Bill Plympton
A fiercely independent animator who turned hand-drawn surrealism into an Oscar-nominated art form, one squiggly line at a time.
Born 1946 (age 80)·American illustrator, animator, and film director·Birthday: April 30·Baby Boomers
Biography
Bill Plympton is the ultimate auteur of anarchic ink. Emerging from a background in magazine illustration and political cartoons, he stormed the animation world in the late 1980s with 'Your Face,' a delirious short where a man's face contorts to a lounge singer's croon, earning an Academy Award nomination. Rejecting the industrial pipeline of studio animation, Plympton built a one-man studio empire, painstakingly drawing thousands of frames by hand for features like 'The Tune' and 'Hair High.' His style—fluid, grotesque, and darkly hilarious—became a beacon of indie creativity. Through his iconic, hapless 'dog' character in shorts like 'Guard Dog,' he explored the animal id with chaotic glee. More than just a filmmaker, Plympton is a patron saint of DIY animation, proving that a singular vision and a trusty pencil could carve out a lasting, influential career.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Bill was born in 1946, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Bill Was Born
The biggest hits of 1946
#1 Movie
The Best Years of Our Lives
Best Picture
The Best Years of Our Lives
Bill's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1946Born
United Nations holds its first General Assembly
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $5,150Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Prisoner of Love" — Perry ComoBest Picture: The Best Years of Our Lives
1951Started school
First color TV broadcast in the US
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,925Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Too Young" — Nat King ColeBest Picture: An American in Paris
1959Became a teenager
Fidel Castro takes power in Cuba
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $12,400Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"The Battle of New Orleans" — Johnny HortonBest Picture: Ben-Hur
1962Could drive
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1964Could vote
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
1967Turned 21
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1976Turned 30
Apple Computer founded; US bicentennial
Gas: $0.59/galHome: $29,300Min wage: $2.30/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Silly Love Songs" — WingsBest Picture: Rocky
1986Turned 40
Challenger disaster; Chernobyl nuclear meltdown
Gas: $0.86/galHome: $66,600Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"That's What Friends Are For" — Dionne & FriendsBest Picture: Platoon
1996Turned 50
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2006Turned 60
Twitter launches; Pluto reclassified as dwarf planet
Gas: $2.59/galHome: $174,700Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Bad Day" — Daniel PowterBest Picture: The Departed
2016Turned 70
Donald Trump elected president; Brexit vote
Gas: $2.14/galHome: $181,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Love Yourself" — Justin BieberBest Picture: Moonlight
2026Turned 80
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Received an Academy Award nomination for his 1987 animated short film 'Your Face.'
- Created and animated multiple feature-length films entirely by himself, including 'I Married a Strange Person!'
- Developed the popular and recurring 'dog' character, first featured in the 2004 short 'Guard Dog.'
- Maintained a decades-long career as a completely independent animator, owning all rights to his work.
Did You Know?
He was offered a job as a designer on 'The Simpsons' but turned it down to retain creative control over his own projects.
Plympton's animation process involves drawing every frame himself, without the use of assistants or in-betweeners.
He funded his first feature film, 'The Tune,' by selling original drawings to fans and collectors.
“I like to think of my films as a vacation from reality.”
