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IMDbPro

Dr. Seuss(1904-1991)

  • Writer
  • Producer
  • Music Department
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
DR.  Theodore Seuss Geisel
CT, "What", post
Play trailer1:13
Horton Hears a Who! (1970)
2 Videos
11 Photos
Acclaimed writer, Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, March 2nd, 1904. After attending Dartmouth College and Oxford University, he began a career in advertising. His advertising cartoons, featuring Quick, Henry, the Flit!, appeared in several leading American magazines. Dr. Seuss's first children's book, titled "And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street", hit the market in 1937, changing the face of children's literature forever. It was rejected 27 times before it was finally published by Vanguard Press in 1937.

Following World War 2, Geisel and his first wife Helen moved to La Jolla, California, where he wrote and published several children's books in the coming years, including If I Ran the Zoo and Horton Hears a Who! A major turning point in Geisel's career came when, in response to a 1954 Life magazine article that criticized children's reading levels, Houghton Mifflin and Random House asked him to write a children's primer using 220 vocabulary words. The resulting book, The Cat in the Hat, was published in 1957 and was described by one critic as a "tour de force." The success of The Cat in the Hat cemented Geisel's place in children's literature.

In the following years, Geisel wrote many more books, both in his new simplified-vocabulary style and using his older, more elaborate technique, and including such favorites as Green Eggs and Ham and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966). In 1966, with the help of eminent & longtime cartoonist, Chuck Jones, The Grinch was immediately adapted into an animated film & Boris Karloff was the narrator, (& as the evil Grinch, that turned away from its bitterness, as the special begins) of the half-hour Christmas animation special.

Winner of the Pulitzer Prize in 1984 and three Academy Awards, Seuss overall was the author and illustrator of 44 children's books, some of which have been made into audio-cassettes, animated television specials, and videos for people of all ages. Even after his death in Autumn of 1991, Dr. Seuss continues to be the best-selling author of children's books in the world. Following the death of his first wife Helen Geisel in 1967, Geisel wed Audrey Geisel, who remained his wife until his death on Tuesday, September 24th, 1991, at the age of 87 years 6 months and 22 days. His full life-time was 31,982 days, equaling 4,568 weeks & 6 days.
BornMarch 2, 1904
DiedSeptember 24, 1991(87)
BornMarch 2, 1904
DiedSeptember 24, 1991(87)
IMDbProStarmeterSee rank
  • Won 2 Primetime Emmys
    • 3 wins & 6 nominations total

Photos11

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Known for

Jim Carrey in How the Grinch Stole Christmas (2000)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas
6.4
  • Writer
  • 2000
The Hoober-Bloob Highway (1975)
The Hoober-Bloob Highway
6.8
TV Movie
  • Writer
  • 1975
Mason Adams and Bob Holt in The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982)
The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
6.5
TV Short
  • Writer(as Ted Geisel)
  • 1982
Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, and Daniel Stern in Home Alone (1990)
Home Alone
7.7
  • Soundtrack(as Theodor Geisel, "You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch")
  • 1990

Credits

Edit
IMDbPro

Writer



  • The Cat in the Hat
    • book
    • In Production
    • 2026
  • Dr. Seuss: I Am Not Going to Get Up Today!
    • book
    • Video



  • There's a Wocket in My Pocket (2024)
    There's a Wocket in My Pocket
    Short
    • based on the book
    • 2024
  • Middle school echo of the pasts (2023)
    Middle school echo of the pasts
    Podcast Series
    • character originated by
    • 2023
  • Sam I Am
    Short
    • Writer
    • 2023
  • The Death of the Cat in the Hat
    Short
    • characters
    • 2022
  • Green Eggs and Ham (2019)
    Green Eggs and Ham
    8.1
    TV Series
    • based on the books by
    • based on the book by
    • based on the novel by
    • 2019–2022
  • Richard Houlihan, Tom O'Brien, Joe Filippone, Lukas Bailey, Kevin Michael Shiley, Scott E. Brosius, Zachary Keane, and Dean Houlihan in Mashup at the Movies (2021)
    Mashup at the Movies
    4.0
    • characters
    • 2021
  • Matthew Morrison in The Grinch Musical! (2020)
    The Grinch Musical!
    3.7
    TV Movie
    • based on the book: "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
    • 2020
  • Crazy Concertos (2018)
    Crazy Concertos
    TV Mini Series
    • based upon the story by
    • 2020
  • Dr. Seuss' the Zax (2020)
    Dr. Seuss' the Zax
    6.6
    Short
    • based upon the story by
    • 2020
  • Gotham Reads (2020)
    Gotham Reads
    TV Series
    • book
    • 2020
  • Storytime (2020)
    Storytime
    TV Series
    • author
    • 2020
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
    • book
    • 2019
  • Diminishing Returns (2016)
    Diminishing Returns
    3.0
    Podcast Series
    • writer of "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"
    • 2018
  • Danny Elfman, Angela Lansbury, Lori Alan, Carlos Alazraqui, Michael Beattie, Doug Burch, Cathy Cavadini, Tara Strong, Yarrow Cheney, Townsend Coleman, John DeMita, Bill Farmer, Dr. Seuss, Jess Harnell, Barbara Harris, Janet Healy, Rashida Jones, John Kassir, Danny Mann, Jeremy Maxwell, Christopher Meledandri, Scott Mosier, Laraine Newman, Mindy Sterling, Tommy Swerdlow, Joel Swetow, Kenan Thompson, Jim Ward, Aaron Fors, Tristan O'Hare, Tucker Chandler, Dashiell Priestley, Kresimir Mikic, Benedict Cumberbatch, Pharrell Williams, Brian T. Delaney, Regina Taufen, Pierre Coffin, Michael LeSieur, Abby Craden, Willow Geer, Chris Cartagena, Alex Puccinelli, Evan Kishiyama, Carter Hastings, Pentatonix, Sam Lavagnino, Scarlett Estevez, Georgia Toffolo, Ramone Hamilton, Cameron Seely, Meilee Condron, and Emma Elizabeth Shannon in The Grinch (2018)
    The Grinch
    6.4
    • based on the book "How The Grinch Stole Christmas" by
    • 2018
  • Wacky Wednesday
    Video
    • inspired by the book: "Wacky Wednesday"
    • 2016

