William Steig (November 14, 1907 – October 3, 2003) was an American
cartoonist
A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary and ...
, illustrator and writer of
children's books
A child (plural, : children) is a human being between the stages of childbirth, birth and puberty, or between the Development of the human body, developmental period of infancy and puberty. The legal definition of ''child'' generally refers ...
, best known for the
picture book
A picture book combines visual and verbal narratives in a book format, most often aimed at young children. With the narrative told primarily through text, they are distinct from comics, which do so primarily through sequential images. The images ...
''
Shrek!
''Shrek!'' is a comedy fantasy picture book published in 1990 by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, about a repugnant green monster who leaves home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princess. The book was generally w ...
'', which inspired the
film series of the same name, as well as others that included ''
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
''Sylvester and the Magic Pebble'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by William Steig, and published in 1969. The book received the Caldecott Medal in 1970.
Plot
Sylvester Duncan, a young donkey from the fictional community ...
'', ''
Abel's Island
''Abel's Island'' is a children's novel written and illustrated by William Steig. It won a Newbery Honor. It was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Toronto, Ontario in 1976. It is a survival story about a mouse stranded on an island.
Plot ...
'', and ''
Doctor De Soto''. He was the U.S. nominee for both of the biennial, international
Hans Christian Andersen Award
The Hans Christian Andersen Awards are two literary awards given by the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY), recognising one living author and one living illustrator for their "lasting contribution to children's literature". Th ...
s, as a children's book illustrator in 1982 and a writer in 1988.
Early life
Steig was born in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
,
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, in 1907, and grew up in
the Bronx
The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New Y ...
. His parents were
Polish-Jewish
The history of the Jews in Poland dates back at least 1,000 years. For centuries, Poland was home to the largest and most significant Ashkenazi Jewish community in the world. Poland was a principal center of Jewish culture, because of the lon ...
immigrants from
Lemberg
Lviv ( uk, Львів) is the largest city in Western Ukraine, western Ukraine, and the List of cities in Ukraine, seventh-largest in Ukraine, with a population of . It serves as the administrative centre of Lviv Oblast and Lviv Raion, and is o ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
; both
socialists
Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the eco ...
. His father, Joseph Steig,
[ was a house painter, and his mother, Laura Ebel Steig, was a seamstress who encouraged his artistic leanings. As a child, he dabbled in painting and was an avid reader of literature. Among other works, he was said to have been especially fascinated by '']Pinocchio
Pinocchio ( , ) is a fictional character and the protagonist of the children's novel ''The Adventures of Pinocchio'' (1883) by Italian writer Carlo Collodi of Florence, Tuscany. Pinocchio was carved by a woodcarver named Geppetto in a Tuscan vil ...
''. In addition to his artistic endeavors, he also did well at athletics, being a member of the collegiate All-American water polo
Water polo is a competitive team sport played in water between two teams of seven players each. The game consists of four quarters in which the teams attempt to score goals by throwing the ball into the opposing team's goal. The team with the ...
team. He graduated from Townsend Harris High School
Townsend Harris High School at Queens College (THHS) is a public magnet high school for the humanities in the borough of Queens in New York City. Students and alumni often refer to themselves as "Harrisites." Townsend Harris consistently ranks a ...
at 15 but never completed college, though he attended three, spending two years at City College of New York
The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
, three years at the National Academy of Design
The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...
and a mere five days at the Yale School of Art
The Yale School of Art is the art school of Yale University. Founded in 1869 as the first professional fine arts school in the United States, it grants Masters of Fine Arts degrees to students completing a two-year course in graphic design, painti ...
before dropping out of each.[
]
Career
Hailed as the "King of Cartoons", Steig began drawing illustrations and cartoons for ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'' in 1930, producing more than 2,600 drawings and 117 covers for the magazine. One of his cartoon characters, Poor Pitiful Pearl, was made into a popular line of dolls starting in 1956.
Later, when he was 61, Steig began writing children's books.[ In 1968, he published his first children's book. He excelled here as well, and his third book, '']Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
''Sylvester and the Magic Pebble'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by William Steig, and published in 1969. The book received the Caldecott Medal in 1970.
Plot
Sylvester Duncan, a young donkey from the fictional community ...
'' (1969), won the Caldecott Medal
The Randolph Caldecott Medal, frequently shortened to just the Caldecott, annually recognizes the preceding year's "most distinguished American picture book for children". It is awarded to the illustrator by the Association for Library Service ...
