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Michael Craig Judge (born October 17, 1962) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director and musician. He is the creator of the animated television series ''
Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, an ...
'' (1993–1997, 2011, 2022–present), and the co-creator of the television series '' King of the Hill'' (1997–2010), '' The Goode Family'' (2009), ''
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...
'' (2014–2019), and '' Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus'' (2017–2018). He wrote and directed the films '' Beavis and Butt-Head Do America'' (1996), ''
Office Space ''Office Space'' is a 1999 American black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the worklife of a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. It stars Ron Livingston, Jennife ...
'' (1999), ''
Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film directed by Mike Judge and co-written by Judge and Etan Cohen. Starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews, the film tells the story of Corporal Joe Bauers (W ...
'' (2006), and ''
Extract An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures, absolutes or in powder form. The aromatic principles of many spices, nuts ...
'' (2009), and co-wrote the screenplay to ''
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe ''Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe'' is a 2022 American adult animated science fiction comedy film directed by John Rice and Albert Calleros and written by Mike Judge, Lew Morton, Guy Maxtone-Graham and Ian Maxtone-Graham. It is the second ...
'' (2022). Judge was born in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and raised in the U.S. state of
New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe, New Mexico, Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque, New Mexico, Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Albuquerque metropolitan area, Tiguex , Offi ...
. He graduated from the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is ...
, where he studied physics. After losing interest in a career in science, Judge focused on animation and short films. His animated short ''
Frog Baseball ''Frog Baseball'' is an animated short film created by Mike Judge in 1992, which marks the first appearance of the Beavis and Butt-Head characters. It premiered in The Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. Plot The short starts out with a ti ...
'' was developed into the successful
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
series ''Beavis and Butt-Head'', and the spin-off series '' Daria'' (with which Judge had no involvement). In 1995, Judge and the former ''
Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...
'' writer Greg Daniels developed ''King of the Hill'', which debuted on Fox in 1997 and quickly became popular with both critics and audiences. Running for 13 seasons, it became one of the longest-running American animated series. During the run of the show, Judge took time off to write and direct ''Office Space'', ''Idiocracy'' and ''Extract''. As ''King of the Hill'' was coming to an end, Judge created his third show, ABC's ''The Goode Family'', which received mixed reviews and was cancelled after 13 episodes. After a four-year hiatus, he created his fourth show, the live-action ''
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...
'' for HBO, which has received critical acclaim. In 2017, Judge's fourth animated series, the music-themed '' Tales from the Tour Bus'', premiered on Cinemax, to acclaim. Judge has won a
Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
and two
Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally des ...
for ''King of the Hill'' and two
Critics' Choice Television Award The Critics' Choice Television Awards are accolades that are presented annually by the Critics Choice Association (CCA). They were established in 2011, and the first ceremony was held on June 20, 2011, and streamed live on VH1.com. The fourt ...
s and
Satellite Awards The Satellite Awards are annual awards given by the International Press Academy that are commonly noted in entertainment industry journals and blogs. The awards were originally known as the Golden Satellite Awards. The award ceremonies take place ...
for ''Silicon Valley''.


Early life

Michael Craig Judge was born on October 17, 1962, in
Guayaquil , motto = Por Guayaquil Independiente en, For Independent Guayaquil , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Ecuador#South America , pushpin_re ...
,
Ecuador Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ' ...
.Contemporary Authors Online (2009) He is the middle of three children born to Margaret Yvonne (
née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...
Blue), a librarian, and William James Judge, an archaeologist. At the time of his birth, his father was working for a nonprofit organization in Guayaquil and other parts of Ecuador, promoting agricultural development. Judge was raised from age three in
Albuquerque, New Mexico Albuquerque ( ; ), ; kee, Arawageeki; tow, Vakêêke; zun, Alo:ke:k'ya; apj, Gołgéeki'yé. abbreviated ABQ, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Its nicknames, The Duke City and Burque, both reference its founding i ...
, where he spent a small portion of his life working on a chicken farm. He attended St. Pius X High School and graduated with a
Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University o ...
in physics from the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is ...
(UCSD) in 1985.


