Trey Parker

Trey Parker is an American writer, animator, actor, producer, and composer best known as the co-creator of South Park. He was born October 19, 1969, in Conifer, Colorado, and studied music at Berklee College of Music before transferring to the University of Colorado Boulder. There, he met Matt Stone, who became his creative partner. Parker and Stone made the short film Jesus vs. Frosty in 1997, a crude animated precursor to South Park. Their follow-up short, Jesus vs. Santa, attracted attention after circulating online and helped persuade Comedy Central to order a series. South Park debuted August 13, 1997.

The show follows Stan Marsh, Kyle Broflovski, Eric Cartman, and Kenny McCormick in the Colorado town of South Park, using their adventures to satirize politics, religion, celebrity culture, and television conventions. Parker voices several central characters, including Cartman, Stan, and Mr. Garrison; his deliberately distinctive delivery is part of the program’s identity. He and Stone have also written, directed, and produced the series throughout its run. South Park became notable for rapid production, allowing episodes to respond quickly to current events, while retaining an intentionally rough visual style derived from its original paper cutout animation. Parker won Emmys for it.

Parker’s film work includes Team America: World Police, released in 2004. Made with Stone and produced by Scott Rudin, the puppet musical follows an idealistic actor recruited into a global counterterrorism team. Parker supplies the voice of Gary Johnston and co-wrote, directed, and produced the film. In 2011, Parker and Stone opened The Book of Mormon, a stage musical created with composer Robert Lopez. It follows two inexperienced Mormon missionaries sent to Uganda, combining satirical treatment of faith with traditional musical storytelling. The production won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, and Parker shared the Tony for Best Score.

His earlier collaborations with Stone included Cannibal! The Musical, a 1993 independent film inspired by the nineteenth-century Colorado cannibalism case of Alferd Packer, and the 1998 comedy BASEketball, which they wrote and starred in. In 2020, Parker and Stone created Sassy Justice, a short-form series using deepfake technology and featuring a fictional teenage news reporter. Parker has often used music as well as comedy in his projects, a combination evident in South Park and The Book of Mormon. His career is therefore closely associated with a specific creative partnership: Stone’s writing and performance frequently complement Parker’s animation, direction, and music.