.[ He went on to write more than 30 children's books, including the '' Doctor De Soto'' series, and he continued to write into his nineties. Among his other well-known works, the picture book '']Shrek!
''Shrek!'' is a comedy fantasy picture book published in 1990 by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, about a repugnant green monster who leaves home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princess. The book was generally w ...
'' (1990) formed the basis for the DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation LLC (DWA, also known as DreamWorks Animation Studios and simply known as DreamWorks) is an American animation studio that produces animated films and television programs and is a subsidiary of Universal Pictures, a division ...
film ''Shrek
''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jenso ...
'' (2001). After the release of ''Shrek 2
''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the seco ...
'' in 2004, Steig became the first sole-creator of an animated movie franchise that went on to generate over $1 billion from theatrical
Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actor, actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a stage. The p ...
and ancillary market
Ancillary markets are non-theatrical markets for feature films, like home video, television, Pay Per View, VOD, Internet streaming, airlines and others.
History
Before television, studios played their films in theaters exclusively. However, i ...
s after only one sequel.
When asked his opinion about the movie based on his picture book ''Shrek'', William Steig responded: “It’s vulgar, it’s disgusting — and I loved it.”
In 1984, Steig's film adaptation of ''Doctor De Soto'', directed by Michael Sporn
Michael Sporn (April 23, 1946 – January 19, 2014) was an American animator who founded his New York City-based company, Michael Sporn Animation
in 1980, and produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.
Sporn was nominat ...
, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film is an award given by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) as part of the annual Academy Awards, or Oscars, since the 5th Academy Awards (with different names), covering the year 1 ...
.
Also in 1984, Steig received the CINE
Ciné film or cine film is the term commonly used in the UK and historically in the US to refer to the 8 mm, Super 8, 9.5 mm, and 16 mm motion picture film formats used for home movies. It is not normally used to refer ...
Golden Eagle Award in Education for the film adaptation of this book.
Personal life and death
Steig married four times and had three children. From 1936 to 1949, Steig was married to educator and artist Elizabeth Mead Steig (1909–1983, sister of anthropologist Margaret Mead
Margaret Mead (December 16, 1901 – November 15, 1978) was an American cultural anthropologist who featured frequently as an author and speaker in the mass media during the 1960s and the 1970s.
She earned her bachelor's degree at Barnard Co ...
), from whom he was later divorced. For a time, Steig lived at 75½ Bedford Street, purported to be the narrowest house in Manhattan.
Steig's first marriage also made him a brother-in-law of Leo Rosten
Leo Calvin Rosten (Yiddish: ; April 11, 1908 – February 19, 1997) was an American humorist in the fields of scriptwriting, storywriting, journalism, and Yiddish lexicography.
Early life
Rosten was born into a Yiddish-speaking family in Łódź ...
[ and an uncle of ]Mary Catherine Bateson
Mary Catherine Bateson (December 8, 1939 – January 2, 2021) was an American writer and cultural anthropologist.
The daughter of Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson, Bateson was a noted author in her field with many published monographs. ...
. Steig and Mead were the parents of jazz flutist (playing the Pied Piper
The Pied Piper of Hamelin (german: der Rattenfänger von Hameln, also known as the Pan Piper or the Rat-Catcher of Hamelin) is the title character of a legend from the town of Hamelin (Hameln), Lower Saxony, Germany.
The legend dates back to ...
in ''Shrek Forever After
''Shrek Forever After'' is a 2010 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and distributed by Paramount Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek the Thi ...
'') and a daughter, Lucinda. He married second wife Kari Homestead in 1950, and they had a daughter, Margit Laura (now professionally known as Maggie Steig). After their divorce, he was married to Stephanie Healey from 1964 to 1966. His final marriage, to Jeanne Doron, endured for the rest of his life.
His brother Irwin was a journalist and painter, for whom William illustrated two books on poker strategy
Poker is a popular card game that combines elements of chance and strategy. There are various styles of poker, all of which share an objective of presenting the least probable or highest-scoring hand. A poker hand is usually a configuration of fi ...
. His brother Henry was a jeweler and a writer who played the saxophone and painted. And his brother Arthur was a writer and poet, who, according to Steig, read ''The Nation'' in the cradle, was telepathic and "drew as well as Picasso or Matisse".