Career


1985–1997: Early science career; musician; animation and ''Beavis and Butt-Head''

After graduating from the
University of California, San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is ...
in 1985, he held several brief jobs in
physics Physics is the natural science that studies matter, its fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge which ...
and
mechanical engineering Mechanical engineering is the study of physical machines that may involve force and movement. It is an engineering branch that combines engineering physics and mathematics principles with materials science, to design, analyze, manufacture, ...
, but found himself growing bored with science. In 1987, he moved to
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...
to join Parallax Graphics, a startup
video card A graphics card (also called a video card, display card, graphics adapter, VGA card/VGA, video adapter, display adapter, or mistakenly GPU) is an expansion card which generates a feed of output images to a display device, such as a computer m ...
company with about 40 employees based in
Santa Clara, California Santa Clara (; Spanish for " Saint Clare") is a city in Santa Clara County, California. The city's population was 127,647 at the 2020 census, making it the eighth-most populous city in the Bay Area. Located in the southern Bay Area, the cit ...
. Disliking the company's culture and his colleagues ("The people I met were like
Stepford Wives ''The Stepford Wives'' is a 1972 satirical "feminist horror" novel by Ira Levin. The story concerns Joanna Eberhart, a talented photographer, wife and young mother who suspects that something in Stepford's environment is changing the wives f ...
. They were true believers in something, and I don't know what it was"), Judge quit after less than three months and became a bass player with a touring
blues Blues is a music genre and musical form which originated in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues incorporated spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts, chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads from the ...
band. He was a part of
Anson Funderburgh Anson Funderburgh (born James Anson Funderburgh; November 14, 1954) is an American blues guitar player and bandleader of Anson Funderburgh and the Rockets since 1978. Their style incorporates both Chicago blues and Texas blues. Career Funderbur ...
's band for two years, playing on their 1990 Black Top Records release ''Rack 'Em Up'', while taking graduate math classes at the University of Texas at Dallas. In 1989, after seeing animation cels on display in a movie theater, Judge purchased a Bolex
16 mm film 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...
camera and began creating his own animated shorts in his home in Richardson, Texas. In 1991, his short film ''Office Space'' (also known as the '' Milton'' series of shorts) was acquired by Comedy Central, following an animation festival in Dallas. In the early 1990s, he was playing blues bass with
Doyle Bramhall Doyle Bramhall (February 17, 1949 – November 12, 2011) was an American blues singer, guitarist and drummer with deep roots in the Austin, Texas music scene. Career Bramhall joined The Chessmen with Jimmie Vaughan while in high school. ...
. In 1992, he developed ''
Frog Baseball ''Frog Baseball'' is an animated short film created by Mike Judge in 1992, which marks the first appearance of the Beavis and Butt-Head characters. It premiered in The Sick and Twisted Festival of Animation. Plot The short starts out with a ti ...
'', a short film featuring the characters Beavis and
Butt-Head Butt-Head is a fictional Character (arts), character and one of the two Protagonist, protagonists from the MTV/Paramount+ Animation, animated series ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. He is voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge. Judge got the name B ...
, to be featured on '' Liquid Television'', a 1990s animation showcase that appeared on
MTV MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
. The short led to the creation of the ''
Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, an ...
'' series on MTV, in which Judge voiced both title characters as well as the majority of supporting characters and wrote and directed the majority of the episodes. The show centers on two socially incompetent, heavy metal-loving teenage wannabe delinquents, Beavis and
Butt-Head Butt-Head is a fictional Character (arts), character and one of the two Protagonist, protagonists from the MTV/Paramount+ Animation, animated series ''Beavis and Butt-Head''. He is voiced by the show's creator, Mike Judge. Judge got the name B ...
, who live in the fictional town of Highland, Texas. The two have no adult supervision, are dim-witted, sex-obsessed, uneducated, barely literate, and lack any empathy or moral scruples, even regarding each other. Over its run, ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' drew a notable amount of both positive and negative reaction from the public with its combination of lewd humor and implied criticism of society. Judge himself is highly critical of the animation and quality of earlier episodes, in particular the first two – ''Blood Drive''/''Give Blood'' and ''Door to Door'' – which he described as "awful, I don't know why anybody liked it ... I was burying my head in the sand.""Taint of Greatness: The Story of Beavis and Butt-Head Part 1", in ''The Mike Judge Collection'' Volume 1. The series spawned the feature-length film '' Beavis and Butt-Head Do America'' and the spin-off show '' Daria''. After two decades, the series aired its new season on October 27, 2011. The premiere was a ratings hit, with an audience of 3.3 million total viewers. On January 10, 2014, Judge announced that there is still a chance to pitch ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' to another network and that he wouldn't mind making more episodes.


