Gábor Csupó is a Hungarian animator, film director, and producer. He co-founded Klasky-Csupo, Inc., a graphic design and animation studio in Hollywood, with his business partner and wife Arlene Klasky.
Born in Budapest, Hungary in 1952, Csupó grew up during the Cold War era. He started his animation career in 1971, working as an animator for Pannonia Film Studio, a state-financed company in Hungary. However, he left the country in 1975 to pursue better career opportunities in Western Europe.
While working in Sweden, Csupó met Arlene Klasky, an American animator, and they started a relationship. They got married in 1979 and moved to the United States, where Csupó found work as an animator at Hanna-Barbera.
In 1980, Csupó and Klasky founded Klasky-Csupo, Inc. in Hollywood, with their nephew Attila Csupó. Initially, the company worked on various projects, including logo designs, feature film trailers, and television show titles. However, it wasn't until 1987 that Csupó got his major career break when James L. Brooks hired Klasky Csupo to produce the animation for the animated segment of "The Tracey Ullman Show."
Csupó's design for the Simpsons characters, including yellow skin and blue hair for Marge Simpson, was initially rejected by Gracie Films executives but was later approved by Matt Groening. The show became a huge success, and Klasky Csupo served as the main animation studio for the first two seasons.
Csupó went on to work on several other successful shows, including "Rugrats," "Aaahh!!! Real Monsters," "The Wild Thornberrys," "Rocket Power," and "All Grown Up." He also directed several films, including "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Immigrants."
In the 2010s, Csupó lived in semi-retirement in Hawaii, although he reportedly remained attached to new projects and may yet make a comeback.
