Seth MacFarlane fun facts: 22 things you might not know about the 'Orville' star (2024)

Photos: Associated Press

25 interesting facts about Seth MacFarlane

Actor, singer, producer, animator and more - is there anything Seth MacFarlane can't do? A modern-day Renaissance man, Seth has left his stamp on Hollywood with his own particular brand of humor.

As he celebrates his 44th birthday today, check out our slideshow full of fun facts about Seth MacFarlane's past works and present successes.

-Mike Rose, cleveland.com

Photo: Associated Press

1. He's from New England

Seth Woodbury MacFarlane grew up in the town of Kent, Connecticut.

Photo: Associated Press

2. His middle name has an interesting origin

While you might think Seth's middle name Woodbury has a connection to the Connecticut town, MacFarlane revealed in aninterviewthat the name has come down through his family thanks to his great-grandmother who started the tradition, basing the name on the town drunk.

Photos: Associated Press

3. He went to a prestigious New England school

MacFarlane attended the Kent School, located in his hometown of Kent. Other famous graduates of the school include Ted Danson, Peter Farrelly and Lana Del Rey.

Twitter.com

4. He had his own comic strip as a kid

MacFarlane's first paid work was a cartoon in the local paper called ‘Walter Crouton'

Photo: Associated Press

5. He's had a string of animated hits

MacFarlane created or co-created a number of well-known modern cartoons including ‘Family Guy’ and ‘American Dad!’

Photo: Associated Press

6. He made 'Family Guy' for $50,000

Fox offered MacFarlane the relatively small sum of $50,000 to create the pilot for ‘Family Guy'. He spent months doing most of the work himself.

Photo: Associated Press

7. His sister's made a name for herself too

Seth'ssister Rachael MacFarlane is a voice actor who has done work on many of his shows as well as numerous projects on her own.

Photos: Associated Press

8. He can trace his roots back to a Pilgrim

MacFarlane isdescended from one of the original Mayflower passengers William Brewster. As such, he has several distant Hollywood relatives including Elisabeth Shue, Richard Gere and Jordana Brewster

Photo: Facebook

9. He has a BFA

MacFarlane earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Rhode Island School of Design where he studied animation.

YouTube.com

10. His senior thesis was the basis for 'Family Guy'

MacFarlane’s thesis: “Larry and Steve’ became the basis for ‘Family Guy’ years later and also helped earn him his first job.

YouTube.com

11. He worked for Hanna-Barbera

MacFarlane’s first professional job out of college was with Hanna-Barbera. He worked on shows like Dexter’s Laboratory and Johnny Bravo.

Check out 120 cartoons from Hanna-Barbera >>>

Photo: Associated Press

12. He also freelanced for Disney

Seth worked as a writer on the show 'Jungle Cubs' for Walt Disney Television animation.

Photo: Associated Press

13. Seth's space race

In addition to his animated hits, MacFarlane has worked on other TV shows, most recent was his Star Trek homage, ‘The Orville’

Photos: Associated Press

14. He's had success on the big screen too

MacFarlane’s film work includes the two 'Ted' films, ‘Hellboy 2’ and ‘A Million Ways to Die in the West’

Photo: Associated Press

15. He helped revive a classic series

MacFarlane was a producer for the new ‘Cosmos’ series hosted by Neil deGrasse Tyson.

YouTube.com

16. He's a huge Sinatra fan

Seth has released multiple albums in the same style as Ol' Blue Eyes.

Photo: Associated Press

17. He's been nominated for a bunch of awards

MacFarlane has been nominated for an Academy Award and four Grammy Awards. He has 4 Emmy Award wins and multiple other nominations.

YouTube.com

18. He found out he was nominated for an Oscar while announcing nominations

MacFarlane learned he had been nominated while co-presenting the nominations with Emma Stone for the 85th Academy Awards show, which he also happened to be hosting.

YouTube.com

19. He's a sci-fi guy

Seth is a big Star Wars and Star Trek fan and appeared in an episode of ‘Enterprise’

Photos: Associated Press

20. He has a connection to 'Game of Thrones'

McFarlane used to date ‘Game of Thrones’star Emilia Clarke.

via GIPHY

Giphy.com

21. What are his favorite movies?

IMDB reports that ‘Airplane!’ and ‘Caddyshack’ are two ofSeth's favorite movies.

Twitter.com

22. He has an asteroid named after him

Asteroid 1999UL46 was renamed in his honor to 70713 Sethmacfarlane.

Photos: Associated Press

Celebrity, movie and television fun facts

• Jason Momoa
• Danielle Fishel and the 'Boy Meets World' cast
• Chris Hemsworth
• Amanda Seyfried
• Kat Dennings
• Robert Downey Jr.
• Alyson Hannigan
• Tiffani Amber Thiessen
• Miley Cyrus
• Emma Stone
• Seth MacFarlane
• Mark Hamill
• David Hasselhoff
• Lindsay Lohan
• Natalie Portman
• George Clooney
• Sarah Michelle Gellar
• Emma Watson
• Alec Baldwin
• Jenna Fischer
• Kate Mara
• Jennifer Aniston
• Alan Alda
• Betty White
• Dave Matthews
• Danica McKellar
• Taylor Swift
• Britney Spears
• Bill Nye
• Scarlett Johansson
• Rachel McAdams
• Demi Moore
• Julia Roberts

Associated Press

• Oscars hosts since 1989
• In Memoriam: Celebrities we lost in 2018
• 20 fun facts about 'Love Actually'
• Relive your childhood with these 120 Hanna-Barbera cartoons
• 25 actors you didn't know appeared in 'Boy Meets World'
• 88 celebrities who were born in Canada
• Fun facts about 'The Big Lebowski' and 20 other movies turning 20 in 2018
• Fun facts about 'I Know What You Did Last Summer' for its 20th anniversary
• Celebrate 'Dirty Dancing' turning 30 with these fun facts
• 20 fun facts about 'Scream' for its 20th anniversary
• 'Romeo + Juliet' turns 20: Where are they now
• Remembering Alan Rickman: His most memorable roles
• 10 movies that turned 10 in 2016

Want to see more celebrity birthdays as well as additional fun facts posts? Follow me on Facebook for the latest by clicking the "like" button below.