1997–2009: ''King of the Hill'', ''Office Space'', and ''Idiocracy''

In early 1995, after the successful first run of ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' on MTV, Mike Judge co-created the show '' King of the Hill'' with former ''
Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, a ...
'' writer Greg Daniels. Judge was a former resident of Garland, Texas, upon which the fictional community of Arlen was loosely based, but as Judge stated in a later interview, the show was based more specifically on the Dallas suburb of
Richardson Richardson may refer to: People * Richardson (surname), an English and Scottish surname * Richardson Gang, a London crime gang in the 1960s * Richardson Dilworth, Mayor of Philadelphia (1956-1962) Places Australia * Richardson, Australian Capi ...
. Judge conceived the idea for the show, drew the main characters, and wrote the pilot script. Judge voiced characters
Hank Hill Hank Rutherford HillSeason Five, Episode Ten: Yankee Hankie (at time 04:42 of 22:30) Birth Certificate has his name listed as Hank Rutherford Hill (born April 15, 1953) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Fox animated tel ...
and Jeff Boomhauer. The show is about a middle-class Methodist family named the Hills living in a small town called Arlen, Texas. It attempts to retain a naturalistic approach, seeking humor in the conventional and mundane aspects of everyday life while dealing with issues comically. After its debut in 1997, the series became a large success for Fox and was named one of the best television series of the year by various publications, including ''
Entertainment Weekly ''Entertainment Weekly'' (sometimes abbreviated as ''EW'') is an American digital-only entertainment magazine based in New York City, published by Dotdash Meredith, that covers film, television, music, Broadway theatre, books, and popular ...
'', ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'', and ''
TV Guide TV Guide is an American digital media company that provides television program listings information as well as entertainment and television-related news. The company sold its print magazine division, TV Guide Magazine LLC, in 2008. Corporat ...
''. For the 1997–1998 season, the series became one of Fox's highest-rated programs and even briefly outperformed ''The Simpsons'' in ratings. Although ratings remained consistent throughout the 10th, 11th and 12th seasons and had begun to rise in the overall
Nielsen ratings Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
(up to the 105th most watched series on television, from 118 in season 8), Fox abruptly announced in 2008 that ''King of the Hill'' had been cancelled. The cancellation coincided with the announcement that
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...
, creator of ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...
'' and ''
American Dad! ''American Dad!'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Mike Barker and Matt Weitzman for the Fox Broadcasting Company. Since 2014, the series has been airing new episodes on TBS. ''American Dad!'' is the first television ...
'', would be creating a ''Family Guy'' spin-off called ''
The Cleveland Show ''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of ''Family Guy'', the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs, a ...
'', which would take over ''King of the Hill's'' time slot. Hopes to keep the show afloat surfaced as sources indicated that ABC (which was already airing Judge's new animated comedy, '' The Goode Family'') was interested in securing the rights to the show, but in January 2009, ABC president Steve McPherson said he had "no plans to pick up the animated comedy." On April 30, 2009, it was announced that Fox ordered at least two more episodes to give the show a proper finale. The show's 14th season was supposed to air sometime in the 2009–10 season, but Fox later announced that it would not air the episodes, opting instead for syndication. On August 10, 2009, however, Fox released a statement that the network would air a one-hour series finale (which consisted of a regular 30-minute episode followed by a 30-minute finale) on September 13, 2009. The four remaining episodes of the series aired in syndication the week of May 3, 2010, and again on
Adult Swim Adult Swim (AS; stylized as dult swim'' and often abbreviated as s'') is an American adult-oriented night-time cable television channel that shares channel space with the basic cable network Cartoon Network and is programmed by its in-house ...
during the week of May 17, 2010. During the panel discussion for the return of ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' at Comic-Con 2011, Mike Judge said that no current plans exist to revive ''King of the Hill'', although he would not rule out the possibility of it returning. Judge began to develop one of his four animated short films entitled '' Milton'', about an office drone named Milton that Judge created, which first aired on '' Liquid Television'' and ''
Night After Night with Allan Havey Allan Havey (born September 19, 1954) is an American stand-up comic and actor. He started his career as a comedian in New York City in 1981. Overview Havey made his national debut in 1986 on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' and made many app ...
'' and later aired on ''
Saturday Night Live ''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serves ...
''. The inspiration came from a temp job he once had that involved alphabetizing purchase orders and a job he had as an engineer for three months in the San Francisco Bay Area during the 1980s, "just in the heart of
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...
