Trey Parker

Trey Parker Headshot

Actor • Animator • Director • Composer • Writer

Birth Date: October 19, 1969

Age: 54 years old

Birth Place: Conifer, Colorado

Occasionally a TV show insinuates itself into popular culture shortly after its premiere, lending itself to parody and punchlines and giving the world catchphrases. Such was the case with "South Park" (Comedy Central, 1997- ), a crude and crudely animated series about four foul-mouthed third-graders in a fictional Colorado town. From its debut, "South Park" courted controversy and was variously described as "'Peanuts' on acid" and "a cartoon from hell." The substandard animation utilizing construction paper cut-outs masked the subversive comedy at the heart of the show. Nothing and no one was sacred; the show took demented glee in being politically incorrect as well as skewering cultural icons (like Barbra Streisand and David Caruso). The series was an offshoot of a short film made by Trey Parker and Matt Stone, "The Spirit of Christmas," which features a confrontation between Santa Claus and Jesus Christ over the holiday's true meaning. The pair also collaborated on the irreverent feature "South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut" (1999).

The Colorado-born Parker had already demonstrated his warped sense of humor as a college student at the University of Colorado. Not interested in creating standard fare, he and Chris Graves fashioned a five-and-one-half minute review of "American History" (1992), featuring coarsely-designed cut-out figures. The short earned attention and received a silver medal in the Student Academy Awards competition. The following year, Parker attempted a more ambitious undertaking, a live-action musical based on the true story of Alferd Packer, a Civil War veteran and prospector who confessed to eating four men who were trapped with him by a snowstorm. Fashioning a thoroughly unusual film, the fledgling director/songwriter submitted his opus to the Sundance Film Festival. Not surprisingly, "Alferd Packer! The Musical!" (1993) was rejected. Nonetheless, Parker arranged a midnight screening and the alternative Slamdance Festival traces its roots to that screening. Troma purchased the rights to distribute the amateurish film and released it under the title "Cannibal! The Musical!" Featured in the cast was Matt Stone.

Parker and Stone moved to Los Angeles in 1994 and, in need of funds, agreed to make the holiday video greeting card for TV executive Brian Graden. The result was "The Spirit of Christmas" which quickly became a must-see in Hollywood. (Celebrities ranging from Steven Spielberg to George Clooney and Tom Cruise were reported to have obtained copies.) Before the executives from Comedy Central came calling with the offer of a series, Parker and Stone lent their perversely oddball humor to another feature. "Orgazmo" (lensed in 1996; shown at festivals in 1997-98; released theatrically in 1998), about a Mormon who becomes a porno star. The attractive, bleached blonde Parker undertook the leading role in addition to directing, editing and co-writing both the script and songs with Stone. (Their rock band DVDA also performed the music.) Praised for its originality, "Orgazmo" was picked up for distribution by October Films. Following their small screen success (which included a reported $15 million contract to produce episodes of "South Park" through the year 2000), Parker and Stone found themselves co-starring in David Zucker's zany comedy "BASEketball" (1998), about the creators of a hybrid sport that combined baseball and basketball. Zucker reportedly tailored the script to the particular talents of the duo. As "South Park's" pop cultural cachet inevitably cooled after several seasons on the air, Parker and Stone explored new horizons, again pushing politically correct boundaries. The first effort, "That's My Bush!" (Comedy Central, 2001), a sit-com parodying sit-coms by showing President George W. Bush in outrageous variations of cliched, "wacky" sit-com premises, failed to catch on with audiences, as much due to the pro-America sentiments following the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as to its own creative shortcomings. Parker and Stone's next major project, however, was appealing subversive and high-concept: "Team America: World Police" (2004) satirized everything from the current political climate to big-budget action films and included a whopping does of the duo's trademark scatalogical humor, all delivered by puppets designed in a clunky, old-fashioned "Thunderbirds"-style.

Credits

Dee & Friends in Oz

Creator
Show
2024

South Park: Joining the PanderverseStream

Creator
Special
2023

South Park: Joining the PanderverseStream

Executive Producer
Special
2023

South Park: Joining the PanderverseStream

Voice
Special
2023

South Park (Not Suitable for Children)

Creator
Movie
2023

South Park (Not Suitable for Children)

Executive Producer
Movie
2023

South Park (Not Suitable for Children)

Voice
Stan Marsh, Randy Marsh, Eric Cartman
Movie
2023

South Park: The 25th Anniversary ConcertStream

Music Performer
Special
2022

South Park: The Streaming WarsStream

Executive Producer
Special
2022

South Park: The Streaming WarsStream

Voice
Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh
Special
2022

South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2

Executive Producer
Movie
2022

South Park The Streaming Wars Part 2

Voice
Stan Marsh
Movie
2022

South Park: Post Covid

Screenwriter
Movie
2021

South Park: Post Covid

Voice
Stan Marsh, Randy Marsh, Eric Cartman
Movie
2021

South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid

Director
Movie
2021

South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid

Executive Producer
Movie
2021

South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid

Screenwriter
Movie
2021

South Park: Post Covid: The Return of Covid

Voice
Stan Marsh / Eric Cartman / Randy Marsh / Jimmy Valmer / Mr. Mackey / Moisha / Hakim / Clyde Donovan
Movie
2021

