| Real Name/Full Name | Gary Larson |
| Nick Name/Celebrated Name: | Gary Larson |
| Birth Place: | Tacoma, Washington |
| Date Of Birth/Birthday: | 14 August 1950 |
| Age/How Old: | 73 years old |
| Height/How Tall: | In Centimetres – 178 cm In Feet and Inches – 5′ 8″ |
| Weight: | In Kilograms – 70 Kg In Pounds – 154 lbs |
| Eye Color: | N/A |
| Hair Color: | N/A |
| Parents Name: | Father –Verner Larson Mother –Doris Larson |
| Siblings: | Dan Larson |
| School: | Curtis Senior High School |
| College: | Edward R. Murrow College of Communication |
| Religion: | N/A |
| Nationality: | American |
| Zodiac Sign: | Leo |
| Gender: | Male |
| Sexual Orientation: | Straight |
| Marital Status: | Married |
| Girlfriend: | N/A |
| Wife/Spouse Name: | Toni Carmichael |
| Kids/Children Name: | N/A |
| Profession: | Cartoonist |
| Net Worth: | $75 Million |
| Last Updated: | April 2024 |
Gary Larson is a cartoonist from the United States. He is known for being the creator of The Far Side, which is a single-panel cartoon series that ran for fifteen years in over 1,900 newspapers around the world. Larson retired from the show on January 1, 1995, but his website hinted at a “new online age of ‘The Far Side'” in September 2019. Larson published three comics on July 8, 2020, his very first in 25 years. His 23 books of collected cartoons have sold more than 45 million copies worldwide.
Well, how well do you know about Gary Larson? If not much, we have compiled all you need to know about Gary Larson’s net worth in 2024, his age, height, weight, wife, kids, biography and complete details about his life. Well, if you’re all set, here is what we know about Gary Larson to date.
Biography and Early Life
Larson was born and grew up in University Place, Washington, a neighborhood of Tacoma, as the son of a car dealer and a clerk, Verner and Doris Larson.
Larson stated his family has a “morbid sense of humour,” and he was inspired by his older brother Dan’s “paranoid” sense of humour.
Dan played pranks on Gary, such as preying on his fear of scary monsters by hiding in the closet until the right moment to strike. Gary said that Dan “scared the heck out of me” whenever this would happen, but Dan also encouraged Gary’s interest in science. They captured animals in Puget Sound and put them in basement terrariums, as well as creating a small desert ecosystem.
Age, Height, Weight & Body Measurement
So, how old is Gary Larson in 2024 and what is his height and weight? Well, Gary Larson’s age is 73 years old as of today’s date 26th April 2024 having been born on 14 August 1950. Though, he is 5′ 8″ in feet and inches and 178cm in Centimetres tall, he weighs about 154 lbs in Pound and 70kg in Kilograms.
Education
He earned a communications degree from the Washington State University in Pullman after graduating from Curtis Senior High School in University Place. He started playing jazz guitar and banjo in high school and college.
Personal Life: Dating, Girlfriends, Wife, Kids
Larson tied the knot with Toni Carmichael, a practicing anthropologist, in 1987. Carmichael rose to become his business manager early in their relationship. Larson has stated, “She is my pit bull, but she is a good one.”
Larson claims in The Complete Far Side that his biggest disappointment in life happened when he sat across from Charles Addams, a cartoonist, founder of The Addams Family, at a luncheon. Larson couldn’t think of anything to communicate to him and regretted the chance he’d lost. Addams passed away in 1988. Larson is an activist for the climate. “Wildlife protection is ‘at the peak of my list,’ he says.” Larson is a Seattle resident.
Is Gary Larson Gay?
The sexual orientation of Gary Larson is straight. He is happily married to Gary Larson.
Professional Career
Gary Larson’s initial ambition was to work as a commercial writer for television. He, as well as a friend, however, started performing music for 3 years after graduation. He started to play the banjo as well as guitar in the duo, while his companion used to play trombone and the keyboard. He later got a job at a music store situated in Washington but quickly realized that it wasn’t his cup of tea, so he switched to drawing.
He drew and sent a few cartoons to the magazine Pacific Search in the year 1976. His work was well-received, and he began his profession as a cartoonist at that stage. He started working for The Seattle Times in 1979, and his drawings were published weekly under the name “Nature’s Way.”
To make ends meet, he had to serve as an investigator for the Local Humane Society in addition to his drawing projects at first. However, he eventually decided to focus on drawing rather than pursue other careers, and he began selling his comic strips to the other newspapers.
Gary Larson contacted the newspaper “San Francisco Chronicle” with cartoons from “Nature’s Way” while on vacation in the year 1979. In January 1980, the newspaper agreed to a distribution deal with him, and the cartoon strip was renamed ‘The Far Side.’ Around the same period, his cartoons were no longer printed in the ‘Seattle Times.’
Gary Larson retired from the practice in 1995 after fourteen years of publishing ‘The Far Side’ in various newspapers. The ‘Far Side’ cartoons primarily focused on bizarre situations and sought to equate human and animal behavior. Until 2009, his cartoons were still widely used on greeting cards.
His cartoons served as the inspiration for the CBS television animated movies “Tales from the Far Side” in 1994 and “Tales from the Far Side II” in 1998. Both films were shown at international film festivals, with ‘Tales from the Far Side’ winning the Grand Prix at Annecy International Animated Film Festival.
Gary Larson’s first illustrated novel, titled “There’s a Hair in My Dirt! : A Worm’s Tale,” was published in the year 1998. The book used strange tales and drawings to illustrate science. In May 1998, HarperCollins released this novel, which later became a New York Times Best Seller.
He is recognized to take on magazine assignments and advertising art for Far Side-related merchandise after retiring as a cartoonist.
He served on a cover for the ‘The New Yorker’ in 2003 because he saw it as a prestigious opportunity. Gary Larson has lent his voice to an episode of animated sitcom “The Simpsons” from the 21st season, which premiered in 2010.
Awards
Larson received the National Cartoonists Society’s Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award in 1985 as well as 1988. Larson received the Reuben Award from the society in 1990 as well as 1994. Larson was honoured by the National Cartoonist Society in 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, as well as 1995 for various individual strips. Larson delivered the commencement speech at Washington State University in 1990, eighteen years after receiving his bachelor’s degree.
Net Worth, Salary & Earnings of Gary Larson in 2024
Larson’s wealth comes mainly from his work as a cartoonist, with his cartoon “the far hand” being an international series that has been featured in over 1900 newspapers over the course of its 15-year lifetime. He also made money by selling merchandise centered on his cartoons, releasing books based on his cartoons, and making films centered on his cartoons. As of 2024, His net worth is projected to be $75 million. Gary Larson is a renowned environmentalist who has made wildlife conservation a top priority throughout his life. This was reflected in his cartoons as well.
Despite the fact that the internet is the most popular medium among today’s generation, he was opposed to his cartoons being posted online. He sent out numerous notifications in 1999 to individuals as well as websites that were hosting his cartoons. He justified himself by claiming that people can’t influence his cartoons because they are too personal. As a result of this, he has faced criticism for refusing to embrace the internet.
