George A. Meyer is a producer and writer for The Simpsons, and arguably the writer who has contributed the most to the show over its long run. In 2000, Meyer was called the "the funniest man behind the funniest show on TV" by The New Yorker.
Biography[]
Born in Pennsylvania in 1956 Meyer grew up in Arizona, the eldest child of eight in a Roman Catholic family of mostly German people descent. Meyer has made frequent jokes about his somewhat unhappy childhood, stating in an audio commentary that one of the frequent arguments in his household was "which family member ruined a holiday". He attended Doolen Junior High and Catalina High School in Tucson, Az. An excellent student, Meyer later went on to Harvard University, where he served as president of the Harvard Lampoon, a comedy magazine at Harvard University. Meyer graduated from Harvard in 1978 with a degree in biochemistry. After college, Meyer became a writer for Late Night with David Letterman, Not Necessarily The News, The New Show, and Saturday Night Live. In 1987, Meyer founded the legendary humor zine Army Man, which attained a cult following. One of its readers was Sam Simon, who was a producer on a new animated sitcom called The Simpsons. In 1989 Simon asked Meyer to join the writing staff, and he has remained there intermittently ever since. In 2005 he wrote for the TBS special Earth To America. He was one of the writers for The Simpsons Movie.
Trivia[]
- He was raised Roman Catholic, but later became an atheist.
- He is a fan of the Grateful Dead.
- He was the editor of "The Harvard Lampoon Book of College Life" (Doubleday & Co., Inc. 1978).
- His hobbies include gambling and collecting space travel-related memorabilia
- He once won a little over 2,000 dollars on Jeopardy!.
- He is a strict vegetarian, as well as a practitioner of yoga.
- He has a daughter with author Maria Semple named Poppy Valentina after Valentina Tereshkova, the first woman in space.
- According to David X. Cohen, Meyer once attempted to live on a "flavorless mush," believing it to be a moral victory if he succeeded. However, he did not last long in his attempt.
- He has a cameo in the 2004 film I ♥ Huckabees. He appears near the end as the annoyed tuxedoed man in an elevator with Jude Law and Jason Schwartzman.
- In 2005, a newly discovered species of frog from Sri Lanka was named Philautus Poppiae after Meyer's daughter, Poppy, for his and his girlfriend's dedication to the Global Amphibian Assessment.
- He wrote a full length screenplay for David Letterman, which was never produced after Letterman's talk show really took off. It is considered a masterpiece by those who have seen it, and a copy remains in The Simpsons re-write room that the show's writers occasionally consult when they are in need of a joke.
- He wrote an unproduced episode of The Simpsons which, although deemed hilarious, went unproduced as it would have led to serious legal ramifications and personally offended several staff/cast members.
- Meyer can be seen in the audience of season 3 Mr. Show episode 310, "It's A No Brainer." He is visible in the first few minutes of the show as the long-haired, bespectacled man sitting behind the "protestors".
- Although most of The Frying Game was written by John Swartzwelder, Meyer wrote the ending.
Credited Episodes[]
Writer[]
- Episode – "The Crepes of Wrath" (with Sam Simon, John Swartzwelder and Jon Vitti)
- Episode – "Bart vs. Thanksgiving"
- Episode – "Blood Feud"
- Episode – "Mr. Lisa Goes to Washington"
- THOH – "Treehouse of Horror II" (contributor)
- Episode – "Separate Vocations"
- Episode – "Homer the Heretic"
- Episode – "Bart's Inner Child"
- Episode – "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday" (with Tom Martin, Brian Scully, and Mike Scully)
- Episode – "Brother's Little Helper"
- Episode – "Behind the Laughter" (with Tim Long, Mike Scully, and Matt Selman)
- Episode – "The Parent Rap" (with Mike Scully)
Commentaries[]
- Episode – "Homer the Heretic"
- Episode – "Bart's Inner Child"
- Episode – "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
- Episode – "The Homer They Fall"
- Episode – "Burns, Baby Burns"
- Episode – "Hurricane Neddy"
- Episode – "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)"
- Episode – "My Sister, My Sitter"
- Episode – "The Canine Mutiny"
- Episode – "The Old Man and the Lisa"
- THOH – "Treehouse of Horror VIII"
- Episode – "The Cartridge Family"
- Episode – "Bart Star"
- Episode – "Lisa the Skeptic"
- Episode – "Miracle on Evergreen Terrace"
- Episode – "Bart Carny"
- Episode – "Das Bus"
- Episode – "The Last Temptation of Krust"
- Episode – "Dumbbell Indemnity"
- Episode – "This Little Wiggy"
- Episode – "The Trouble with Trillions"
- Episode – "Girly Edition"
- Episode – "Trash of the Titans"
- Episode – "Lost Our Lisa"
- Episode – "Natural Born Kissers"
- Episode – "The Wizard of Evergreen Terrace"
- Episode – "Bart the Mother"
- THOH – "Treehouse of Horror IX"
- Episode – "D'oh-in' in the Wind"
- Episode – "Lisa Gets an "A""
- Episode – "Homer Simpson in: "Kidney Trouble""
- Episode – "Mayored to the Mob"
- Episode – "Viva Ned Flanders"
- Episode – "Wild Barts Can't Be Broken"
- Episode – "Sunday, Cruddy Sunday"
- Episode – "I'm with Cupid"
- Episode – "Marge Simpson in: "Screaming Yellow Honkers""
- Episode – "Make Room for Lisa"
- Episode – "Maximum Homerdrive"
- Episode – "Simpsons Bible Stories"
- Episode – "Mom and Pop Art"
- Episode – "The Old Man and the "C" Student"
- Episode – "Monty Can't Buy Me Love"
- Episode – "Thirty Minutes Over Tokyo"
- Episode – "Beyond Blunderdome"
- Episode – "Brother's Little Helper"
- Episode – "Guess Who's Coming to Criticize Dinner?"
- THOH – "Treehouse of Horror X"
- Episode – "E-I-E-I-D'oh"
- Episode – "Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder"
- Episode – "Eight Misbehavin'"
- Episode – "Take My Wife, Sleaze"
- Episode – "Grift of the Magi"
- Episode – "Little Big Mom"
- Episode – "Faith Off"
- Episode – "The Mansion Family"
- Episode – "Saddlesore Galactica"
- Episode – "Alone Again, Natura-Diddily"
- Episode – "Missionary: Impossible"
- Episode – "Pygmoelian"
- Episode – "Bart to the Future"
- Episode – "Days of Wine and D'oh'ses"
- Episode – "Kill the Alligator and Run"
- Episode – "Last Tap Dance in Springfield"
- Episode – "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad Marge"
- Episode – "Behind the Laughter"
- Episode – "A Tale of Two Springfields"
- Episode – "The Parent Rap"
- Episode – "Homer the Moe"
Cameos in the show[]
- "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" - Is the writer who speaks up and is fired.
- "Realty Bites" - Seen standing in line at the Springfield Unemployment Office
- "Jazzy and the Pussycats" - Walks by Bart on the street
External links[]