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut: Extras

Actor
Show
2019

South Park: Extras

Actor
Show
2018

Pharrell Williams & Trey Parker: Hug Me

Music Performer
Show
2017

Despicable Me 3Stream

Voice
Balthazar Bratt
Movie
2017
59%

The Weekly with Charlie Pickering

Guest
Show
2015

The Making of South Park: 6 Days to Air

Actor
Show
2011

South Park Documentary

Executive Producer
Show
2011

South Park Documentary

Voice
Stan Marsh/Eric Cartman/Mr. Herbert Garrison/Officer Barbrady/Terrance/Timmy/Ned Gerblanski/Randy Marsh/Stuart McCormick/Mr. Mackey/Mr. Hankey
Show
2011

Julian Assange - A Modern Day Hero? Inside the World of Wikileaks

Producer
Movie
2011

The Project

Guest
Show
2009

Late Night With Jimmy Fallon

Guest
Talk
2009

South Park: Imaginationland

Director
Movie
2008

South Park: Imaginationland

Executive Producer
Movie
2008

South Park: Imaginationland

Screenwriter
Movie
2008

South Park: Imaginationland

Voice
Movie
2008

Team America: World PoliceStream

Director
Movie
2004
77%

Team America: World PoliceStream

Producer
Movie
2004
77%

Team America: World PoliceStream

Voice
Gary Johnston/Joe/Kim Jong Il/Hans Blix/Carson/Matt Damon/Drunk in Bar/Tim Robbins/Sean Penn/Michael Moore/Helen Hunt/Susan Sarandon/Others
Movie
2004
77%

Team America: World PoliceStream

Writer
Movie
2004
77%

Tales From the Crapper

Actor
Steve Keen
Movie
2004

Jimmy Kimmel Live!Stream

Guest
Talk
2003

How's Your News?

Executive Producer
Show
2002

That's My Bush!

Executive Producer
Show
2001

The Daily Show With Jon StewartStream

Guest
Talk
1999

South Park: Der Film

Director
Movie
1999

South Park: Der Film

Producer
Movie
1999

South Park: Der Film

Songs
Movie
1999

South Park: Der Film

Writer
Movie
1999

South Park: Der Film

Writer (Television Series)
Movie
1999

How's Your News?

Executive Producer
Movie
1999

South Park, le film

Director
Movie
1999

South Park, le film

Producer
Movie
1999

South Park, le film

Songs
Movie
1999

South Park, le film

Writer
Movie
1999

South Park, le film

Writer (Television Series)
Movie
1999

South Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutStream

Director
Movie
1999
80%

South Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutStream

Producer
Movie
1999
80%

South Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutStream

Songs
Movie
1999
80%

South Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutStream

Voice
Various Voices
Movie
1999
80%

South Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutStream

Writer
Movie
1999
80%

South Park: Bigger, Longer & UncutStream

Writer (Television Series)
Movie
1999
80%

Buddy Faro

Guest Star
Show
1998

BASEketballStream

Actor
Joe Cooper
Movie
1998
41%

BASEketballStream

Original Music
Movie
1998
41%

El Juego del Triunfo

Actor
Movie
1998

South ParkStream

Creator
Series
1997
80%

South ParkStream

Director
Series
1997
80%

South ParkStream

Executive Producer
Series
1997
80%

South ParkStream

Voice
Stan Marsh/Eric Cartman/Randy Marsh/Mr. Garrison/Chris Stotch/Officer Barbrady
Series
1997
80%

South ParkStream

Writer
Series
1997
80%

South Park: The Cult of Cartman

Actor
Show
1997

South Park: The Cult of Cartman

Creator
Show
1997

South Park: The Cult of Cartman

Director
Show
1997

South Park: The Cult of Cartman

Executive Producer
Show
1997

Orgazmo

Actor
Joe Young/Orgazmo
Movie
1997

Orgazmo

Director
Movie
1997

Orgazmo

Film Editing
Movie
1997

Orgazmo

Writer
Movie
1997

Theater Talk

Guest
Show
1996

Late Show With David Letterman

Guest
Talk
1993

Cannibal! The Musical

Actor
Alferd Packer
Movie
1993

Cannibal! The Musical

Director
Movie
1993

Hull High

Actor
Hull High Devil Rapper
Show
1990

CBS News Sunday Morning

Guest
News
1979

Good Morning America

Guest
News
1975

60 MinutesStream

Guest
News
1968

Today

Guest
News
1952