Video by Pam Stevenson, Agave Productions Inc., for Historical League
Bil Keane was born October 5, 1922, in Philadelphia. A self-taught artist and cartoonist, never having received
formal art lessons, Keane imitated the drawing styles of some cartoonists for The New Yorker until his own
style emerged. He attended Northeast Catholic High School in Philadelphia, where he was the art editor of
their monthly magazine. He graduated in 1940, and his first job out of high school was as a messenger at the Philadelphia Bulletin. Bil Keane then spent three years in the U.S Army. While stationed in Australia, he met Thelma Carne. After the war, he returned to Roslyn, Pennsylvania and, five years later, he and Thel were married.
Upon his return to the U.S., Bil Keane rejoined the Philadelphia Bulletin in the news art department. During his fifteen-year tenure there, Keane launched “Channel Chuckles,” a syndicated cartoon about TV, penned a Sunday comic for the Bulletin called "Silly Philly,” and drew free-lance cartoons for major magazines.
In 1959, the Keane family moved to Paradise Valley, Arizona where Bil began cartooning from his home office. With family all around, Mr. Keane was inspired and soon began drawing “Family Circus,” using his five children as subject matter. Bil Keane says, “If there is a philosophy behind the feature, it is that a home filled with love and laughter is the happiest place in the world.”
“Family Circus” now appears in over 1400 newspapers, has appeared in TV holiday specials, and has over fourteen million books in print. In 1982, Bil Keane was named Cartoonist of the Year by the National Cartoonists Society and received the prestigious Reuben Award. In 1990, he was honored in New York at an exhibit that featured America’s most prominent cartoonists.
Active over the years in Phoenix civic and religious organizations, Bil Keane is recognized both for his creative talents and his contributions to the community.
Historymaker Bil Keane biography published in 1992
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