Steig died of natural causes
In many legal jurisdictions, the manner of death is a determination, typically made by the coroner, medical examiner, police, or similar officials, and recorded as a vital statistic. Within the United States and the United Kingdom, a distinct ...
in Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, , on October 3, 2003, aged 95. ''Shrek 2
''Shrek 2'' is a 2004 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 picture book ''Shrek!'' by William Steig, produced by DreamWorks Animation and released by DreamWorks Pictures. The sequel to ''Shrek'' (2001) and the seco ...
'', which was released seven months after his death, was dedicated to his memory.[
]
Works
* 1932, ''Man About Town'' (New York: R. Long & R.R. Smith)
* 1939, ''About People: A book of symbolical drawings by William Steig'' (Random House
Random House is an American book publisher and the largest general-interest paperback publisher in the world. The company has several independently managed subsidiaries around the world. It is part of Penguin Random House, which is owned by Germ ...
)
* 1941, ''How to Become Extinct'' (Farrar & Rinehart
Farrar & Rinehart (1929–1946) was a United States book publishing company founded in New York. Farrar & Rinehart enjoyed success with both nonfiction and novels, notably, the landmark Rivers of America Series and the first ten books in the Ner ...
), written by Will Cuppy
William Jacob Cuppy (August 23, 1884 – September 19, 1949) was an American humorist and literary critic, known for his satirical books about nature and historical figures.
Early life
Cuppy was born in Auburn, Indiana. He was named "Will" i ...
, illustrated by Steig
* 1942, ''The Lonely Ones'' (Duell, Sloan and Pearce
Duell, Sloan and Pearce was a publishing company located in New York City. It was founded in 1939 by C. Halliwell Duell, Samuel Sloan and Charles A. Pearce. It initially published general fiction and non-fiction, but not westerns, light romances ...
)
* 1944, ''All Embarrassed'' (Duell S&P)
* 1944, ''Small Fry'' (Duell S&P)
* 1945, ''Persistent Faces'' (Duell S&P)
* 1946, ''Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House
''Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'' is a 1948 American comedy film directed by H. C. Potter and starring Cary Grant, Myrna Loy, and Melvyn Douglas. Written and produced by the team of Melvin Frank and Norman Panama, it was an adaptation ...
'' (Simon & Schuster
Simon & Schuster () is an American publishing company and a subsidiary of Paramount Global. It was founded in New York City on January 2, 1924 by Richard L. Simon and M. Lincoln Schuster. As of 2016, Simon & Schuster was the third largest publ ...
) by Eric Hodgins
Eric Francis Hodgins (March 2, 1899 – January 7, 1971) was the American author of the popular novel '' Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House'', illustrated by William Steig.
Biography
Hodgins was born in Detroit, Michigan to the Episcopa ...
* 1947, ''Till Death Do Us Part: Some ballet notes on marriage'' (Duell S&P)
* 1948, ''Listen, Little Man!
''Listen, Little Man!'' (German: ''Rede an den kleinen Mann'') is a 1945 essay by Austro-Hungarian-American psychologist Wilhelm Reich outlining his libertarian socialist political philosophy, in particular its views on direct action as the only me ...
'' (Orgone Institute Press) by Wilhelm Reich
Wilhelm Reich ( , ; 24 March 1897 – 3 November 1957) was an Austrian Doctor of Medicine, doctor of medicine and a psychoanalysis, psychoanalyst, along with being a member of the second generation of analysts after Sigmund Freud. The author ...
– translated from the German-language essay "Rede an den kleinen Mann", 1945
* 1950, ''The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody'' by Will Cuppy
* 1950, ''The Agony in the Kindergarten'' (Duell S&P)
* 1950, ''Giggle Box: Funny Stories for Boys and Girls'' (Alfred A. Knopf
Alfred A. Knopf, Inc. () is an American publishing house that was founded by Alfred A. Knopf Sr. and Blanche Knopf in 1915. Blanche and Alfred traveled abroad regularly and were known for publishing European, Asian, and Latin American writers in ...
), compiled by Phyllis R. Fenner, newly illustrated by Steig
* 1951, ''The Rejected Lovers'' (Knopf)
* 1953, ''Dreams of Glory and other drawings'' (Knopf)
* 1959, ''Poker for Fun and Profit'' (McDowell, Obolensky, 1959), written by Irwin Steig, illustrated by William Steig
* 1963, ''Common Sense in Poker'' (Cornerstone, 1963), written by Irwin Steig, illustrated by William Steig
* 1963, ''Continuous Performance'' (Duell S&P)
From this time, Steig primarily created children's picture books.