and in the middle of that overachiever yuppie thing, it was just awful". Judge sold the completed film ''
Office Space ''Office Space'' is a 1999 American black comedy film written and directed by Mike Judge. It satirizes the worklife of a typical 1990s software company, focusing on a handful of individuals weary of their jobs. It stars Ron Livingston, Jennife ...
'' to
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
based on his script and a cast that included
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
, Ron Livingston, and
David Herman David Herman (born February 20, 1967) is an American actor and comedian. He was an original cast member on '' MADtv'' from 1995 to 1997, and played Michael Bolton in ''Office Space''. He has done voice-over work in hundreds of episodes of '' ...
. Originally, the studio wanted to make a film out of the Milton character but Judge was not interested, opting instead to make more of an
ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast t ...
–based film. The studio suggested that he should make a film like '' Car Wash'' but "just set in an office". Judge made the relatively painless transition from animation to live-action with the help of the film's director of photography who taught him about lenses and where to put the camera. Judge says, "I had a great crew, and it's good going into it not pretending you're an expert." Studio executives were not happy with the footage Judge was getting. He remembers them telling him, "More energy! More energy! We gotta reshoot it! You're failing! You're failing!" In addition, Fox did not like the
gangsta rap Gangsta rap or gangster rap, initially called reality rap, emerged in the mid- to late 1980s as a controversial hip-hop subgenre whose lyrics assert the culture and values typical of American street gangs and street hustlers. Many gangsta rappe ...
music used in the film until a focus group approved of it. Judge hated the ending and felt that a complete rewrite of the third act was necessary. In the film, he made a
cameo appearance A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly ei ...
as Stan (complete with hairpiece and fake mustache), the manager of Chotchkie's, a fictionalized parody of
chain restaurants A chain store or retail chain is a retail outlet in which several locations share a brand, central management and standardized business practices. They have come to dominate the retail and dining markets and many service categories, in many pa ...
like
Chili's Chili's Grill & Bar is an American casual dining restaurant chain. The company was founded by Larry Lavine in Texas in 1975 and is currently owned and operated by Brinker International. History Chili's first location, a converted postal stati ...
,
Applebee's Applebee's Restaurants LLC. is an American company that develops, franchises, and operates the Applebee's Neighborhood Grill + Bar restaurant chain. The Applebee's concept focuses on casual dining, with mainstream American dishes such as salads ...
and
TGI Friday's TGI Fridays (operating in the UK as FRIDAYS) is an American restaurant chain focusing on primarily American cuisine and casual dining. The restaurant's founder said the name stood for "Thank God It's Friday", although some television commerc ...
, and the boss of
Jennifer Aniston Jennifer Joanna Aniston (born February 11, 1969) is an American actress and film producer. She is the recipient of various accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award, a Golden Globe Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards. Since her career ...
's character, whom he continually undermines and interrogates over her lack of sufficient enthusiasm for the job and the insufficient quantity of "flair" (buttons, ribbons, etc.) she wears on her uniform. The film was released on February 19, 1999, and it was well received by critics. Although not particularly successful at the box office, it sold well on VHS and DVD, and it has come to be recognized as a cult classic. Since fall 2003, Judge and fellow animator
Don Hertzfeldt Don Hertzfeldt (born August 1, 1976) is an American animator, writer, and independent filmmaker. He is a two-time Academy Award nominee who is best known for the animated films '' It's Such a Beautiful Day'', the '' World of Tomorrow'' series, ...
have run an animation festival called "
The Animation Show The Animation Show is a touring festival of animated short films that was first held in fall 2003. It was sponsored by MTV, and was created by award-winning animators Mike Judge and Don Hertzfeldt. Due to its association with MTV, the showcase was ...
". "The Animation Show" tours the country every year, screening animated shorts. In 2005, Judge was presented with the
Austin Film Festival Austin Film Festival (AFF), founded in 1994, is an organization in Austin, Texas, that focuses on writers’ creative contributions to film. Initially, AFF was called the Austin Heart of Film Screenwriters Conference and functioned to launch the ...
's Outstanding Television Writer Award by Johnny Hardwick. Judge has made supporting and cameo appearances in numerous films. Judge had a voice cameo as Kenny in '' South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut'' (1999), the feature-length film adaptation of the popular Comedy Central series; he voiced
Kenny McCormick Kenneth "Kenny" McCormick is a fictional character and one of the four main characters in the adult animated television series ''South Park'' along with Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, and Eric Cartman. His often muffled and incomprehensible speech� ...
when he was unhooded towards the end of the film. He later acted in the science-fiction family comedy franchise ''
