Bill Watterson
| Bill Watterson | |
|---|---|
| Born |
William Boyd Watterson II July 5, 1958 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
| Alma mater | Kenyon College |
| Occupation | Cartoonist |
| Known for |
Calvin and Hobbes (1985–95) |
| Spouse(s) | Melissa Richmond (m. 1983) |
| Awards | full list |
William Boyd "Bill" Watterson II (born July 5, 1958) is an American cartoonist and the author of the comic strip Calvin and Hobbes, which was syndicated from 1985 to 1995. Watterson stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes at the end of 1995 with a short statement to newspaper editors and his readers that he felt he had achieved all he could in the medium. Watterson is known for his negative views on licensing and comic syndication, his efforts to expand and elevate the newspaper comic as an art-form, and his move back into private life after he stopped drawing Calvin and Hobbes. Watterson was born in Washington, D.C. and grew up in Chagrin Falls, Ohio, whose suburban Midwestern United States setting was part of the inspiration for Calvin and Hobbes.
Bill Watterson was born in Washington, D.C., United States, where his father James G. Watterson (1932-2016) worked as a patent attorney. The family relocated to Chagrin Falls, Ohio in 1965 when Watterson was six years old, because his mother Kathryn wanted to be closer to her family and felt that the small town was a good place to raise her two children Bill and Thomas.
Watterson drew his first cartoon at age eight, and spent much time in childhood alone, drawing and cartooning. This continued through his school years, during which time he discovered comic strips such as Pogo, Krazy Kat, and Charles Schulz' Peanuts which subsequently inspired and influenced his desire to become a professional cartoonist. On one occasion when he was in fourth grade, he wrote a letter to Charles Schulz, who responded — to Watterson's surprise — making a big impression on him at the time. His parents encouraged him in his artistic pursuits. Later, they recalled him as a "conservative child" — imaginative, but "not in a fantasy way", and certainly nothing like the character of Calvin that he later created. Watterson found avenues for his cartooning talents throughout primary and secondary school, creating high school-themed super hero comics with his friends and contributing cartoons and art to the school newspaper and yearbook.
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