Stan Lee

Favorite films include, King Kong (1933), Inherit the Wind (1960), On the Waterfront (1954), The Quiet Man (1952), The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934), etc.

Counts Leslie Howard's Percy Blakeney in The Scarlet Pimpernel (1934) as his first real movie superhero.

He first began to work on comics in 1941 on the third issue of Captain America.

Entered the comic book scene at age 17 as assistant editor for the Timely comics group. In 1942, he was promoted to editor.

Daughter is model/actress Joan Celia J.C. Lee (b. 1950). His other daughter, Jan Lee, died shortly after birth (1953).

He is credited as creating the Marvel Comics characters in the 1960s which introduced more complex characterizations for super-heroes. He also is credited for popularizing continuity to give the various series a sense of narrative flow and an interrelated common world for the characters. However, since the "plot first" writing method he used meant that the artists he collaborated with, especially Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko, served as essentially co-writers, the matter who truly deserves the credit for the creations from such collaborations is a matter of vigorous debate.

His three most famous comic book creations are: Fantastic Four (Debut November 1961), the Incredible Hulk (Debut May 1962) and the Amazing Spider-Man (Debut August 1962 in 'Amazing Fantasy' # 15).

Disliked the 1970s live-action Spider-Man television series (for which he was a script consultant), deeming it "too juvenile". He also felt that Spider-Man was being treated on the show as a "cardboard character".

Apart from his participation in the creation of the classic Marvel Comics characters, he also helped weaken censorship in the mainstream comics field. This happened when, after a formal request by the United States Department of Health, Education and Welfare, he decided to do a story about the problem of drug abuse. The story he wrote in 1971 for "The Amazing Spider-Man" concerned Peter Parker's friend Harry Osborne having a bad trip on LSD and nearly dying from it. The Comics Code Authority declared that they would not give their seal of approval to the three-issue arc on the grounds that the code, which was notorious for being draconian, would not allow the depiction of drug use even when it is portrayed negatively. Confident that the original government request would give him credibility and with the support of his publisher, Martin Goodman, Lee decided to defy the CCA and published the story as is without the seal and received healthy sales and a positive public reaction for his efforts in portraying the social problem. Soon after, the CCA changed their rules to allow for anti-drug messages in comics.

In 1972, he becomes publisher and editorial director of Marvel Comics.

His wife Joan wrote just one manuscript titled "The Pleasure Palace" that she submitted to DELL and it became the publisher's lead paperback bestseller of the month in 1987.

He was a juror in a dream sequence in The Trial of the Incredible Hulk (1989).

Cites Mallrats (1995) as the movie in which he had his first real starring role.

Has it written into his contract that he appears in any movie based upon a Marvel character that he is credited with. So far he has appeared as the Hot Dog Vendor in X-Men (2000), Man in Fair in Spider-Man (2002), Old Man at Crossing in Daredevil (2003), Security Guard in Hulk (2003), Man Dodging Debris in Spider-Man 2 (2004), Willie Lumpkin in Fantastic Four (2005), Waterhose Man in X-Men: The Last Stand (2006), Man in Times Square in Spider-Man 3 (2007), Rejected Wedding Guest in Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), the man whom Tony Stark mistakes for Hugh Hefner in Iron Man (2008) and an uncredited appearance as the man who drinks the soft drink contaminated with Bruce Banner's blood in The Incredible Hulk (2008). The only one he has not appeared in was X2: X-Men United (2003). Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), where he appears as a U.S. Army general, is a partial exception; he did not create the character, but he created the character's signature move of throwing his shield in a early text story and was at least partially responsible for successfully reviving him in the 1960s as member of the Avengers.

Along with Lou Ferrigno, he is one of only two actors to appear in both Hulk (2003) and The Incredible Hulk (2008).

He has appeared in nine films with Chris Evans: Fantastic Four (2005), Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Captain America: The First Avenger (2011), The Avengers (2012), Thor: The Dark World (2013), Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), Ant-Man (2015) and Captain America: Civil War (2016).

He was awarded the 2008 American National Medal of the Arts for his services to comic books and production.

As of 2015, there are four X-Men films where Stan Lee doesn't appear in a cameo. They are X2: X-Men United (2003), X-Men Origins: Wolverine EXTENDED (2009), X: First Class (2011) and X-Men: Days of Future Past (2014). When asked at conventions why he doesn't appear in movies in which his presence would be expected, his usual response is "nobody asked me.".

