Origins & Early Life

James Robert Davis (born July 28, 1945) is an American cartoonist, screenwriter, and producer. He is the creator of the comic strips Garfield and U.S. Acres. Published since 1978, Garfield is one of the world's most widely syndicated comic strips.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Davis's other comics work includes T.K. Ryan's Tumbleweeds, Gnorm Gnat, and Mr. Potato Head. Davis wrote or co-wrote all of the Garfield TV specials for CBS, originally broadcast between 1982 and 1991. He also worked on Garfield and Friends as an executive producer.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Davis was the writer and executive producer for a series of CGI direct-to-video feature films about Garfield, as well as an executive producer for the The Garfield Show and Garfield Originals. James Robert Davis was born in Marion, Indiana, on July 28, 1945. He grew up on a small Black Angus cattle farm in Fairmount, Indiana, with his father James William Davis, mother Anna Catherine "Betty" Davis (née Carter), and his brother David. Davis's childhood on a farm parallels the life of Garfield's owner, Jon Arbuckle, who was also raised on a farm with his parents and a brother, Doc Boy, and is also a cartoonist whose birthday is on July 28. Davis attended...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Alan Mulally — Contemporary (Born in 1945) (1945): Aerospace executive credited with revitalizing Boeing and saving Ford Motor Company.
• Anne Frank — Contemporary (Died in 1945) (1945): German-born diarist whose secret writings documented life in hiding during the Holocaust.
• Anne Murray — Contemporary (Born in 1945) (1945): Pioneering Canadian country and pop vocalist with a 40-year global career.
• Abraham Pais — Shared historical date (07-28 · Died) (2000): Pioneering physicist and acclaimed science historian of modern physics.
• Adrien Broner — Shared historical date (07-28 · Born) (1989): American former professional boxer known for winning world titles across multiple weight classes.
• Anselm Kiefer — Historical peer (Born in 1945) (1945): German painter and sculptor confronting German history, the Holocaust, and myth.
• Anton Webern — Historical peer (Died in 1945) (1945): Radical modernist composer of the Second Viennese School, known for atonal and twelve-tone techniques.
• Adolf Dassler — Historical peer (Died in 1978) (1978): Pioneering German cobbler and inventor who founded the sportswear giant Adidas.
• Ayumi Hamasaki — Historical peer (Born in 1978) (1978): Japanese Pop Icon, 'Empress of Pop,' best-selling solo artist in Japan.
• 1982 NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament — Historical peer (Born in 1982) (1982): The 44th annual NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament.
• 1945 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 1945
• July 28 (07-28) On This Day — Historical birthdays and events on July 28