Alex Hirsch

Alexander Robert Hirsch[1][2] (born June 18, 1985) is an American animator, voice actor, writer, storyboard artist, and producer. He is the creator of the Disney Channel series Gravity Falls, for which he provided the voices of Grunkle Stan, Soos, and Bill Cipher, among others. He also earned BAFTA and Annie Awards for the series. In 2016, Hirsch co-authored Gravity Falls: Journal 3 which debuted as a No. 1 New York Times Best Seller[3] and remained on The New York Times Best Seller list for forty-seven weeks.[4] In 2018, Hirsch wrote Gravity Falls: Lost Legends which also appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list.[5]

Alex Hirsch
Hirsch at San Diego Comic-Con International in 2013
Born	Alexander Robert Hirsch (1985-06-18) June 18, 1985 Piedmont, California, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	California Institute of the Arts
Occupation	Animator voice actor writer producer storyboard artist
Years active	2008–present
Known for	Gravity Falls
Partner(s)	Dana Terrace

Early life and education

Hirsch was born in Piedmont, California on June 18, 1985. He has a twin sister named Ariel.[6] His father is Jewish, and he was raised agnostic, celebrating Christmas and Hanukkah.[7] Between the ages of 9 and 13, Hirsch and his twin sister would go stay with their great-aunt (or "graunty") Lois, at her cabin in the woods during the summer. These experiences later served as Hirsch's inspiration for Gravity Falls.[8][9] He graduated from Piedmont High School where, as a junior, he won the school's annual Bird Calling Contest in 2002[10][11] and appeared on the Late Show with David Letterman.[12]

Hirsch went on to attend the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts)[13] where he created a variety of projects and short films including his senior film, Off The Wall, which combined animation and live action. He also spent the summer of 2006 working in Portland, Oregon on a later-scrapped animated film for Laika.[14] He graduated from the college in 2007.[15]

Career

Hirsch's first job after graduating from CalArts was as a writer and storyboard artist for The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack on Cartoon Network where he worked alongside fellow CalArts alumni, J. G. Quintel, Pendleton Ward (who was his writing partner on the show), and Patrick McHale.[16][17] He would go on to develop the pilot for the Disney Channel series, Fish Hooks along with Maxwell Atoms and future Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland.[14][15][18]

In 2012, Hirsch created the series Gravity Falls for the Disney Channel. The show, set in the fictional town of Gravity Falls, Oregon, premiered in June 2012[19] with a voice cast including Jason Ritter, Kristen Schaal, and Hirsch himself.[14] Over the course of the series, he provided the voices of Grunkle Stan, Soos,[15] Old Man McGucket, Bill Cipher, and many other minor characters.[20] The show was moved to Disney XD in 2014.[13] It would go on to win a BAFTA Children's Award[21] and an Annie Award in 2015[22] and was nominated for several other awards (including a Peabody Award in 2016).[23][24] Hirsch ended Gravity Falls in February 2016 to pursue other projects.[25]

In July 2016, Hirsch threw a global treasure hunt[26] (known as "Cipher Hunt") for Gravity Falls fans with clues hidden throughout the world including in the United States, Japan, and Russia. The goal of the hunt was to find a statue of the Gravity Falls character, Bill Cipher. After two weeks, fans of the show discovered the statue in Reedsport, Oregon.[27][28] The hunt coincided with the release of Hirsch's tie-in book, Gravity Falls: Journal 3, which was released on July 26, 2016[29] and eventually became a No. 1 New York Times Best Seller[3] and appeared on The New York Times Best Seller list for nearly a year.[4] Due to the successful sales of Gravity Falls: Journal 3,[30] a special edition of the book was released on June 13, 2017 and limited to 10,000 copies.[31] The Gravity Falls: Journal 3 Special Edition contains blacklight writing, parchment pages, a monocle, removable photos and notes, and other features that were not included in the regular edition of the book.[32][33]

In February 2018, Hirsch used his Twitter account to announce an official Gravity Falls graphic novel, through a series of puzzle pieces that he would release throughout the day.[34] Put together the puzzle pieces revealed the cover of Gravity Falls: Lost Legends; 4 All-New Adventures! which was written by Hirsch was released on July 24, 2018[35] and also became a New York Times Best Seller.[5]

