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Stan Lee (1922)

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Background[]

The late Stan Lee ( b. 28 December 1922 - d. 12 November 2018 ) was an American actor, producer, and TV host but was predominantly known as a comic book writer, editor, and publisher. He appeared in live action television and cinematic roles; and voice acting performances.

Lee was renowned for his role in ushering in the "Silver Age of Comics" alongside such giants such as Carmen Infantino, Gil Kane, John Broome, John Buscema, and John Romita Sr. He was considered to be the creative genius behind the ascendancy of Timely Comics into the multimedia juggernaut that was rebranded as Marvel Comics that continues to be one of the largest and dominant comic book publishers in the world today.

Lee is credited with reviving the concept of superheroes as more sophisticated, flawed, and complex characters. Along with artists Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko among others; Lee co-created a huge number of iconic comic book characters from the Fantastic Four; Iron Man; Thor; the Ant Man and the Wasp; the X-Men; the Avengers; the Hulk; Dr. Strange; Daredevil; and perhaps the most famous one of them all ― Spider-Man.

This led to him being promoted from writing to editing to publishing and eventually into the public face of the company itself and he would continue to push his creations from the pages of comic books into television and movies in the decades afterwards. Lee is responsible for forging them into what would become known as the Marvel Franchise with its numerous character based sub-franchises. He would often serve in minor cameo roles or as the narrator. Although he officially retired, he continued to make prolific cameo appearances alongside his creations until his passing.

Biography[]

Personal Life[]

Filmography[]

Trivia[]

  • He is credited as creating the Marvel Comics characters in the 1960s which introduced more complex characterizations for super-heroes. He also is credited for popularizing continuity to give the various series a sense of narrative flow and an interrelated common world for the characters.
  • Disliked the 1970s live-action Spider-Man television series, deeming it "too juvenile". He also felt that Spider-Man was being treated on the show as a "cardboard character".
  • He first began to work on comics in 1941 on the third issue of Captain America Comics.
  • Entered the comic book scene at age 17 as assistant editor for the Timely comics group. In 1942, he was promoted to editor.
  • In 1972, he becomes publisher and editorial director of Marvel Comics.
  • Admitted he had always hoped to play the character of J. Jonah Jameson in a film adaptation of Spider-Man, though he conceded he was too old to even be considered by the time the film was actually made and praised J.K. Simmons for his performance in the role.
  • Judy Garland's daughter, Lorna Luft, lived with Lee and his family for a period of time while her mother was in rehab in the 1960s. Stan's daughter, J.C. Lee, and Luft were friends and Lorna stayed with the family for about a month until she went to California to live with her father.
  • He was awarded the 2008 American National Medal of the Arts for his services to comic books and production.
  • Was a longtime friend of comic writer and artist Carmine Infantino, who was also president of DC Comics for several years.
  • Despises the idea of sidekicks, which is why virtually none of the Marvel characters had them.
  • Pow! Entertainment chairman and founder.
  • He is often asked where he got the idea for his famous quote, "With great power comes great responsibility." He says,"It just came to me."
  • Served during WWII in the US Army Training Film Division, writing manuals, training films, slogans, and cartoons under the military classification of "playwright." Only nine men in the US Army were given that title.
  • Favorite childhood comic book hero was Flash Gordon.
  • Cites Mallrats as the movie in which he had his first real starring role.

Quotes[]

  • "I felt someday I'd write the Great American Novel and I didn't want to use my real name on these silly little comics."
  • "If a character had the first initial in both names, I could at least remember one of the names."
  • "The X-Men are basically just me being really lazy. If I said that their powers came from a mutation that would be it. I wouldn't have to explain it any further."
  • "I love Marvel and the people there. I'm glad I'm still part of it."
  • "I used to be embarrassed because I was just a comic book writer while other people were building bridges or going on to medical careers. And then I began to realize: Entertainment is one of the most important things in people's lives. Without it they might go off the deep end. I feel that if you're able to entertain people, you're doing a good thing."

External Links[]

IMDb Profile

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