Spy Kids ''Spy Kids'' is an American spy family action-adventure comedy franchise created by Robert Rodriguez. The plot follows adventures of Carmen and Juni Cortez, two children who become involved in their parents' espionage organization. The films i ...
'', where he played Donnagon Giggles in the first three films. His next film appearance was ''
Serving Sara ''Serving Sara'' is a 2002 American romantic comedy film directed by Reginald Hudlin and starring Matthew Perry, Elizabeth Hurley, and Bruce Campbell. The story follows a process server given the assignment to serve a British socialite with divor ...
'' (2002) where he played a motel manager. He later appeared in the comedy ''
Jackass Number Two ''Jackass Number Two'' is a 2006 American reality slapstick comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the sequel to '' Jackass: The Movie'' (2002), both based upon the MTV series '' Jackass''. Like its predecessor and the original television ...
'' (2006), in which he can be seen during the closing credits. An extended version of his sequence can be seen in ''
Jackass 2.5 ''Jackass Number Two'' is a 2006 American reality slapstick comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the sequel to '' Jackass: The Movie'' (2002), both based upon the MTV series '' Jackass''. Like its predecessor and the original television s ...
'' (2007) which was a
direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy w ...
release. Judge also created a video clip of Beavis and Butt-Head ripping into
Steve-O Stephen Gilchrist Glover (born June 13, 1974), known professionally as Steve-O, is an American entertainer, television personality, stunt performer and YouTuber. His career is mostly centered on his performance stunts in the reality comedy tel ...
for his video ''Poke the Puss'', where the two try imagining if they would like the video better if they were black. The clip aired as a part of '' Jackassworld.com: 24-Hour Takeover'', a February 23, 2008, television special on MTV to coincide with the official launch of jackassworld.com. The characters appeared again in the third Jackass film, titled ''
Jackass 3D ''Jackass 3D'' (known as ''Jackass 3'' on home media) is a 2010 American 3D reality comedy film directed by Jeff Tremaine. It is the third installment in the ''Jackass'' film series, and the sequel to ''Jackass Number Two'' (2006). The film st ...
'', at the beginning of the film, telling viewers to put on their 3D glasses for the film. Judge's third film, ''
Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film directed by Mike Judge and co-written by Judge and Etan Cohen. Starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews, the film tells the story of Corporal Joe Bauers (W ...
'', a
dystopia A dystopia (from Ancient Greek δυσ- "bad, hard" and τόπος "place"; alternatively cacotopiaCacotopia (from κακός ''kakos'' "bad") was the term used by Jeremy Bentham in his 1818 Plan of Parliamentary Reform (Works, vol. 3, p. 493). ...
n comedy starring Luke Wilson and
Maya Rudolph Maya Rudolph (born July 27, 1972) is an American actress, comedian, and singer. In 2000, she became a cast member on the NBC sketch comedy show ''Saturday Night Live'' (''SNL''), and later played supporting roles in the films ''50 First Dates'' ...
, was given a
limited release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few theaters across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unit ...
theatrically by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
in September 2006, two years after production. The film's original release date was intended to be on August 5, 2005, according to Mike Judge. In April 2006, a release date was set for September 1, 2006. The film was released without a trailer or substantial marketing campaign. The film was not screened for critics beforehand as is usually done. Lack of concrete information from Fox led to speculation that the distributor may have actively attempted to keep the film from being seen by a large audience, while fulfilling a contractual obligation for theatrical release ahead of a DVD release, according to Ryan Pearson of the AP. That speculation was followed by open criticism of the studio's lack of support from
Ain't It Cool News Ain't It Cool News (AICN) is an entertainment news website founded by Harry Knowles and run by his sister Dannie Knowles since September 2017, dedicated to news, rumors, and reviews of upcoming and current films, television, and comic book proje ...
, ''
Time Time is the continued sequence of existence and event (philosophy), events that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various me ...
'', and ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentlema ...
''. ''Time''s Joel Stein wrote "the film's ads and trailers tested atrociously", but "still, abandoning ''Idiocracy'' seems particularly unjust, since Judge has made a lot of money for Fox." Despite the film not being screened for critics, the film received positive reviews and was a minor box-office success. In the U.S., the film was released to DVD in January 2007 and later aired on premium-television,
multiplex Multiplex may refer to: * Multiplex (automobile), a former American car make * Multiplex (comics), a DC comic book supervillain * Multiplex (company), a global contracting and development company * Multiplex (assay), a biological assay which measu ...
channels Cinemax in September 2007 and HBO in January 2008. Since then, it has gained a
cult following A cult following refers to a group of fans who are highly dedicated to some person, idea, object, movement, or work, often an artist, in particular a performing artist, or an artwork in some medium. The lattermost is often called a cult classic. ...
.