Outside of Gravity Falls, Hirsch has done voice work for a number of projects including Phineas and Ferb,[36] Rick and Morty, and as the announcer for the Chelsea Peretti special, One of the Greats.[37][38] In August 2016, it was announced that Hirsch was in negotiations to co-write the live-action Pokémon film, Detective Pikachu, alongside Guardians of the Galaxy and Captain Marvel writer Nicole Perlman.[39][40] However, he left the project early into the production before writing any of the script.[41] Hirsch was a story contributor to Sony's animated Spider-Man film,[42] Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018).[43]

On August 27, 2018, Hirsch signed a deal with American streaming company Netflix for a multi-year deal, according to Variety,[44] thus led to the green-light of Inside Job, which he co-executive produces alongside the creator and show-runner Shion Takeuchi.[45]

He is currently the voice of King in the Disney Channel animated series The Owl House, created by Dana Terrace. The show premiered on January 10, 2020.[46]

Personal life

Gravity Falls was inspired by Hirsch's own childhood experiences and his relationship with his own twin sister growing up during their summer vacations.[47] He placed many of his real-life experiences in the show, like living in Piedmont and trick-or-treating with his sister as kids.[48] Dipper Pines, one of the lead characters of Gravity Falls, is based on Hirsch's memory of how it felt to be a kid. When Hirsch was around Dipper's age, he "would record [him]self and play it backwards and try to learn to speak backwards."[49] Hirsch described himself as "that neurotic kid who would carry 16 disposable cameras everywhere I went."[47] The character Mabel Pines was inspired by his twin sister, Ariel Hirsch.[50] According to Hirsch, just like Mabel, his sister "really did wear wacky sweaters and have a different ridiculous crush, every week."[47] In the series Mabel gets a pet pig, just like his sister had always wanted when she was a kid.[51] The character of Grunkle Stan was inspired by Hirsch's grandpa Stan, who according to Hirsch "was a guy that told tall tales and would frequently mess with us to get a rise out of us. So, my family really inspired the characters on the show."[47]

Hirsch and Dana Terrace have done multiple charity live streams together, in which they draw cartoons to raise money for various organizations including Planned Parenthood,[52][53] The American Civil Liberties Union,[54][55][56] The Natural Resources Defense Council,[57][58] The Southern Poverty Law Center,[56] Direct Relief (with Justin Roiland and Ethan Klein),[59][60][61][62] The Trevor Project (with Rebecca Sugar and Ian Jones-Quartey),[63][64] and RAICES (with Daron Nefcy and Eden Sher).[65][66][67] All together totaling over $270,000 raised.[56]

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Director	Producer	Screenwriter	Actor	Role	Notes
2006	Off the Wall[68]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Wallby	Short film
	Imaginary Friend[69]	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Wally
2018	Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse[43]	No	No	Uncredited	No		Story contributor
2019	The Angry Birds Movie 2	No	No	No	Yes	Steve Eagle (voice)

Television

Year	Title	Producer	Screenwriter	Storyboard artist	Actor	Role	Notes
2008–2009	The Marvelous Misadventures of Flapjack	No	Yes	Yes	No
2010–2014	Fish Hooks	No	Yes	Yes	Yes	Clamantha Additional voices	Also creative consultant and co-developer
2012–2016	Gravity Falls	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes	Grunkle Stan Soos Ramirez Old Man McGucket Bill Cipher Additional voices	Creator, writer and executive producer
2013	Phineas and Ferb	No	No	No	Yes	Officer Concord the Juice Time Juice Box Flavor Cop	Episode: "Terrifying Tri-State Trilogy of Terror"
2015	Rick and Morty	No	No	No	Yes	Toby Matthews	Episode: "Big Trouble in Little Sanchez"
2016	Wander Over Yonder	No	No	No	Yes	Old Man Soosy Du Additional voices	Episode: "The Cartoon"
2018	Star vs. the Forces of Evil	No	No	No	Yes	Ben Fotino	Episode: "Booth Buddies"
	We Bare Bears	No	No	No	Yes	Internet Troll	Episode: "Charlie's Halloween Thing 2"
2019	Big City Greens	No	No	No	Yes	Wyatt	Episode: "Park Pandemonium"
2020–present	The Owl House	No	No	No	Yes	King Hooty Additional voices	Also creative consultant
2020	Amphibia	No	No	No	Yes	The Curator Frog Soos	Episode: "Wax Museum"

