William Aloysius "Bil" Keane (October 5, 1922 – November 8, 2011) 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 ...

most notable for his work on the newspaper comic ''

The Family Circus ''The Family Circus'' (originally ''The Family Circle'', also ''Family-Go-Round'') is a syndicated comic strip created by cartoonist Bil Keane and, since Bil's death in 2011, is currently written, inked, and rendered (colored) by his son, Jef ...

''. It began in 1960 and continues in syndication, drawn by his son

Jeff Keane Jeff Keane is an American cartoonist. He is the youngest son of the late cartoonist Bil Keane who, following his father's death in 2011, became inker and colorist of the syndicated comic strip ''The Family Circus'', after having assisted on it s ...

Early life and education

Keane was born in the

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...

neighborhood of Crescentville, and attended

parochial school A parochial school is a private primary or secondary school affiliated with a religious organization, and whose curriculum includes general religious education in addition to secular subjects, such as science, mathematics and language arts. The ...

at St. William Parish and

Northeast Catholic High School Northeast Catholic High School opened in 1926 as Northeast Catholic High School for Boys, and was located at 1842 Torresdale Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was under the administration of the high school system of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

. While a schoolboy, he taught himself to draw by mimicking the style of the cartoons published in ''

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 ...

''. His first cartoon was published on May 21, 1936, on the amateur page of the ''

Philadelphia Daily News ''Philadelphia Daily News'' is a tabloid newspaper that serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The newspaper is owned by The Philadelphia Inquirer, LLC, which also owns Philadelphia's other major newspaper ''The Philadelphia Inquirer''. The ''Dail ...

''. While in high school, his in-comic signature was spelled "Bill Keane", but early in his career, he omitted the second L from his first name "to be distinctive".

Career

Phoenix-Cemetery-Holy Redeemer Cemetery-Grave of Bil Keane-2

Keane served in the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

from 1942 to 1945, drawing for '' Yank'' and creating the "At Ease with the Japanese" feature for the Pacific edition of '' Stars and Stripes''. Keane worked for the ''

Philadelphia Bulletin The ''Philadelphia Bulletin'' was a daily evening newspaper published from 1847 to 1982 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It was the largest circulation newspaper in Philadelphia for 76 years and was once the largest evening newspaper in the United ...

'' as a staff artist from 1946 to 1959, where he launched his first regular comic strip ''

Silly Philly ''Silly Philly'' was the first comic strip by Bil Keane, most noted for the long-running comic ''The Family Circus''. ''Silly Philly'' ran from April 27, 1947, to September 3, 1961. In 1947, Keane created the Sunday strip while working for the ...

''. His first syndicated strip, '' Channel Chuckles'', a series of jokes related to television, premiered in 1954 and ran until 1977. In 1959, the Keane family moved to

Paradise Valley, Arizona Paradise Valley is a town in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States, and a suburb of Phoenix, the state's largest city. It is Arizona's wealthiest municipality. The town is known for its luxury golf courses, shopping, expensive real estate, and ...

. Keane's daily newspaper panel ''The Family Circus'' premiered on February 29, 1960. Keane was the president of the

National Cartoonists Society The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

from 1981 to 1983 and was the emcee of the Society's annual awards banquet for 16 years. From 1981 to 1983, Keane published the gag strip ''Eggheads'' in collaboration with his son Jeff, who now draws and writes ''The Family Circus'' and continues the strip with his own insight and humor. Like his father, Jeff Keane has been president of the National Cartoonists Society (NCS), serving two consecutive terms (four years). The NCS is the organizing body that honors cartoonists with the

Reuben Awards The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

Personal life and death

While stationed in Australia he met Thelma "Thel" Carne. Bil and Thel were married in

Brisbane, Queensland Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

in 1948 and settled in

Roslyn, Pennsylvania Roslyn is an unincorporated community in Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally called Hillside, the name Roslyn came from rose gardens that once grew there. The first known person of European descent to s ...

. Thel, the inspiration for the "Mommy" character in his long-running strip, died on May 23, 2008, from complications of

Alzheimer's disease Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegeneration, neurodegenerative disease that usually starts slowly and progressively worsens. It is the cause of 60–70% of cases of dementia. The most common early symptom is difficulty in short-term me ...

