Charles Addams
Charles Samuel Addams was an American cartoonist born on January 7, 1912, in Westfield, New Jersey, known for his unique blend of macabre humor. Growing up fascinated by the eerie, he drew inspiration from his childhood experiences, including playing in cemeteries and exploring abandoned houses. Addams pursued art throughout his education, attending Westfield High School, Colgate University, and the University of Pennsylvania, eventually becoming a prominent contributor to The New Yorker, where he published over thirteen hundred cartoons. His most notable creation, "The Addams Family," first appeared in 1937, featuring a cast of quirky characters that would later be adapted into a successful television series and several films. Addams's work is characterized by detailed drawings that humorously juxtapose the ordinary with the bizarre, earning him recognition in the form of awards such as the Yale Humor Award and a Special Edgar Award. He was married three times, the last being to Marilyn Matthew Miller in 1980, and he remained married until his death from heart failure on September 28, 1988. Addams's legacy continues to influence cartoonists and entertain audiences with a distinctive style that celebrates the strange and humorous aspects of life.
On this Page
Subject Terms
Charles Addams
Cartoonist
- Born: January 7, 1912
- Birthplace: Westfield, New Jersey
- Died: September 28, 1988
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Charles Samuel Addams was born in Westfield, New Jersey, on January 7, 1912. He was an only child who grew up reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Edgar Allen Poe. His interest in the macabre began at an early age; Addams liked to play in cemeteries, and was once caught by the police breaking into an abandoned house. That house, and the one his family lived in at the time, is alleged to be the inspiration for the Addams Family mansion that would appear in his later drawings.
Addams attended Westfield High School and was the art editor for the school newspaper, The Weather Vane. After his graduation in 1929, he attended Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, for one year. He also studied at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and the Grand Central School of Art in New York City. During World War II, Addams served in the United States Army as a private from 1943 to 1946.
Addams married three times. His first wife was a model, Barbara Day, whom he married in 1943 and divorced in 1951. Addams’s second wife was Barbara Barb; they were married in 1954 and divorced in 1956. After many years as a single man, Addams married again in 1980, when he wed Marilyn Matthew Miller. Miller, nicknamed “Tee,” was a kindred spirit who wore black during their wedding ceremony, which took place in a pet cemetery. They remained married until Addams died of heart failure on September 28, 1988, at age 76.
From an early age, Addams’s primary goal was to have his cartoons published in The New Yorker. His first appearance came in 1933 with a cartoon titled “I Forgot My Skates.” A few years later, the cartoon “Downhill Skier” earned him a full-time position as an artist. While Addams’s illustrations also appeared in TV Guide and Colliers, most of his work was reserved for The New Yorker, where he published more than thirteen hundred cartoons over forty-eight years.
Addams’s most famous creation, “The Addams Family” cartoons, first appeared in 1937 and featured an unnamed witch-like character and her hulking manservant. As the cartoons grew in popularity, the household expanded to include a ghoulish husband, two eerie children, and an assortment of oddball relations. The characters remained nameless until 1964, when television producer David Levy offered to turn Addams’s famous characters into a television series. Though “The Addams Family” aired only from 1964 to 1966, it remained popular in syndication and spawned two feature films and several animated cartoons.
Even before the appearance of “The Addams Family,” Addams was known for his ghoulish combination of horror and humor. He relied on his drawing skills to tell the story and said that if the cartoon needed a caption, he failed in some way. His detailed drawings combined the ordinary with the extraordinary and influenced later cartoonists such as Gahan Wilson and Gary Larson. In 1954, Addams received a Yale Humor Award for his drawings. He later received a Special Edgar award from The Mystery Writers of America in 1961. After his death, Addams was awarded a Hugo Award for best nonfiction book of 1992 for The World of Charles Addams.