Producer



  • Miriam Flynn and Christopher Collins in The Butter Battle Book (1989)
    The Butter Battle Book
    7.5
    TV Movie
    • executive producer (as Theodor Geisel)
    • 1989
  • Mason Adams and Bob Holt in The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982)
    The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
    6.5
    TV Short
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1982
  • Sue Allen, Don Messick, Hal Smith, Wayne Morton, and Ken Lundie in Pontoffel Pock and His Magic Piano (1980)
    Pontoffel Pock and His Magic Piano
    6.7
    TV Movie
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1980
  • It's Grinch Night (1977)
    It's Grinch Night
    6.3
    TV Movie
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1977
  • The Hoober-Bloob Highway (1975)
    The Hoober-Bloob Highway
    6.8
    TV Movie
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1975
  • Dr. Seuss on the Loose (1973)
    Dr. Seuss on the Loose
    7.6
    TV Movie
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1973
  • The Lorax (1972)
    The Lorax
    7.9
    TV Movie
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1972
  • The Cat in the Hat (1971)
    The Cat in the Hat
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1971
  • Horton Hears a Who! (1970)
    Horton Hears a Who!
    7.3
    TV Short
    • producer (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1970
  • Boris Karloff and Dal McKennon in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
    How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
    8.3
    TV Movie
    • producer (as Ted Geisel, produced by)
    • 1966
  • Private Snafu Presents Seaman Tarfu in the Navy (1946)
    Private Snafu Presents Seaman Tarfu in the Navy
    5.5
    Short
    • supervising producer (uncredited)
    • 1946
  • Operation Snafu (1945)
    Operation Snafu
    5.4
    Short
    • supervising producer (uncredited)
    • 1945
  • No Buddy Atoll (1945)
    No Buddy Atoll
    5.6
    Short
    • supervising producer (uncredited)
    • 1945
  • Hot Spot (1945)
    Hot Spot
    5.9
    Short
    • supervising producer (uncredited)
    • 1945
  • It's Murder She Says... (1945)
    It's Murder She Says...
    5.9
    Short
    • supervising producer (uncredited)
    • 1945

Music Department



  • Matthew Morrison in The Grinch Musical! (2020)
    The Grinch Musical!
    3.7
    TV Movie
    • additional lyrics
    • 2020
  • Mason Adams and Bob Holt in The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat (1982)
    The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat
    6.5
    TV Short
    • lyrics (as Ted Geisel)
    • 1982
  • It's Grinch Night (1977)
    It's Grinch Night
    6.3
    TV Movie
    • lyrics
    • 1977
  • The Hoober-Bloob Highway (1975)
    The Hoober-Bloob Highway
    6.8
    TV Movie
    • lyrics
    • 1975
  • Dr. Seuss on the Loose (1973)
    Dr. Seuss on the Loose
    7.6
    TV Movie
    • lyricist
    • 1973
  • The Lorax (1972)
    The Lorax
    7.9
    TV Movie
    • lyricist
    • 1972
  • The Cat in the Hat (1971)
    The Cat in the Hat
    7.2
    TV Movie
    • songs: lyrics by
    • 1971
  • Horton Hears a Who! (1970)
    Horton Hears a Who!
    7.3
    TV Short
    • songs: lyrics by
    • 1970
  • Boris Karloff and Dal McKennon in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! (1966)
    How the Grinch Stole Christmas!
    8.3
    TV Movie
    • songs: Lyrics by
    • 1966
  • Hans Conried, Peter Lind Hayes, Mary Healy, and Tommy Rettig in The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T. (1953)
    The 5,000 Fingers of Dr. T.
    6.7
    • lyrics
    • 1953

  • In-development projects at IMDbPro

Videos2

Horton Hears a Who (1970)
Trailer 1:13
Horton Hears a Who (1970)
The Evolution of Nerds
Video 3:44
The Evolution of Nerds
The Evolution of Nerds
Video 3:44
The Evolution of Nerds

Personal details

Edit
  • Official sites
    • Facebook
    • Official Site
  • Alternative names
    • Dr. Theodor S. Geisel
  • Height
    • 5′ 11″ (1.80 m)
  • Born
    • March 2, 1904
    • Springfield, Massachusetts, USA
  • Died
    • September 24, 1991
    • La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA(throat cancer)
  • Spouses
      Audrey GeiselAugust 6, 1968 - September 24, 1991 (his death)
  • Other works
    Songwriter: "Dream Stuff".
  • Publicity listings
    • 3 Print Biographies
    • 1 Portrayal
    • 8 Articles

Did you know

Edit
  • Trivia
    Seuss (his mother's maiden name) is pronounced to rhyme with "voice"--not with "loose", as it commonly is.
  • Quotes
    I like nonsense, it wakes up the brain cells. Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope and that enables you to laugh at life's realities.
  • Trademarks
      Verse written in anapestic tetrameter
  • Nickname
    • The Kaiser

FAQ

Powered by Alexa
  • When did Dr. Seuss die?
    September 24, 1991
  • How did Dr. Seuss die?
    Throat cancer
  • How old was Dr. Seuss when he died?
    87 years old
  • Where did Dr. Seuss die?
    La Jolla, San Diego, California, USA
  • When was Dr. Seuss born?
    March 2, 1904

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