2009–2013: ''The Goode Family'', ''Extract'', and other projects

Judge's fourth directorial effort was 2009's ''
Extract An extract is a substance made by extracting a part of a raw material, often by using a solvent such as ethanol, oil or water. Extracts may be sold as tinctures, absolutes or in powder form. The aromatic principles of many spices, nuts ...
''. Shortly after completing ''Office Space'', Judge was already about 40 pages into his follow-up script, set in the world of an extract factory, when he was convinced by his representative team that he needed to shelve that and concentrate on something more commercial. Over the next several years, he focused his energy on developing ''Idiocracy''. But years later, by the time of the film's release, audiences had decided that ''Office Space'' had struck a chord, so they were ready to see Judge return to on-the-job humor, and thus the ''Extract'' script was given new life. Seeking to keep ''Extract'' below the radar of the studio system, Judge and his producers set up a production company, Ternion Productions, and arranged private financing while partnering with Miramax for domestic distribution of the film. Judge relied heavily on his own personal knowledge of the industrial world to bring the story to life. "I actually worked in a factory a little bit myself ... I hopefully write stuff that is recognizable as the archetypes of this world," Judge stated. Keeping true to this baseline of reality, ''Extract'' was shot in a working factory, in this case a water bottling plant south of Los Angeles, in the City of
Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, natio ...
. He makes an uncredited appearance as Jim, a union organizer. The film premiered on September 4, 2009, and received mixed to positive reviews from critics and was a minor commercial success. Judge's third television series, '' The Goode Family'', debuted on ABC but was cancelled after one season. Comedy Central first aired the series in reruns on January 4, 2010. However, the series was pulled off the schedule shortly thereafter. It was confirmed on ''The Goode Family'' Facebook page that Comedy Central had picked up the reruns of the series, which were to be evaluated for a chance of being renewed for a second season. On August 8, 2009, however, ABC Entertainment President Steve McPherson stated that the show, along with '' Surviving Suburbia'', had officially been canceled due to low ratings. In 2010, reruns of ''The Goode Family'' aired Monday nights at 10 pm on Comedy Central, beginning January 4. It departed the network's primetime schedule after four weeks, returning occasionally in low-trafficked timeslots. In 2012, Judge directed the music video (animation by Titmouse) for
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
group
Zac Brown Band Zac Brown Band is an American country music band based in Atlanta, Georgia. The lineup consists of Zac Brown (lead vocals, guitar), Jimmy De Martini ( fiddle, vocals), John Driskell Hopkins (bass guitar, guitar, baritone guitar, banjo, ukul ...
's " The Wind". In 2013, Judge collaborated with
Seth MacFarlane Seth Woodbury MacFarlane (; born October 26, 1973) is an American actor, animator, filmmaker, comedian, and singer. He is the creator and star of the television series '' Family Guy'' (since 1999) and '' The Orville'' (since 2017), and co-creat ...
on a mashup episode of ''
Family Guy ''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter and Lois; their ch ...
'', in which, complete with a ''Hill''-themed opening, Judge reprises his role as Hank Hill. Earlier in 2010 and 2012, Judge played cameos as Hank on two episodes of MacFarlane's ''
The Cleveland Show ''The Cleveland Show'' is an American animated sitcom created by Seth MacFarlane, Richard Appel, and Mike Henry for the Fox Broadcasting Company. A spin-off of ''Family Guy'', the series centers on Cleveland Brown, his new wife Donna Tubbs, a ...
''.


