Michael Cusack (animator)

Australian animator and voice actor

Michael Cusack

Born|

Michael R. Cusack

(1990-10-25) 25 October 1990 (age 33)

Dapto, New South Wales, Australia

Occupation(s)| Animator, writer, director, producer, photographer, voice actor
Years active| 2012–present
Known for| YOLO
Smiling Friends
Koala Man

Michael R. Cusack (born 25 October 1990)[1][2] is an Australian animator, writer, director, producer, photographer, and voice actor. He is the co-creator and co-star, along with fellow animator Zach Hadel, of the Adult Swim animated series, Smiling Friends, and creator and star of YOLO and Koala Man.[3]

## Life and career[edit]

Cusack was born and raised in Dapto, a suburb of the Australian city of Wollongong, later moving to Melbourne where he now resides.[4] He grew up watching South Park, The Simpsons and Futurama. He became interested in animation in his 20s and taught himself Adobe Flash using internet tutorials. Cusack uploaded his content to his YouTube channel and Newgrounds account. Cusack began to collaborate with Hadel, online at first then later in person, when Cusack traveled to meet him in Burbank, California.[5] Cusack is also known for creating and portraying the fictional character Lucas the Magnificent, a parody of New Atheist "neckbeards", in live-action YouTube videos and on Twitter, beginning in 2014; Cusack would later state that the character led to him coming in contact with and later befriending Zach Hadel, as Lucas the Magnificent stated that he wanted Hadel to animate the intro of Lucas' inexistent prospective Let's Play show.[6]

With Studio Yotta, Cusack animated a parody Rick and Morty episode, Bushworld Adventures, a special that aired on Adult Swim on April Fools' Day of 2018.[7] The success of Bushworld Adventures led Cusack to create YOLO: Crystal Fantasy and Smiling Friends for the network. Cusack became a collaborator with Rick and Morty creator Justin Roiland, voicing characters for his video game High on Life, television film The Paloni Show Halloween Special, and Mammon in the online series Helluva Boss.

## Filmography[edit]

Television  Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2018  | Bushworld Adventures | Various  | April Fools' Day parody of Rick and Morty. Also director, writer, producer, animator, compositor
2018  | Fresh Blood: Koala Man | Koala Man, Damo, Darren, various  | Original pilot airing on ABC Comedy in Australia
2020; 2022–Present  | Smiling Friends | Pim, Alan, various  | Also co-creator, co-director, co-writer, executive producer, animator, storyboard artist, art director
2020–Present  | YOLO | Lucas the Magnificent, various  | Also co-creator, director, writer, executive producer, animator, storyboard artist
2023–Present  | Koala Man | Koala Man, Damo, Darren, various  | Also creator, writer, executive producer
Video Games  Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2022  | High on Life | Knifey  | Voice[8]
Web  Year  | Title  | Role  | Notes

|
|
|

2012  | Question for Ted | Various  | YouTube series; 2 episodes
2013–2015  | Weedheads | Various  | YouTube series; 2 episodes
2014–2016  | Damo and Darren | Damo, Darren, various  | YouTube series; 5 episodes
2018  | OneyPlays | Self  | Guest; 1 episode
2018  | Shrek Retold | Donkey | Animator
2019  | The Cyanide and Happiness Show | Aladdin | 1 episode
2021  | Smiling Friends: Free Draw | Self  | Special hosted on Adult Swim YouTube channel.
2022  | The Official Podcast | Self  | Podcast, Guest
2022  | The Create Unknown | Self  | Podcast, Guest
2023  | Helluva Boss | Mammon | YouTube series; 1 episode

## References[edit]

1. ^ Nikki. "Happy Birthday to dear ol' @MichaelRCusack! 🥳". Twitter. Retrieved 6 July 2023.
2. ^ Cusack, Michael. "Ten years ago when I was a little baby 19 year old I wrote and directed my first feature film ALL NIGHT GAMING. It's a silly little indie..." Instagram.
3. ^ "Adult Swim's 'Smiling Friends' Turns Frowns Upside Down". Animation World Network. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
4. ^ Mathiesen, Craig (9 January 2023). "'Why not Wollongong?' Disney backs irreverent Aussie superhero spoof". Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 9 January 2023.
5. ^ Zahed, Ramin (4 January 2022). "Michael Cusack and Zach Hadel Discuss Making 'Smiling Friends,' Their New Adult Swim Show". Animation Magazine. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
6. ^ "The Smiling Friends Troll: How This Atheist Gamer Got an Adult Swim Cameo". YouTube.
7. ^ Whalen, Andrew (2 April 2018). "'Rick And Morty' April Fools' Day Episode, 'Bushworld Adventures,' Premieres Instead of Season 4". Newsweek. Retrieved 26 January 2022.
8. ^ @MichaelRCusack (13 June 2022). "Yayy I voiced that knife :) @SquanchGames #HighOnLife" (Tweet) - via Twitter.

## External links[edit]

* Michael Cusack at IMDb