. They had five children: Gayle, Neal,

Glen A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

, Christopher and

Jeff Jeff is a masculine name, often a short form (hypocorism) of the English given name Jefferson or Jeffrey, which comes from a medieval variant of Geoffrey. Music * DJ Jazzy Jeff, American DJ/turntablist record producer Jeffrey Allen Townes * ...

. Glen is an

animator An animator is an artist who creates multiple images, known as frames, which give an illusion of movement called animation when displayed in rapid sequence. Animators can work in a variety of fields including film, television, and video gam ...

and has most notably worked for

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that creates animated features and short films for The Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a scene fro ...

. Jeff is a cartoonist, having taken over his father's comic strip. Bil Keane died on November 8, 2011, at his home in

(near

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

), at age 89. The cause of death was given as

congestive heart failure Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...

. He was buried, alongside his wife, in the Holy Redeemer Cemetery of Phoenix, Arizona.

Awards

Keane was a four-time recipient of the National Cartoonists Society's Award for Best Syndicated Panel, winning in 1967, 1971, 1973 and 1974. In 1981, he was awarded the

Inkpot Award The Inkpot Award is an honor bestowed annually since 1974 by Comic-Con International. It is given to professionals in the fields of comic books, comic strips, animation, science fiction, and related areas of popular culture, at CCI's annual c ...

. In 1982, Keane was named the Society's Cartoonist of the Year and received its top honor, the

Reuben Award The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

. He also received the

Elzie Segar Award The National Cartoonists Society (NCS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. It presents the National Cartoonists Society Awards. The Society was born in 1946 when groups of cartoonists got together to entertain the ...

in 1982 for his unique contribution to the cartooning profession. In 1998, he became the tenth recipient of the Arizona Heritage Award, joining—among others—

Barry Goldwater Barry Morris Goldwater (January 2, 1909 – May 29, 1998) was an American politician and United States Air Force officer who was a five-term U.S. Senator from Arizona (1953–1965, 1969–1987) and the Republican Party nominee for presiden ...

Sandra Day O'Connor Sandra Day O'Connor (born March 26, 1930) is an American retired attorney and politician who served as the first female associate justice of the Supreme Court of the United States from 1981 to 2006. She was both the first woman nominated and th ...

Mo Udall Morris King "Mo" Udall (June 15, 1922 – December 12, 1998) was an American attorney and Democratic politician who served as a U.S. representative from Arizona from May 2, 1961, to May 4, 1991. He was a leading contender for the 1976 Democra ...

and

Erma Bombeck Erma Louise Bombeck (''née'' Fiste; February 21, 1927 – April 22, 1996) was an American humorist who achieved great popularity for her newspaper humor column describing suburban home life, syndicated from 1965 to 1996. She also published 15 bo ...

. Keane was honored with the Silver T-Square Award from the National Cartoonist Society in 2002 for "outstanding dedication" to the Society and the cartooning profession. In 2008, Keane was honored with the Sergio Award from the

Comic Art Professional Society The Comic Art Professional Society (CAPS) is an organization of professional cartoonists in the United States. The organization's stated primary purposes are "to advance the ideals and standards of professional cartooning in its many forms", "to ...

Friends

Scottsdale-Stillman Railroad Park-Bil Keane Statue-1

Keane had a close friendship with humorist and newspaper columnist

. Keane provided illustrations for Bombeck's book ''Just Wait Until You Have Children of Your Own!'' (1972), and considered himself instrumental in convincing Bombeck and her family to move to Arizona near his home. In 1996, he was a pall bearer at Bombeck's funeral.

Stephan Pastis Stephan Thomas Pastis (; born January 16, 1968) is an American cartoonist and former lawyer who is the creator of the comic strip ''Pearls Before Swine''. He also writes children's chapter books, commencing with the release of ''Timmy Failure: ...

, creator of ''

Pearls Before Swine A pearl is a hard, glistening object produced within the soft tissue (specifically the mantle (mollusc), mantle) of a living animal shell, shelled mollusk or another animal, such as fossil conulariids. Just like the shell of a mollusk, a pea ...

