Jim Davis (cartoonist)

Jim Davis
Jim Davis in 2010
Born	James Robert Davis (1945-07-28) July 28, 1945 (age 71) Marion, Indiana
Occupation	Cartoonist
Years active	1969–present
Notable work	Garfield (1978–present) U.S. Acres (1986–89)
Spouse(s)	Carolyn Altekruse (divorced) Jill Davis (m. 2000)
Children	3
Parent(s)	James William "Jim" Davis (father) Anna Catherine "Betty" Davis (mother)
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James Robert "Jim" Davis (born July 28, 1945) is an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of the comic strips Garfield and U.S. Acres (a.k.a. Orson's Farm), the former of which has been published since 1978 and has since become the world's most widely syndicated comic strip. Davis's other comics work includes Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat and Mr. Potato Head.

Davis has written (or in some cases co-written) all of the Emmy Award-winning or nominated Garfield TV specials and was one of the producers behind the Garfield & Friends TV show which aired on CBS from 1988 to 1994. Davis is the writer and executive producer of a trilogy of CGI-direct-to-video feature films about Garfield, as well as one of the executive producers and the creator for the CGI-animated TV series The Garfield Show. He continues to work on the strip.

Jim Davis was born in Marion, Indiana on July 28, 1945. Davis grew up on a small farm in Fairmount, Indiana, with his father James William "Jim" Davis, mother Anna Catherine "Betty" (née Carter) Davis, brother Dave and 25 cats. Davis's childhood on a farm parallels the life of Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy. Jon is a cartoonist, who also celebrates his birthday on July 28. Davis attended Ball State University where he studied art and business. While attending Ball State, he became a member of the Theta Xi fraternity.