Steve Purcell

Steven Ross Purcell, born on July 30, 1961, is a multifaceted American cartoonist, animator, game designer, and voice actor, best known for creating the beloved media franchise Sam & Max. His outstanding work on the franchise earned him an Eisner Award in 2007, highlighting its impact and success, which includes an animated TV series and numerous video games.

A graduate of the California College of Arts and Crafts in San Francisco, Purcell began his artistic journey by contributing comic strips to his college's newsletter. He honed his skills through freelance projects for Marvel Comics and Fishwrap Productions before releasing his first Sam & Max comic in 1987. In 1988, Purcell joined LucasArts as an artist and animator, contributing to iconic adventure games such as the original Monkey Island titles and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, alongside his influential work on Sam & Max Hit the Road.

In 1997, Purcell partnered with Nelvana to produce a Sam & Max animated series and later took on a brief role as an animator with Industrial Light & Magic. His talents further shone at Pixar, where he co-wrote and co-directed the acclaimed 2012 film Brave and developed a miniseries for the Cars franchise titled Cars on the Road.