Stephen Hillenburg
Stephen Hillenburg was an American animator and marine educator, best known as the creator of the iconic animated series *SpongeBob SquarePants*. Born in 1961 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma, Hillenburg developed a passion for marine life inspired by oceanographer Jacques Cousteau. He earned a degree in natural resource planning and interpretation from Humboldt State University and later taught marine biology at the Orange County Ocean Institute in California. His artistic talents led him to obtain a Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation from the California Institute of the Arts in 1992.
Hillenburg initially gained recognition for his work on the animated series *Rocko's Modern Life* before launching *SpongeBob SquarePants* in 1999, which became a cultural phenomenon. The show's success included a feature film and a Broadway musical, earning numerous accolades. Although he stepped down as showrunner in 2004, Hillenburg remained involved with the show as an executive producer and later returned to co-write the second SpongeBob movie in 2015. He continued to contribute to the series until his passing on November 26, 2018, due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Hillenburg is remembered not only for his contributions to animation but also for his unique blend of education and creativity. He is survived by his wife, Karen Umland, and their son, Clay.
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Stephen Hillenburg
- Born: August 21, 1961
- Birthplace: Fort Sill, Oklahoma
- Died: November 26, 2018
- Place of death: San Marino, California
Biography
Stephen Hillenburg was born in 1961 in Fort Sill, Oklahoma. Inspired by the films of oceanographer Jacques Cousteau, Hillenburg went to school at Humboldt State University, where he received a degree in natural resource planning and interpretation with a focus on marine resources. He then went on to become a teacher of marine biology at Orange County Ocean Institute in California. Also interested in drawing and painting, Hillenburg later earned a M.F.A. in experimental animation in 1992 at the California Institute of the Arts.
Hillenburg gained recognition by writing for several popular animated shows including Rocko’s Modern Life, a Nickelodeon network cartoon featuring a wallaby named Rocko, his friend Heffer, and Rocko’s ever-loyal dog, Spunky. Hillenburg was most famous for being the animation writer, artist, and creator of the Nickelodeon animated series SpongeBob SquarePants. The cartoon premiered in 1999 and was a great success. The inspiration for SpongeBob came from Hillenburg’s interest in marine life and his desire to do a show about underwater creatures. The character SpongeBob is an innocent Stan Laurel-type whose naïveté and silly point of view cause trouble for himself and those around him. The success of SpongeBob led to an equally successful movie released in 2004. However, in 2004 Hillenburg left his position as showrunner with the SpongeBob SquarePantsseries for undisclosed reasons. While Hillenburg remained with the show as an executive producer, the series was taken over by Paul Tibbitt.
In 2012, Hillenburg returned to work SpongeBob, cowriting the movie SpongeBob SquarePants: Sponge Out of Water (2015). In 2014, Hillenburg resumed the role of developer with the series, working on at least twenty-five episodes that were released after his death. In addition to a series of video games and shorts, the show also inspired the Broadway musical SpongeBob SquarePants, which was nominated for twelve Tony Awards.
On November 26, 2018, Hillenburg died at the age of fifty-seven, after announcing that he had amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease, the previous year.
Hillenburg married chef Karen Umland in 1998. They had a son, Clay, the same year. He lived with his family in San Marino, California.
Bibliography
Genzlinger, Neil. "Stephen Hillenburg, ‘SpongeBob SquarePants’ Creator, Dies at 57." The New York Times, 27 Nov. 2018, www.nytimes.com/2018/11/27/obituaries/stephen-hillenburg-spongebob-squarepants-creator-dies-at-57.html. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.
Manby, Christine. "Stephen Hillenburg: Marine Biologist Who Created SpongeBob SquarePants." Independent, 5 Dec. 2018, www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/stephen-hillenburg-dead-spongebob-squarepants-als-death-age-cause-creator-cartoon-a8666776.html. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.
Otterson, Joe. "'SpongeBob Squarepants' Creator Stephen Hillenburg Dies at 57." Variety, 17 Nov. 2018, variety.com/2018/tv/news/spongebob-squarepants-creator-dead-dies-stephen-hillenburg-1203037362/. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.
"Stephen Hillenburg: Creator of SpongeBob SquarePants." Nickelodeon Animation, www.nickanimation.com/stephen-hillenburg-spongebob-squarepants. Accessed 19 Oct. 2020.