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Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, screenwriter, and playwright Jules Feiffer died at the age of 95 at his home in New York on January 17, 2025. Feiffer's wife, JZ Holden, told The Washington Post that the cause of his death was congestive heart failure.
Jules Feiffer was a popular cartoonist known for his black-and-white eponymous comic strip, Feiffer. The comics were first published in The Village Voice in 1956 and continued to be printed for over 40 years. In 1986, Feiffer was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for editorial cartooning.
Feiffer's cartoons were known for their satirical take on the left-wing politics of postwar Greenwich Village and sharp, sardonic observations of human nature. Often considered a political cartoonist, his work was later published in multiple esteemed papers, including Esquire, the New Yorker, and the Observer.
Apart from his artwork, Feiffer was also known for his contributions to screen and theater. The cartoonist worked as a screenwriter with French director Alain Resnais and American directors Robert Altman and Mike Nichols.
Feiffer is also credited with adapting his play Little Murders, which was staged on Broadway in 1967. Like his other work, the play was a dark, satirical take on life in New York City.
A look at Jules Feiffer's contribution to art, screen, and theater over the years
Feiffer's first connection with newspaper cartooning and dramas came when he was a child growing up in the 1930s. In his 2010 memoir, the cartoonist listed several legendary cartoonists as his inspirations. E.C. Segar, known for introducing the character of Popeye, heavily inspired Feiffer.
At the age of 16, Jules Feiffer began working with cartoonist Will Eisner. Eisner was best known for the Sunday newspaper comics featuring Spirit, a non-super-powered detective.
Feiffer began working in Eisner's studio and later wrote entire Spirit comic strips. However, in 1951, he was drafted into the Army. His experiences in the Army greatly shaped his cynical, sardonic style, which remains a hallmark of his artwork today.
In an interview with Nation in 2024, Jules Feiffer spoke about how his time in the Army influenced his artwork.
“I didn’t set out to be a political cartoonist, but when I started work in 1956, it was after two years in the army. The entire thinking class – or the young thinking class that I knew around my age group – were very cautious about ever expressing their opinions one way or another.
"People were afraid of getting into trouble or saying out loud what they really thought. And what I really thought was: “What kind of bullsh*t is this, and what can I do about it?,”" he said.
In October 1956, Jules Feiffer began drawing his own comic strip for Village Voice. The cartoonist later said that he was not paid for his work until 1964. His comics, later titled Feiffer, were originally called Sick, Sick, Sick. Feiffer's work often included a staunch distaste and anger for authority and a cynical representation of human nature, which later shaped his political views as well.
Feiffer's cartoons often did not include panel borders or backgrounds like other comics. The cartoonist primarily focused on dialogue, the facial expressions of his characters, and his art. His initial strips covered human relationships and depicted the behavior of couples seeking therapy.
Later, he began incorporating his political views in his artwork, often seemingly targeting white liberalism. Jules Feiffer left Village Voice in 1997 but continued his comics Feiffer for The New York Times. In 1986, he was honored with the Pulitzer Prize for his work.
Feiffer is also credited with illustrating Norton Juster's 1961 children's novel Phantom Tollbooth. The cartoonist has published multiple works, including Passionella (1957), Sick, Sick, Sick: A Guide to Non-Confident Living (1958), and Ackroyd (1977).
Jules Feiffer's advent to Hollywood and Broadway explored
Apart from being an acclaimed cartoonist, Jules Feiffer was also known for his contribution to Hollywood and screenwriting. In 1961, one of his stories, Munro, was adapted for the screen as an animated short story by director Gene Deitch. Feiffer wrote the script for the film, which won an Academy Award in the Best Animated Short Film category.
In 1967, Feiffer's satirical play, Little Murders - focusing on life in New York City- was staged on Broadway. In 1971, it was adapted for the screen by director Alan Arkin and starred Elliott Gould. He is also credited for writing another play, Grown Ups. Feiffer also wrote the screenplays for Mike Nichols' Carnal Knowledge (1971) and Robert Altman's Popeye (1980).
Jules Feiffer was also among the cartoonists who contributed sketches to the 1972 musical Oh! Calcutta! Throughout his career, Feiffer wrote screenplays for various other films, shows, and TV episodes. In 2010, the Writers Guild of America awarded him a Lifetime Achievement Award.
Jules Feiffer is survived by three children from his two marriages.
