Area’s top dog Marmaduke writer would have turned 100 today

Brad Anderson, known for his renowned comic Marmaduke, was born 100 years to the date, May 14, 1924, in Jamestown. Anderson is a native of Portland and graduate of Brocton Central School in 1942.

Anderson served in the U.S. Navy upon his graduation until 1946, during which time he began to publish cartoons in various Navy publications. He later attended Syracuse University and graduated with a fine arts degree with a major in advertising in 1951. After working in advertising for a couple years, Anderson left the field to pursue magazine cartooning full-time.

In 1954, Anderson created Marmaduke, a newspaper comic strip revolved around a family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke. The comic was widely successful, becoming syndicated across the nation for nearly 70 years. A live-action film was created in 2010, featuring Owen Wilson as the voice of Marmaduke, with several other well-known celebrities also appearing in the film, such as George Lopez, Emma Stone, Kiefer Sutherland, William H. Macy, and Sam Elliott.

Anderson continued to illustrate Marmaduke comic strips until his death in 2015. While he died in Texas at the age of 91, Anderson was buried at the Portland Evergreen Cemetery. A statue of Anderson and a dog representing Marmaduke was erected outside the Portland Town Hall in 2016.

Submitted Photo
Pictured is Brad Anderson, creator of the renowned comic Marmaduke. Anderson, a native of Portland, would have turned 100 years old today.

Town of Portland Board member Patti Farrell was on the committee that erected the statue in Anderson’s honor. She remains in contact with his family regularly.

“We are proud to call him a member of our community,” said Portland Town Supervisor Rich Lewis.