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. October 5 is the 278th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (279th in Leap years). ... Year 1922 (MCMXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... Cartoonist Jack Elrod at work. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... 1960 (MCMLX) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link is to a full 1960 calendar). ...

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. Nickname: City of Brotherly Love, Philly, the Quaker City Motto: Philadelphia maneto (Let brotherly love continue) Location in Pennsylvania Coordinates: Country United States State Pennsylvania County Philadelphia Founded October 27, 1682 Incorporated October 25, 1701 Mayor John F. Street (D) Area    - City 369. ... New Yorker may refer to: the magazine, The New Yorker a resident of New York City the hotel New Yorker a named passenger train operated by the Pennsylvania Railroad between Detroit, MI and New York, NY This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that...

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. USN redirects here. ... Year 1942 (MCMXLII) was a common year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1942 calendar). ... Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Yank: the Army Weekly was a newspaper for American soldiers during World War II. External links The YANK page (www. ... Flag ratio: 10:19; nicknames: Stars and Stripes, Old Glory The flag of the United States of America consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars... This article is about the Australian city. ... Year 1948 (MCMXLVIII) was a leap year starting on Thursday (the link is to a full 1948 calendar). ... Glen Keane (born on April 13, 1954)[1] is the son of Bil Keane, an illustrator best known for the daily comic strip The Family Circus, and Thelma Thel Carne Keane [2]. He is perhaps the most famous traditional (2D) lead character animator in recent history. ...

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. The Evening Bulletin is the name of two Philadelphia, Pennsylvania newspapers. ... Year 1946 (MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Silly Philly was the first comic strip by Bil Keane, most noted for the long-running single-panel (weekdays) and Sunday (strip) comic Family Circus. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Channel Chuckles is the title of a comic panel created by Bil Keane which ran from 1954 through 1977. ...

In 1959, Bil and his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona. In February, 1960, The Family Circus premiered. Year 1959 (MCMLIX) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Nickname: Valley of the Sun Location in Maricopa County and the state of Arizona Coordinates: Country United States State Arizona Counties Maricopa Incorporated February 25, 1881  - Mayor Phil Gordon (D) Area    - City 1230. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

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. 1981 (MCMLXXXI) was a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1983 (MCMLXXXIII) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

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. The National Cartoonists Society is an organization of professional cartoonists created in 1946. ... The Reuben Awards, named for Rube Goldberg, are presented each year by the National Cartoonists Society. ... Elzie Crisler Segar (born December 8, 1894 - died October 13, 1938) was an American cartoonist who created the famous comic-strip character Popeye in 1929. ...

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. Erma Louise (Harris) Bombeck (February 21, 1927 - April 22, 1996) was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for a newspaper column that depicted suburban home life in the second half of the 20th century. ... 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... 1972 (MCMLXXII) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... Charles Monroe Schulz (November 26, 1922 - February 12, 2000) was a 20th-century American cartoonist best known for his Peanuts comic strip. ... Peanuts is a syndicated daily and Sunday comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz, which ran from October 2, 1950, to February 13, 2000 — the day after Schulzs death. ... Jeffrey Kenneth MacNelly (1948 - June 8, 2000) was a famous American editorial cartoonist, widely considered to be one of the best editorial cartoonists of the modern era. ...

Controversy

According to imdb.com, Keane has an ongoing rivalry with The Boondocks comic strip creator Aaron McGruder. While speaking at the Reuben Awards, Keane commented that "There's a lot of diversity in comics these days. They don't have to be funny, they just have to be diverse."[1] It could be assumed he was directing the negative statement at McGruder. The Internet Movie Database (IMDb), owned by Amazon. ... For the originating definition of Boondocks, see Boondock. ... Aaron McGruder (born May 29, 1974 in Chicago, Illinois) is an American cartoonist best known for writing and drawing The Boondocks, a Universal Press Syndicate comic strip about two young African-American brothers from inner-city Chicago now living with their grandfather in a sedate suburb. ... The Reuben Awards, named for Rube Goldberg, are presented each year by the National Cartoonists Society to the person chosen as Cartoonist of the Year. ...

Trivia

• Bil Keane is the father of Glen Keane, a well-known Disney animator.
• Bil is an avid tennis player and enjoys Dixieland jazz music
• Bil dropped the second "l" from his name while working on a satire magazine with friends as a teenager

Glen Keane (born on April 13, 1954)[1] is the son of Bil Keane, an illustrator best known for the daily comic strip The Family Circus, and Thelma Thel Carne Keane [2]. He is perhaps the most famous traditional (2D) lead character animator in recent history. ...

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." [2]

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

References

• NCS Awards