Matthew Richard Stone is a 52-year-old American actor, animator, filmmaker, and composer. He was born on May 26, 1971. His best-known works include “The Book of Mormon (2011)” and “South Park (2011),” both of which he co-wrote with Trey Parker. When Stone was young and in high school, he was interested in both music and films. He got himself enrolled at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met Parker. The two worked together on several short films. The duo also appeared in the 1993 musical drama Cannibal! The Musical.
Stone and Parker wrote Orgazmo, their second movie, which was released in 1997. Prior to the release of their film, South Park made its Comedy Central début in August 1997. The pair has full creative control over all the video games and songs that they have created exclusively based on the show. A 1999 movie based on their widely famous series, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, was well received by both critics and audiences. After several years of development and creative work, Stone went on to create and produce the comedic action movie Team America: World Police (2004). He also appeared in the film as a cast member. The Book of Mormon also received positive reviews when it made its Broadway debut.
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Early Life
Gerald Whitney Stone, an economics professor, and Sheila Lois (Belasco) Stone welcomed their son Matt Stone into the world on May 26, 1971, in Houston, Texas. His maternal ancestry is Jewish, and his father is of Irish-American origin. They served as his inspiration for the South Park characters “Gerald and Sheila Broflovski.” Raised in Littleton, Colorado, a Denver suburb, Stone attended Heritage High School along with his younger sister Rachel. He studied at Colorado University Boulder. His father’s wish was that his son should major in a “practical” subject because he was terrified of the fact that he would “become a musician and a bum.” In 1993, Stone successfully earned a Bachelor of Arts with a double major.
Career
“Jesus vs. Frosty,” a 1992 short film that paired the holy icon against Frosty the Snowman, was the first production of the Avenging Conscience production business, which Matt Stone and his partner Trey Parker had established. “Alferd Packer: The Musical,” which was produced by Stone’s production firm in 1993, was eventually sold to Troma Entertainment in 1996 and given the new title of “Cannibal! The Opera.”
Following the popularity of this movie, Stone went on to make the short comedy “Your Studio and You,” which included a number of famous celebs, including Sylvester Stallone, Demi Moore, and Steven Spielberg. However, Matt Stone’s greatest achievement came in 1997 when he created “South Park,” one of the greatest and most loved television programs ever, which is currently in its 25th season.
Despite the various South Park controversies that have surfaced since the show’s debut, the $300,000 show’s pilot, which took three and a half months to make, immediately rose to the top of Comedy Central’s ratings right after its debut. By the end of 1998, Comedy Central had made over $150 million in product sales for the program, and the success of the program had attracted over 3 million new members to the channel.
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He was now a recognized star. Stone agreed to and signed a deal with Comedy Central in 1998 that gave him the right to continue creating South Park episodes in exchange for a share of the revenue from merchandise. South Park: Bigger, Longer, Uncut, which was released in theatres in 1999, received positive reviews and made $83 million at the box office, further popularizing the program.
While South Park has been Matt Stone’s main source of income, he also co-wrote the blockbuster musical The Book of Mormon, which made its Broadway debut in 2011 to rave reviews and critical acclaim. One of the most popular musicals ever, The Book of Mormon, was so popular that it even won nine Tony Awards and a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theatre Album.
Personal Life
In 2001, Stone bonded with Angela Howard, a Comedy Central executive, and their romance quickly developed. They got married in 2008 and now have two kids together. However, he is rather private about his personal life altogether.
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Awards and Recognition
Over the course of his career, Stone has won a number of honors and accolades, some of which include three Tony Awards, one Grammy Award, three Tony Awards, and five Primetime Emmy Awards. Most of his achievements can be credited to his creatively intellectual work on South Park, but other projects of his are just as commendable.
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Stance on Politics and Religion
Due to his mother’s heritage, Stone openly identifies as ethnically Jewish. However, he also openly rejects religion. Regarding his political stance, Stone declared in 2001, “I hate conservatives, but I really fucking hate liberals.” In response to a question regarding the remark in an interview from 2010, Stone appeared to change his mind, saying, “We don’t want people to come to it thinking, ‘These guys are going to trash liberals,’… We only criticize liberals because no one else does. We don’t do it because we believe liberals to be worse than Republicans.” Stone later identified as a libertarian in 2006.
Net Worth
Matt Stone, the exceptional American actor, writer, and producer best known for developing South Park, has amassed a staggering net worth. Matt Stone’s estimated net worth as of June 2023 is $700 Million.
One of the wealthiest and most popular comedians in the entertainment business, Stone’s staggering net worth is purely because of his talent. Since South Park doesn’t appear to be going away anytime soon, we can anticipate that Stone’s fortune will continue to grow with each new season.
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