Video games

Year	Title	Role
2014	Disney Infinity: Marvel Super Heroes	Additional voices
2015	Disney Infinity 3.0	Additional voices[70]

Bibliography

Year	Title	Original publisher	ISBN	Notes
2016	Gravity Falls: Journal 3	Disney Press	ISBN 9781484746691	Co-written with Rob Renzetti No. 1 New York Times Best Seller[3][4] A special edition was released on June 13, 2017 and limited to 10,000 copies[32][31]
2018	Gravity Falls: Lost Legends		ISBN 1368021425 ISBN 978-1368021425	New York Times Best Seller[5]

Nominations and awards

Year	Award	Category	Nominee	Result	Ref
2015	42nd Annie Awards	Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children's Audience	Gravity Falls	Won	[22]
	20th British Academy Children's Awards	Best International Series			[21]
2016	43rd Annie Awards	Best Animated TV/Broadcast Production For Children's Audience		Nominated	[24]
		Best Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production	Alex Hirsch		[24]
	75th Annual Peabody Awards	Excellence in Children's/Youth Programming	Gravity Falls		[23]
2017	44th Annie Awards	Best Writing in an Animated TV/Broadcast Production	Alex Hirsch		[71]

References

1. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (October 10, 2015). "How does this man in the airport know my name?! Is he a SPY? Why is he following me?!" (Tweet). Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via Twitter.
2. According to the State of California. Center for Health Statistics, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento, California. Searchable at http://www.familytreelegends.com/records/39461 Archived January 18, 2010, at WebCite
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4. "Children's Middle Grade Hardcover". New York Times. January 20, 2018. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
5. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (August 1, 2018). "Good work Gravity Falls fans! Lost Legends is now a NY TIMES BEST SELLER!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 25, 2019 – via Twitter.
6. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (September 27, 2014). "My twin sister Ariel found her lost notebook from grade school" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
7. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (March 21, 2015). "My sis & I are ethnically half Jewish on dads side but were raised religiously agnostic, celebrating both Christmas & Hanukkah" (Tweet). Retrieved May 25, 2020 – via Twitter.
8. TheMyseryofGF (July 27, 2016). "Gravity Falls - Alex Hirsch at The Grove". YouTube. Retrieved May 25, 2020.
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10. Burress, Charles (June 7, 2003). "Piedmont High atwitter over quack attack / Rookie squawkers take grand prize in birdcalling contest". San Francisco Chronicle. Archived from the original on January 5, 2018. Retrieved January 4, 2018.
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29. "Gravity Falls: Journal 3". Disney Books. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
30. Hirsch, Alex [@_AlexHirsch] (October 9, 2016). "Thanks to the amazing sales of #Journal3, a rare limited "Collectors Edition" with new BLACK LIGHT SECRETS is coming early next year!" (Tweet). Retrieved March 19, 2020 – via Twitter.
31. Hirsch, Alex [@_AlexHirsch] (June 21, 2017). "Hey friends, just got word the Special Edition Journal is SOLD OUT! Congrats to the 10,000 fans who got them- they're now officially ✨RARE✨" (Tweet). Retrieved March 19, 2020 – via Twitter.
32. "Gravity Falls: Journal 3 Special Edition". Amazon. Retrieved March 19, 2020.
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34. "Through Mysterious Puzzle Pieces, Alex Hirsch Revealed the Cover for the First-Ever Gravity Falls Graphic Novel". Oh My Disney. February 16, 2018. Archived from the original on April 26, 2018. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
35. "Gravity Falls: Lost Legends: 4 All-New Adventures!". Disney Books. Archived from the original on December 26, 2019. Retrieved December 25, 2019.
36. Campbell, Nakeisha (May 26, 2017). "Guess Who?: Meet the Actors Who Voice Your Favorite Disney Channel Animated Characters". M Magazine. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
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38. "Chelsea Peretti: One of the Greats (2014 TV Special) – Full Cast & Crew". IMDb. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
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40. Pedersen, Erik (December 14, 2016). "Legendary Taps Herbert W. Gains As EVP Physical Production, Hires Two SVPs". Deadline. Archived from the original on January 19, 2019. Retrieved December 14, 2016.