'', acknowledged he was good friends with Keane and Keane's son, Jeff. Pastis has notably parodied ''The Family Circus'' in his own strip a number of times, and Keane wrote a satirical "attack" on these jokes as a foreword for Pastis' ''Pearls'' collection '' Macho Macho Animals''. Keane switched with

Scott Adams Scott Raymond Adams (born June 8, 1957) is an American author and cartoonist. He is the creator of the syndicated ''Dilbert'' comic strip, and the author of several nonfiction works of satire, commentary, and business. ''Dilbert'' gained nation ...

of ''

Dilbert ''Dilbert'' is an American comic strip written and illustrated by Scott Adams, first published on April 16, 1989. It is known for its satirical office humor about a white-collar, micromanaged office with engineer Dilbert as the title characte ...

'' in the 1997

comic strip switcheroo The comic strip switcheroo (also known as the Great Comics Switcheroonie or the Great April Fools' Day Comics Switcheroonie) was a massive practical joke in which several comic strip writers and artists (cartoonists), without the foreknowledge of t ...

. Adams said, "Bil was a misunderstood creative genius who knew how to write for his target audience. He was also a great guy. I was a big fan." Keane also counted fellow cartoonists

Charles M. Schulz Charles Monroe "Sparky" Schulz (; November 26, 1922 – February 12, 2000) was an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip ''Peanuts'', featuring what are probably his two best-known characters, Charlie Brown and Snoopy. He is wid ...

(''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a print syndication, syndicated daily strip, daily and Sunday strip, Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ' ...

'') and

Mell Lazarus Melvin Lazarus (May 3, 1927 – May 24, 2016) was an American cartoonist, best known as the creator of two comic strips, ''Miss Peach'' (1957–2002) and '' Momma'' (1970–2016). Additionally, he wrote two novels. For his comic strip ''Paulin ...

(''Miss Peach, Momma'') as close friends. In 1994, the characters from ''The Family Circus'' made a "guest appearance" in

Bill Griffith William Henry Jackson Griffith (born January 20, 1944) is an American cartoonist who signs his work Bill Griffith and Griffy. He is best known for his surreal daily comic strip '' Zippy''. The catchphrase "Are we having fun yet?" is credited to ...

's ''

Zippy the Pinhead Zippy the Pinhead is a fictional character who is the protagonist of ''Zippy'', an American comic strip created by Bill Griffith. Zippy's most famous quotation, "Are we having fun yet?", appears in ''Bartlett's Familiar Quotations'' and became a ...

'' comic strip. Griffith said, "I remembered Bil's affection for Zippy, so I decided to bite the bullet and call him to ask if, instead of me parodying his strip, he'd agree to jam with me..." The characters were drawn into the strip by Keane, but the dialog was written by Griffith. Then, on March 7, 1995, Zippy made an appearance in a ''Family Circus'' panel, drawn in by Bill Griffith. Griffith said ''Family Circus'' was "the last remaining folk art strip." Griffith said, "It's supposed to be the epitome of squareness, but it turns the corner into a hip zone."

