Todd Hanson is an American writer and voice actor, notable for his work as a writer and editor at the parody newspaper ''

The Onion ''The Onion'' is an American digital media company and newspaper organization that publishes satirical articles on international, national, and local news. The company is currently based in Chicago, but originated as a weekly print publication ...

''. He also voices the character Dan Halen on the

Adult Swim Adult Swim (stylized as

dult swim Dult is a village in Batala in Gurdaspur district of Punjab State, India. It is located from sub district headquarter, from district headquarter and from Sri Hargobindpur. The village is administrated by Sarpanch an elected representativ ...

and s is an American adult-oriented television programming block that airs on Cartoon Network which broadcasts during the evening, prime time, and Late-night television, late-night Dayparting, dayparts. T ...

program ''

Squidbillies ''Squidbillies'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Jim Fortier and Dave Willis for Cartoon Network's late night programming block Adult Swim. An unofficial pilot for the series aired on April 1, 2005. The series later made its o ...

''.

Career

As writer

Todd Hanson briefly attended the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1986 and soon dropped out. He remained in Madison and began working a series of menial jobs. Eventually Hanson began drawing a semi-autobiographical cartoon entitled 'Badgers and Other Animals' which was published regularly in ''

The Daily Cardinal ''The Daily Cardinal'' is a student newspaper that serves the University of Wisconsin–Madison community. One of the oldest student newspapers in the country, it began publishing on Monday, April 4, 1892. The newspaper is financially and editori ...

'', a university student newspaper. Hanson was working as a dishwasher when he first started as a writer and cartoonist at ''The Onion''. He wrote an article in ''The Onion'' that was optioned as a movie by DreamWorks and co-wrote the

comedy film The comedy film is a film genre that emphasizes humor. These films are designed to amuse audiences and make them laugh. Films in this genre typically have a happy ending, with dark comedy being an exception to this rule. Comedy is one of the o ...

The Onion Movie ''The Onion Movie'' (released in some countries as ''News Movie'') is a 2008 satirical American comedy film written by ''The Onion'' writers Robert D. Siegel and Todd Hanson. It was filmed in 2003 and released on June 3, 2008, direct-to-video. ...

'' (2008), which he has since disowned.

As actor

Todd was an ensemble member in the Ark Improvisational Theater in Madison, Wisconsin from 1987–88. He voices the character Dan Halen on ''

''. He made three guest appearances in the episodes of ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force'' (also branded with different #Alternative titles, alternative titles for seasons 8–11), is an American adult animated television series created by Dave Willis and Matt Maiellaro for Cartoon Network's late night progra ...

'' called Interfection, Hypno-Germ and Last Dance for Napkin Lad. He is also on the commentary for ''

Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force Colon Movie Film for Theaters'' is a 2007 American adult animated surreal black comedy film based on the Adult Swim animated series ''Aqua Teen Hunger Force''. The film was produced, written and directed by series creat ...

'' in which he stated that he is a big fan of the show. The commentary also states that he came up with the Chicken Bittle character which was rejected to be an Aqua Teen for several years.

Personal life

Hanson has lived in

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

and

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

. During a storytelling segment on

Public Radio International Public Radio International (PRI) was an American public radio organization. Headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota, PRI provided programming to over 850 public radio stations in the United States. PRI was one of the main providers of programmi ...

's ''

The Moth The Moth is a nonprofit group based in New York City, dedicated to the craft of storytelling. Founded in 1997, the organization presents a wide range of theme-based storytelling events across the United States and abroad, often featuring promine ...

'', Hanson credited his mother for him being "a douchebag". Hanson spoke candidly about his long history of depression on the July 7, 2011 episode of ''

WTF with Marc Maron ''WTF with Marc Maron'' is a weekly podcast and radio show hosted by stand-up comedian Marc Maron. The show was launched in September 2009. The show is produced by Maron's former Air America co-worker Brendan McDonald. Background The show's ...

''. In the interview, Hanson discussed attempting suicide in 2009 and recognizing that his humor was a defense mechanism against seeking help.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hanson, Todd Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century American male actors 20th-century births 20th-century American writers 21st-century American male actors 21st-century American writers American comedy writers American parodists American humorists American magazine cartoonists American satirists American magazine editors American male screenwriters American television writers American male voice actors Living people The Onion people Writers from Brooklyn American male television writers 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from Wisconsin Writers from Wisconsin