Matt Stone is an American screenwriter, producer, composer, actor, and cartoonist. The winner of the Tony, Grammy, and Emmy awards was made famous by the South Park animation project he created together with Trey Parker.
In his famous TV series South Park, the cartoonist named the Broflovski family characters after their parents. Matthew Richard Stone is called not only an animator, but also a voiceover specialist: he gave his voice to more than a dozen cartoon characters.
Choosing a vocation
The biography of the future filmmaker began in 1971. He was born on May 26 in Houston in the family of economics professor Gerald Whitney Stone. In addition to his son, he and his wife raised their daughter Rachel. Parents often moved. Matthew's childhood was held in his hometown, and near Denver, and in Littleton.
Living near the Columbine School, the boy did not study there, but at the Harmony. To continue his education, the graduate went to the University of Colorado at Boulder. For himself, a young man is choosing a career as a mathematician. During his studies, the student became interested in the creation of films. He dreamed of his own short film or a whole series.
Together with Trey Parker, Stone created several short films. The debut was the work "Your Studio and You" in 1995. In it, Matt first appeared as a screenwriter. Two pilot episodes of Warped Time were filmed with Parker. The first serious joint project was the film Cannibal! Musical".
The plot of the black comedy is based on real events. The creators themselves, their relatives, and even the teacher starred in the project. The tape subsequently acquired cult status. In 1997, a couple of animated shorts were released under the title Spirit of Christmas. The work quickly became popular. At the same time, preparations began for the new South Park project, which has been going on for two dozen seasons.
It became the second longest animated series in American television history. Matt gave his voice to a dozen characters.
Successful project
In 1998, the co-authors again co-starred with David Zucker in BASEKETBALL; about a new sport with special rules. Stone and Parker played the main characters. Critics and audiences have noted Matt's comedic talent.
In 1999, a full-length version of South Park: Large, Long and Uncircumcised was released. It parodied Disney works and the musical "Les Misérables". The cartoonist acted as a co-producer and screenwriter.
He also took part in the scoring. The original title of the project was "Hell Got Out of Control", but then it was replaced. The tape gained popularity and was nominated for an Oscar. In the same period, Stone starred in the horror film Infinite Terror. True, in the credits, Matt's name was not indicated.
A new project appeared in 2001. It was named "This is my Bush!" The Comedy Central TV channel hosted the premiere of a comedy show about the life of the president. A total of 8 episodes were filmed. The work started at the same time as the beginning of the elections.
In 2002, Matt talked about his own social experiences as a young man in Littleton. Stone talked about social exclusion, which is often the cause of tragedies, reminiscent of what happened at Columbine High School. The conversation was featured in Michael Moore's documentary Bowling for Columbine.
New works
In 2004, Matt's new cartoon project, Team America: World Police, was released. This was the first experience with puppet animation. The inspiration comes from the 1965 British sci-fi series Thunderbirds. The cartoon parodies famous Hollywood paintings, and continues the traditions laid down in "South Park".
At the center of events is the work of the police team fighting global terrorism. In the course of battles, valiant heroes destroy the world's most famous landmarks. Matt acted not only as a co-producer and co-writer, but also took part in the dubbing.
In late September 2007, Parker and Stone acquired the rights to the Canadian TV series Kenny vs. Spenny . The show has been airing a dozen new and old episodes on Comedy Central since November 14th.
In 2011, Stone, Parker and Lopez's The Book of Mormon premiered on Broadway. Work on the play lasted for seven years. The authors have received several awards, including the Tony Awards. The plot is based on trains to Uganda by two Mormons. The heroes are planning to convert local residents to their faith.
Private life
Matt is a member of the DVDA music group. He plays drums and bass. The collective did not release a single album, but they presented their compositions in almost all soundtracks to the works of Parker and Stone.
The songs are also featured in the "Team America" series. The team opened up for the group "Primus", with the leader of which Matt has an excellent relationship. As a guest producer, the animator took part in the work on his album "Antipop" on the track "Natural Joe". The animator also starred in Claypool's video "Electric Apricot: Quest For Festeroo".
The cartoonist managed to arrange his personal life. In late 2008, after the official ceremony, Matt and Angela Howard became husband and wife. The chosen one works in the cable network "Comedy central" as an executive director. A common child, a son, appeared in the family.
Stone admits to reporters that he does not consider himself either a great actor or a wonderful director. But he voluntarily assumed all responsibilities for settling censorship issues with the TV channel where his wife worked, and also deals with contacts and interviews for the media after showing an ambiguous series of new projects.
At the same time, Matt calls himself a peacemaker between Parker and the rest of the world after provocative statements from his co-author.
