Albert Uderzo is a French comic book writer and artist of Italian descent, born in 1927 in the town of Fismes, Marne department, north-eastern France. His parents, Silvio Uderzo and Iria Crestini, met during World War I and married in 1920 after Silvio was discharged from military service.
Albert was named after his older brother Albert Uderzo, who died of pneumonia at the age of 8 months. The official name of the younger Albert at birth registry was Alberto Aleandro Uderzo, due to a misunderstanding between Silvio and the registry employee. The family rarely used this name.
As a child, Albert experienced racism against Italian immigrants, blaming him for Benito Mussolini's policies and spitting at him. He developed a fascination for American comic and animated cartoons, particularly impressed with Walt Disney's work. Albert was a poor student, but received good grades in sketching and art-related lessons. He practiced drawing as a hobby since kindergarten and was good at it.
During World War II, Albert was too young to serve, but his older brother Bruno fought in the Battle of France. By the 1950s, Albert became a professional artist and met his partner René Goscinny in 1951. They created the historical fiction series "Asterix" in 1959, featuring heroic Gauls fighting in the Gallic Wars.
Albert served as the main artist of "Asterix" from 1959 to 2004 and took over the writing duties after Goscinny's death in 1977. He released "Asterix and the Falling Sky" in 2005, a science-fiction entry that was widely mocked for its dated humor and anti-Japanese stereotypes.
In 2007, Albert sold his shares of Editions Albert René to Hachette, leading to a public falling out with his daughter Sylvie. He announced his retirement in 2011 and died in 2020. According to UNESCO's Index Translationum, Albert was the 10th most often translated French-language author, and the third most often translated French-language comics author.