* 1968, '' CDB!'' ( Windmill Books) – picture book
* 1968, ''Roland the Minstrel Pig'' (Windmill)
* 1969, ''Sylvester and the Magic Pebble
''Sylvester and the Magic Pebble'' is a children's picture book written and illustrated by William Steig, and published in 1969. The book received the Caldecott Medal in 1970.
Plot
Sylvester Duncan, a young donkey from the fictional community ...
'' (Windmill) — NBA finalist[
* 1969, ''The Bad Island'' (Windmill); reissued as ''Rotten Island'' ( D. R. Godine, 1984)"Rotten Island"]
Library of Congress Catalog Record. Retrieved April 19, 2014.
* 1971, ''Amos and Boris''
* 1972, ''Dominic'' — NBA finalist[
* 1973, ''The Real Thief''
* 1974, ''Farmer Palmer's Wagon Ride''
* 1976, '']Abel's Island
''Abel's Island'' is a children's novel written and illustrated by William Steig. It won a Newbery Honor. It was published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux, Toronto, Ontario in 1976. It is a survival story about a mouse stranded on an island.
Plot ...
'' — adapted as a 1988 film
* 1976, '' The Amazing Bone''
* 1977, ''Caleb + Kate'' — NBA finalist[
* 1978, ''Tiffky Doofky''
* 1979, ''Drawings''
* 1980, ''Gorky Rises''
* 1982, '' Doctor De Soto'' — ]National Book Award
The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors.
The Nat ...
, Picture Books[
* 1984, '' CDC?'' (]Farrar, Straus & Giroux
Farrar, Straus and Giroux (FSG) is an American book publishing company, founded in 1946 by Roger Williams Straus Jr. and John C. Farrar. FSG is known for publishing literary books, and its authors have won numerous awards, including Pulitzer ...
)
* 1984, ''Ruminations''
* 1984, ''Yellow & Pink''
* 1984, ''Rotten Island'' (formerly ''The Bad Island'', 1969)
* 1985, ''Solomon, The Rusty Nail''
* 1986, ''Brave Irene''
* 1987, ''The Zabajaba Jungle''
* 1988, ''Spinky Sulks''
* 1990, ''Shrek!
''Shrek!'' is a comedy fantasy picture book published in 1990 by American book writer and cartoonist William Steig, about a repugnant green monster who leaves home to see the world and ends up marrying an ugly princess. The book was generally w ...
'' — the basis for the movie series A film series or movie series (also referred to as a film franchise or movie franchise) is a collection of related films in succession that share the same fictional universe, or are marketed as a series.
This article explains what film series are ...
* 1992, ''Alpha Beta Chowder'', written by Jeanne Steig, illustrated by William Steig
* 1992, ''Doctor De Soto Goes to Africa''
* 1994, ''Zeke Pippin''
* 1996, ''The Toy Brother''
* 1998, ''A Handful of Beans: Six Fairy Tales'', retold by Jeanne Steig, illustrated by William Steig
* 1998, '' Pete's a Pizza''
* 2000, ''Made for Each Other''
* 2000, ''Wizzil''
* 2001, ''A Gift from Zeus''
* 2002, ''Potch & Polly''
* 2003, ''When Everybody Wore a Hat''
References
External links
William Steig
at publisher Macmillan US
Macmillan Inc. is a defunct American book publishing company. Originally established as the American division of the British Macmillan Publishers, the two were later separated and acquired by other companies, with the remnants of the original Am ...
Obituary: William Steig 1907–2003
at The Comics Reporter
From The New Yorker to 'Shrek: The Art of William Steig
2007–2008 exhibition at The Jewish Museum of New York
William Steig
at Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
Authorities, with 107 catalog records
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Steig, William
1907 births
2003 deaths
American cartoonists
American children's writers
Caldecott Medal winners
Newbery Honor winners
American children's book illustrators
National Book Award for Young People's Literature winners
The New Yorker cartoonists
American people of Polish-Jewish descent
Writers from Brooklyn
Artists from New York City
Jewish American writers
Jewish American artists
Townsend Harris High School alumni
City College of New York alumni
National Academy of Design alumni
Yale School of Art alumni
20th-century American Jews
21st-century American Jews