2014–2019: ''Silicon Valley'' and ''Tales from the Tour Bus''

Judge created his fourth show, ''
Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that serves as a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical areas San Mateo Cou ...
'', with '' King of the Hill'' executive producers
John Altschuler John Altschuler (born 1963) is an American television and film writer and producer known for his collaborative projects with Mike Judge and Dave Krinsky. Early life Altschuler grew up in a Jewish family in Carbondale, Illinois. His mother was a ...
and Dave Krinsky. The HBO comedy is a single-camera live-action sitcom set in Northern California. One of its main themes is the idea that "the people most qualified to succeed are the least capable of handling success". The first season of ''Silicon Valley'' was 8 episodes long and received critical and public acclaim. ''Silicon Valley'' was renewed for a second season on April 21, 2014, and a third season on April 13, 2015. ''Silicon Valley'' aired its fourth season, which premiered on April 23, 2017. The series was renewed for a fifth season, which premiered on March 25, 2018. On January 12, 2017, '' Deadline'' confirmed that Cinemax ordered 8 episodes of Judge's new animated series, '' Mike Judge Presents: Tales from the Tour Bus''. The series premiered on September 22, 2017. In 2019, Judge announced he had been developing two projects for HBO: ''QualityLand'' and ''A5'', both of which were later scrapped by HBO in 2021. In June 2022, Judge revived ''
Beavis and Butt-Head ''Beavis and Butt-Head'' is an American adult animated series created by Mike Judge. The series follows Beavis and Butt-Head, both voiced by Judge, a pair of teenage slackers characterized by their apathy, lack of intelligence, lowbrow humor, an ...
'' with the second film, ''
Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe ''Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe'' is a 2022 American adult animated science fiction comedy film directed by John Rice and Albert Calleros and written by Mike Judge, Lew Morton, Guy Maxtone-Graham and Ian Maxtone-Graham. It is the second ...
'', for Paramount+. Under a new company started by Judge and Daniels called Bandera Entertainment, a '' King of the Hill'' revival is in development.


Personal life

Judge married Francesca Morocco in 1989; they divorced in 2009. Together they have two daughters and a son. The family resides in
Austin, Texas Austin is the capital city of the U.S. state of Texas, as well as the seat and largest city of Travis County, with portions extending into Hays and Williamson counties. Incorporated on December 27, 1839, it is the 11th-most-populous city ...
, and
Santa Monica, California Santa Monica (; Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 U.S. Census population was 93,076. Santa Monica is a popular resort town, owing to ...
, having previously resided in Malibu.


