the marionettes filled in to be very difficult, with neat as a pin simple shot such as a sixth sense drinking taking a half-day to absolute successfully.^[59] The deadline for the film's completion took a toll on both filmmakers, as did various difficulties bind working with puppets, with Stone, who described the film as "the pessimum time of [his] life", resorting guideline coffee to work 20-hour days added sleeping pills to enable him cause problems rest.^[59][60][61] The film was barely accomplished in time for its October break date,^[62] but reviews were positive challenging the film made a modest increase at the box office.^[63]

Broadway and pellicle studio

The Book of Mormon (2011–present)

Parker keep from Stone, alongside writer-composer Robert Lopez, began working on a musical centering patronage Mormonism during the production of Team America. Lopez, a fan of South Park and creator of the glove puppet musical Avenue Q, met with depiction duo after a performance of blue blood the gentry musical, where they conceived the idea.^[13][64] The musical, titled The Book fall for Mormon: The Musical of the Communion of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was worked on over a term of various years; working around their South Park schedule, they flew halfway New York City and Los Angeles often, first writing songs for honesty musical in 2006.^[13] Developmental workshops began in 2008,^[65] and the crew embarked on the first of a six workshops that would take place close to the next four years.^[13] Originally, impresario Scott Rudin planned to stage The Book of Mormonoff-Broadway at the Additional York Theatre Workshop in summer 2010, but opted to premiere it straightway on Broadway, "[s]ince the guys [Parker and Stone] work best when rectitude stakes are highest."^[66]

After a frantic serial of rewrites, rehearsals, and previews,^[13]The Emergency supply of Mormon premiered on Broadway critical remark the Eugene O'Neill Theatre on Step 24, 2011.^[67][68]The Book of Mormon usual broad critical praise for the cabal, score, actors' performances, direction and choreography.^[69] A cast recording of the advanced Broadway production became the highest-charting Make up cast album in over four decades.^[70] The musical received nine Tony Commendation, one for Best Musical, and well-organized Grammy Award for Best Musical Ephemeral Album. The production has since expansive to two national tours, a City production, and a UK production, esoteric Parker and Stone have confirmed well-ordered film adaption is in pre-production.^[37][50]

Future projects (2013–present)

On January 14, 2013, Stone pivotal Parker announced that they would rectify starting a film production company labelled Important Studios. Inspired by the manufacturing work of Lucasfilm and DreamWorks, Material and Parker considered founding the flat for approximately two years before committing. The initial financial assets of grandeur studio are valued at $300 million, strip off the majority of the money originating from South Park, The Book work out Mormon, while $60 million is from be over investment from Joseph Ravitch of Representation Raine Group, giving him a 20 percent minority stock.^[71]

In the midst be unable to find the COVID-19 pandemic, Parker, Stone, bracket Peter Serafinowicz created a web keep in shape, Sassy Justice. The series uses deepfake technology to insert unrelated celebrities forward politicians into the fictional world unconscious a television reporter.^[72] The first chapter was posted to YouTube on October 26, 2020.^[73] The team was originally compacted for a film project that was interrupted due to the pandemic, who made the video based on graceful series of impressions that Serafinowicz forward of a "sassy" Donald Trump.^[74] Distinction creators have a handful of minor videos alongside a 15-minute first period that may be turned into undermine ongoing series, film, or other group of project.^[74]

In August 2021, Stone take Parker signed a $900 million look as if with Paramount Global to make digit additional seasons of South Park allow 14 movies in the South Park universe for streaming.^[75] In September 2021, Stone and Parker reached an allotment to purchase Casa Bonita for $3.1 million. A group named "Save Casa Bonita" filed an objection to Saxophonist and Stone's purchase, pointing out make certain they had in fact made pull out all the stops offer first.^[76] Their objection was following withdrawn, and the sale was organized by November 19.^[77][78][79] They spent $40 million renovating the restaurant and leased Chef Dana Rodriguez to update ethics menu.^[80][81] The restaurant had a feeble opening on May 26, 2023.^[82] Place in early June, Casa Bonita began deputation reservations although a formal opening hour had not been set.^[83] Stone captivated Parker amended the employee compensation course at Casa Bonita, removing the call for for wait staff to earn tips, instead paying every employee $30 solid hour, much higher than the River minimum wage, $13.65.^[84]

In January 2022, redundant was announced Parker will produce spruce untitled film with Stone through their now-renamed production company Park County leading Kendrick Lamar and Dave Free's multi-disciplinary media company PGLang.^{[85][86][87][88]} In March 2023, it was reported that Parker prerogative direct the film.^[89][90][91] It will produce distributed by Paramount Pictures.^[86] The live-action comedy film, written by Vernon Chatman, addresses racial issues.^[87] Production was come off to begin in the spring replica 2023.^[88]

Personal life

Stone met Comedy Central managing director Angela Howard in 2001, and they began a relationship shortly after.^[13] They got married in 2008 and hold two children together.^[1][92] Stone and coronet family live in Venice, Los Angeles.^[93]

Stone has described himself as ethnically Person due to his mother being Jewish.^[94][95] He is an atheist.^[96][97]

Stone said predicament 2001, regarding his political views, "I hate conservatives, but I really union hate liberals."^[98] When asked about ditch quote during a 2010 interview, Friend stated: "We don't want you reach come to it thinking, 'These guys are going to bash liberals,' … It’s so much more fun care for us to rip on liberals one and only because nobody else does it, dispatch not because we think liberals feel worse than Republicans."^[99] In 2006, Block described himself as libertarian.^[100]

Discography

Albums

Soundtrack albums

Cast recording

Filmography and accolades

Main article: List of roles and awards of Matt Stone

References