On Friday, October 28th, 2016, the City of Los Angeles' Mayor Eric Garretti declared that day, including the weekend of the 29th and 30th days, the first "Stan Lee Day" to celebrate the sixth "Stan Lee's Comikaze Expo" (2012) - rechristened - "San Lee's Los Angeles Comic Con Today" - held at the Los Angeles Downtown Convention Center. "I'm sure the streets will be blocked, like when the president comes into town. It'll be a big day. Are you going to be at the parade?" Stan asked Bob Strauss, the San Fernando Valley Daily News interviewer. The native New Yorker sounded totally sincere about what was his affection for the city he moved to in 1981. "I never thought I could love any city as much as New York, but I do love Los Angeles," the 93 year old Hollywood Hills resident said. "I'm incredibly happy here and I never want to leave. It's the center, really, of the entertainment world, and if you're in entertainment, what better place to be?" The new name for Lee's half-decade-old sixth fan con-fab emphasizes the Hollywood connection, with programs and panels covering TV; A reunion of the cast of the 1960's ABC TV hit "Batman" television show-series with the series star Adam West who played the handsome Bruce Wayne and caped crusader, despite that the "Batman" character belongs to Marvel rival DC comics'. "We have so many wonderful guests from so many different areas, many surprises planned," Lee said of his weekend comic-con-vention with 700 vendors selling comic books, fantasy garb and more, with comics celebrities on hand for autographs and pictures. . "I'll be all over the place, you won't be able to miss me. So unless you don't want to see me, I think fans will have a great time attending." The legions of fans call Stan "the Man" - who since the 1960s has been known as much for his redefining the art form with such Marvel Comics creations as Spider-Man, The X-Men and all of those Avengers - is capitalizing on the LA City name-honor-day by launching the newly rechristened Stan Lee's Los Angeles Convention Comic Con on the same day. The pop culture convention show, formerly known as Comikaze Expo - expected 90,000 people to converge on the Los Angeles Convention Center according to convention center spokeswoman Alexa Michelle Diaz. For many fans, it was a chance to "cosplay" action heroes from Spider-man to Wonder Woman, in full costume in the days leading up to Halloween. For Mayor Eric Garretti, the opening of the sixth comics carnival was a chance to celebrate Los Angeles, home of the 93-year-old generalissimo Marvel legend. "This is the most creative. place on the face of the Earth," Garcetti said, before the hordes of super-heroes swung their swords, shields and fantasy props entering the South Hall. "You're at the epicenter of the creative crossroads of the world. I'm just a fanboy. Grew up in the San Fernando Valley. Lots of comic book shops...I think I'm the only mayor in the world with the limited edition Wolverine comic book in my possession." Stan Lee's John Hancocks reportedly sold out within an hour of its 9 a.m. opening day. Stan Lee, dressed in a pastel mint green sweater over beige slacks said to the mayor, "This is great. I'm going to nominate you, Eric Garretti, for president." Deadpool giants. Fighter pilot tykes from "Star Wars." Wonder Women in fishnets. Everyone seemed poised for a selfie or photo snap from a stranger.

Stan Lee was an American comic-book writer, editor, and publisher, who was executive vice president and publisher of Marvel Comics. Stan was born in New York City, to Celia (Solomon) and Jack Lieber, a dress cutter. His parents were Romanian Jewish immigrants. Lee co-created Spider-Man, the Hulk, Doctor Strange, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, Daredevil, Thor, the X-Men, and many other fictional characters, introducing a thoroughly shared universe into superhero comic books. In addition, he challenged the comics' industry's censorship organization, the Comics Code Authority, indirectly leading to it updating its policies. Lee subsequently led the expansion of Marvel Comics from a small division of a publishing house to a large multimedia corporation. He had cameo appearances in many Marvel film and television projects, with many yet to come, posthumously. A few of these appearances are self-aware and sometimes reference Lee's involvement in the creation of certain characters. On 16 July 2017, Lee was named a Disney Legend, a hall of fame program that recognizes individuals who have made an extraordinary and integral contribution to The Walt Disney Company. Stan was married to Joan Lee for almost 70 years, until her death. The couple had two children.

Joan died on July 6, 2017.

Due to his advancing age, he shot several cameos ahead of upcoming movies - just in case. The first of such posthumous cameos appeared in Captain Marvel (2019), which also a special Marvel opening credit as a tribute.