Political views

While '' King of the Hill'' is often a satire of protagonist
Hank Hill Hank Rutherford HillSeason Five, Episode Ten: Yankee Hankie (at time 04:42 of 22:30) Birth Certificate has his name listed as Hank Rutherford Hill (born April 15, 1953) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Fox animated tel ...
, identifiable as a conservative, and his '' The Goode Family'' is essentially a satire centered around a liberal family, Judge avoids discussing his own political leanings. In reviewing ''
Idiocracy ''Idiocracy'' is a 2006 American science fiction comedy film directed by Mike Judge and co-written by Judge and Etan Cohen. Starring Luke Wilson, Maya Rudolph, Dax Shepard, and Terry Crews, the film tells the story of Corporal Joe Bauers (W ...
'',
Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon, a venue for cosmetic treatments * French term for a drawing room, an architectural space in a home * Salon (gathering), a meeting for learning or enjoyment Arts and entertainment * Salon ( ...
stated, "Judge's gimlet eye is so ruthless that at times his politics seem to border on ''South Park'' libertarianism". A writer for the
libertarian Libertarianism (from french: libertaire, "libertarian"; from la, libertas, "freedom") is a political philosophy that upholds liberty as a core value. Libertarians seek to maximize autonomy and political freedom, and minimize the state's en ...
magazine ''
Reason Reason is the capacity of consciously applying logic by drawing conclusions from new or existing information, with the aim of seeking the truth. It is closely associated with such characteristically human activities as philosophy, science, lang ...
'' seems to agree, comparing ''King of the Hill'' to the anti-authoritarian point of view of ''
South Park ''South Park'' is an American animated sitcom created by Trey Parker and Matt Stone and developed by Brian Graden for Comedy Central. The series revolves around four boysStan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormickand ...
'' and ''
The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, ...
'', though he calls the show more populist, noting the disdain ''King of the Hill'' seems to have for bureaucrats, professionals, and big-box chains. Still, Judge denies having political messages in his shows, saying in 2006 in an '' IGN'' interview about ''King of the Hill'': In June 2016, before the
presidential election A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President. Elections by country Albania The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public. Chile The p ...
in November, Etan Cohen told ''
BuzzFeed BuzzFeed, Inc. is an American Internet media, news and entertainment company with a focus on digital media. Based in New York City, BuzzFeed was founded in 2006 by Jonah Peretti and John S. Johnson III to focus on tracking viral content. Ke ...
'' that he and Judge would produce ''Idiocracy''-themed campaign advertisements mocking Donald Trump's presidential campaign if given permission from
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Disn ...
to do so. It was later reported by ''
Business Insider ''Insider'', previously named ''Business Insider'' (''BI''), is an American financial and business news website founded in 2007. Since 2015, a majority stake in ''Business Insider''s parent company Insider Inc. has been owned by the German publ ...
'' that they would not have been campaign ads, would have mocked all of the candidates, and would not go forward.


Filmography


Film


Television


Other appearances


Awards and nominations


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Judge, Mike 1962 births Living people People from Albuquerque, New Mexico 20th-century American male actors 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American non-fiction writers 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians Male actors from Albuquerque, New Mexico 21st-century American screenwriters American animated film directors American animated film producers American cartoonists Film producers from California American male comedians American male film actors Guitarists from New Mexico Guitarists from Texas American bass guitarists American male screenwriters American male television actors American male voice actors American music video directors American satirists American television directors Comedy film directors Television producers from California American television writers Annie Award winners Film directors from Texas Male actors from Austin, Texas American male television writers Musicians from Austin, Texas Writers from Albuquerque, New Mexico People from Guayaquil People from Austin, Texas Primetime Emmy Award winners Showrunners American physicists American mechanical engineers University of California, San Diego alumni Writers from Austin, Texas Animators from New Mexico Animators from Texas Film directors from New Mexico Inkpot Award winners American male non-fiction writers Screenwriters from Texas Television producers from Texas Film producers from Texas Screenwriters from New Mexico Screenwriters from California Comedians from California Comedians from Texas 21st-century American male writers