41. Hirsch, Alex (November 12, 2018). "Haha nope. I was asked to be involved in very early brainstorming conversations, but I left early on to pursue other projects. Never wrote a page of script. Hollywood baby!https://twitter.com/ExoPLeis/status/1062034582105657347 …".
42. Gonzalez, Umberto (February 28, 2017). "Sony's Animated 'Spider-Man' Movie Adds Alex Hirsch as Story Contributor (Exclusive)". The Wrap. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
43. Oh, Sheryl (December 11, 2017). "'Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse' Trailer Introduces Miles Morales". Film School Rejects. Archived from the original on January 7, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.
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52. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (November 10, 2016). "TONIGHT @ 6 PM PST @DanaTerrace & I will draw YOUR requests LIVE for charity, at picarto.tv/DanaT! It's gonna be nuts- don't miss it!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 26, 2019 – via Twitter.
53. TheMysteryofGF (November 11, 2016). "Alex & Dana Charity Draw-A-Thon". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
54. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (December 7, 2016). "THANKS donors- you raised almost 20k for @ACLU! Stretch goals are up now- there might be a drawing in there for you!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 4, 2020 – via Twitter.
55. TheMysteryofGF (November 28, 2016). "Alex & Dana Charity Draw-A-Thon Two!". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
56. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (June 24, 2018). "Dana & I have raised $$ for ACLU, PP, SPLC, NRDC, Trevor Project, & direct relief, totaling over 270k for various causes..." (Tweet). Retrieved December 26, 2019 – via Twitter.
57. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (January 28, 2017). "Today my friends and I raised over 18k for the @NRDC by hitting each other with pies and drawing cartoons ..." (Tweet). Retrieved December 26, 2019 – via Twitter.
58. @DanaTerrace (January 28, 2017). "IT IS CURRENTLY HAPPENING AT twitch.tv/ghost_satellite!!!!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 26, 2019 – via Twitter.
59. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (December 17, 2018). "TOMORROW! 3PM PST! It's H3H3's annual 🌟CHARITY LIVESTREAM🌟 with ME, @JustinRoiland, & more! Goofs! Yuks! Amazing PRIZES! All to benefit @DirectRelief!" (Tweet). Retrieved June 4, 2020 – via Twitter.
60. H3 Podcast (September 7, 2017). "H3 Podcast #26 - Justin Roiland & Alex Hirsch Charity Special". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
61. H3 Podcast (December 18, 2018). "H3 Podcast #99 - Justin Roiland & Alex Hirsch Charity Special 2018". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
62. Gutelle, Sam (September 6, 2017). "H3h3productions Raises Over $100,000 With Twitch Live Stream To Support Hurricane Harvey Relief". TubeFilter. Archived from the original on September 10, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
63. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (August 2, 2017). "GET HYPED- TOMORROW @rebeccasugar @ianjq @DanaTerrace & me will be drawing YOUR requests LIVE for charity at Twitch.tv/DanaTerrace !!!" (Tweet). Retrieved December 26, 2019 – via Twitter.
64. TheMysteryofGF (August 4, 2017). "The Ultimate Crossover! Charity Drawathon". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
65. Dana Terrace [@DanaTerrace] (June 23, 2018). "Are you sick of families being torn apart at the border? Wanna DO something about it? Join @DaronNefcy, @_AlexHirsch, and me for a charity livestream June 26! We'll draw YOUR CARTOON REQUESTS to raise money for @RAICESTEXAS!" (Tweet). Archived from the original on November 22, 2018. Retrieved December 26, 2019 – via Twitter.
66. Alex Hirsch [@_AlexHirsch] (July 27, 2018). "GUYS!! Tonight @DanaTerrace @DaronNefcy @edensher and me raised over $20,000 for @RAICESTEXAS!" (Tweet). Retrieved May 13, 2020 – via Twitter.
67. TheMysteryofGF (June 27, 2018). "Cartoons Vs The Forces of Evil!". YouTube. Retrieved June 4, 2020.
68. "Disney Channel Medianet". Archived from the original on October 21, 2014. Retrieved July 14, 2012.
69. "Alex Hirsch (Gravity Falls) – Imaginary Friend". Archived from the original on April 12, 2016. Retrieved August 16, 2016.
70. Avalanche Software. Disney Infinity 3.0. Scene: Closing credits, 5:39 in, Featuring the Voice Talents of.
71. Nolfi, Joey (February 5, 2017). "Zootopia, Kubo and the Two Strings win big at Annie Awards". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on January 6, 2018. Retrieved January 6, 2018.

External links

• Alex Hirsch on IMDb
• Alex Hirsch on Twitter