Books

''Family Circus'' collections

*''The Family Circus'' (1961) *''The Family Circus Vol. 1'' (1965) *''The Family Circus Vol. 2'' (1966) *''Sunday with the Family Circus'' (1966) *''The Family Circus'' (1967) *''I Need a Hug.'' (1968) *''Peace, Mommy, Peace!'' (1969) *''Wanna Be Smiled At?'' (1970) *''Peekaboo! I Love You!'' (1971) *''Look Who's Here!'' (1972) *''Can I Have a Cookie?'' (1973) *''Hello, Grandma?'' (1973) *''At Home with the Family Circus'' (1973) *''I'm Taking a Nap'' (1974) *''When's Later, Daddy?'' (1974) *''I Can't Untie My Shoes! '' (1975) *'' Dolly Hit Me Back!'' (1975) *''Mine: And Yours, Too!'' (1975) *''Jeffy's Lookin' at Me'' (1976) *''Smile!'' (1976) *''Not Me!'' (1976) *''Quiet! Mommy's Asleep!'' (1977) *''Sunday with the Family Circus'' (1977) *''For This I Went to College?'' (1977) *''Where's PJ?'' (1978) *''Any Children?'' (1979) *''Dolly Hit Me Back!'' (1979) *''Not Me.'' (1980) *''Daddy's Little Helpers'' (1980) *''Good Morning, Sunshine! '' (1980) *''On Vacation with the Family Circus'' (1980) *''Kittycat's Motor is Running!'' (1981) *''Who Invented Rain?'' (1981) *''My Turn Next!'' (1981) *''Pasghetti and Meat Bulbs! '' (1981) *''That Family Circus Feeling'' (1982) *''Go to Your Room!'' (1982) *''It's Not Easy Bein' the Littlest'' (1982) *''We'll Help You Get Better'' (1982) *''Mommy, God's Here'' (1982) *''PJ's Barefoot All Over!'' (1989) *''I'm Already Tucked In'' (1983) *''Pick Up What Things? '' (1983) *''Grandma Was Here'' (1983) *''My Turn Next!'' (1984) *''Love, The Family Circus'' (1984) *''The Family Circus Parade'' (1984) *''It's My Birthday Suit'' (1984) *''I Dressed Myself!'' (1984) *''How Do You Turn It on?'' (1985) *''Unquestionably the Family Circus'' (1985) *''Wanna Be Smiled at?'' (1985) *''PJ's Still Hungry'' (1986) *''Heart of the Family Circus'' (1986) *''He Followed Me Home'' (1987) *''The Family Circus's Colorful Life'' (1987) *''We're Home!'' (1987) *''Where Did the Summer Go?'' (1987) *''I Could Hear Chewing'' (1988) *''It's Muddy Out Today'' (1988) *''Oops! We're Out of Juice'' (1988) *''The Family Circus is Very Keane'' (1988) *''Granddad! It's Morning!'' (1989) *''We Didn't Do It!'' (1989) *''Baby on Board'' (1989) *''The Family Circus Memories'' (1989) *''Behold the Family Circus'' (1989) *''Quiet, Sam!'' (1990) *''I Had a Frightmare!'' (1990) *''I Just Dropped Grandma!'' (1990) *''I'm Wearin' a Zucchini!'' (1991) *''The Sky's All Wrinkled'' (1991) *''It's Up and Let 'Em at Me'' (1991) *''Through the Year with the Family Circus'' (1992) *''Look! A Flutterby!'' (1992) *''Are You Awake, Daddy?'' (1992) *''I'll Shovel the Cards'' (1992) *''Sam's Takin' a Catnap!'' (1992) *''Enjoy Yourselves!'' (1993) *''What Does This Say?'' (1994) *''Stay!'' (1994) *''Count Your Blessings'' (1995) *''Sing Me a Loveaby?'' (1995) *''Daddy's Cap Is on Backwards'' (1996) *''The Family Circus by Request'' (1998)

Special compilations

*''The Family Circus Treasury'', foreword by Erma Bombeck (1977) *''The Family Circus Album'', foreword by Charles Schulz (1984) *''The Family Circus is Us'' (1990) *''Family Circus Library, Vol. 1'' by

The Library of American Comics Library of American Comics (abbreviated as LoAC) is an American publisher of classic United States, American comic strips collections and comic history books, founded by Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell in 2007. History Background Dean Mullaney ...

(2009) *''Family Circus Library, Vol. 2'' by

(2010)

Other cartoon collections

Scottsdale-Stillman Railroad Park-Bil Keane Statue-3

*''Channel Chuckles'' (1964) *''Jest in Pun'' (1966) *''Pun-Abridged Dictionary'' (1968) *''More Channel Chuckles'' (1971) *''It's Apparent You're a Parent'' (1971) *''Deuce and Don'ts of Tennis'' (1975) *''Eggheads'' written by Bil Keane and Jeff Keane (1983)

Illustrated books

*''Just Wait Till You Have Children of Your Own!'' written by Erma Bombeck and Bil Keane (1971) *''Hey, Father!'' written by Jeanne Marie Lortie, illustrated by Bil Keane (1973) *''Daddy's Surprise Day'' written by Gale Wiersum, illustrated by Bil Keane (1980) *''Ask Any Mother'' written by Jean B. Boyce, illustrated by Bil Keane (1991) *''Just Ask Mom'' written by Jean B. Boyce, illustrated by Bil Keane (1996) *''Just Like Home'' written by Jean B. Boyce, illustrated by Bil Keane (2001)

Footnotes

References

* *

External links

Bil's biography at the Family Circus WebsiteFeature article on Bil Keane at St. Anthony Messenger Magazine Online
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Keane, Bil 1922 births 2011 deaths United States Army personnel of World War II Artists from Arizona People from Abington Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania People from Paradise Valley, Arizona Artists from Philadelphia Reuben Award winners United States Army soldiers American comic strip cartoonists Catholics from Pennsylvania Catholics from Arizona Inkpot Award winners Christian comics creators