Bil Keane
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the Irish bishop, see William Keane (bishop).
Bil Keane (born October 5, 1922) is an American cartoonist best known for his work on the long-running strip The Family Circus, which began its run in 1960 and continues in syndication.
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[edit] Biography
Keane was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He taught himself to draw while attending Northeast Catholic High School by mimicking the style of the cartoons published in the New Yorker. His first cartoon was published on May 21, 1936 on the amateur page of the Philadelphia Daily News.
Keane served in the U.S. Navy from 1942 to 1945, drawing for Yank magazine and creating the "At Ease with the Japanese" feature for the Pacific edition of Stars and Stripes. While stationed in Australia he met Thelma 'Thel' Carne. Bil and Thel were married in Brisbane in 1948, and settled in Roslyn, Pennsylvania. They have five children, Gayle, Christopher, Neal, Glen, and Jeff.
He worked for the Philadelphia Bulletin as a staff artist from 1946 to 1959, where he launched his first regular comic strip Silly Philly. In 1954 his first syndicated strip, Channel Chuckles premiered.
In 1959, Bil and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. In February, 1960, The Family Circus premiered.
From 1981 to 1983 Bil published the gag strip Eggheads in collaboration with his son Jeff. Jeff currently acts as Bil's assistant and is expected to take over daily production of the strip when Bil retires.
He has been recognized for his work with the National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for 1967, 1971, 1973, and 1974, and their Reuben Award for 1982 for his work on The Family Circus. He also won their Special Features Award for 1976 for Channel Chuckles. He also won the Elzie Segar Award in 1982.
[edit] Friends
Keane had a close friendship with humorist, newspaper columnist, and fellow Catholic Erma Bombeck until her death in 1996. Keane provided illustrations for Bombeck's 1972 book Just Wait Until You Have Children of Your Own!. Keane considers himself instrumental in convincing Bombeck to move to Arizona. Keane also counted fellow cartoonists Charles Schulz (Peanuts) and Jeff MacNelly (Shoe) as close friends.
[edit] Trivia
- He is the father of Disney animator Glen Keane
- Keane dropped the second "l" from his name as a teenager while working on a satire magazine with friends
[edit] Quotes
- (about Peanuts cartoonist Charles Schulz) "I always said we had a lot in common: We both did a feature about kids and family values. He had five children; I had five children. He was born in 1922; I was born in 1922. He made a million dollars a week; I was born in 1922." [1]
[edit] External links
- Bil's (humorous) biography at the Family Circus Website
- Bil Keane biography at King Features Syndicate
- Feature article on Bil Keane at St. Anthony Messenger Magazine Online
