Direct answer: Trey Parker is an American animator, writer, director, producer, actor, and songwriter best known for co-creating South Park with Matt Stone. Born October 19, 1969, in Conifer, Colorado, he is be 56 in August 2026. His career also spans Broadway, film, voice acting, music, and television production. Related reading: Lauren London.
| Quick fact | Details |
|---|---|
| Full name | Randolph Severn Parker III |
| Date of birth | October 19, 1969 |
| Age in August 2026 | 56 |
| Birthplace | Conifer, Colorado, United States |
| Known for | Co-creating South Park |
| Longtime creative partner | Matt Stone |
| Major Broadway work | The Book of Mormon |
| Children | One daughter |
| 2026 milestone | Inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame |
| Current television work | Executive producer of South Park season 29 |
Key takeaways
- Parker met Matt Stone while studying at the University of Colorado Boulder.
- Their early animation work helped lead to South Park, which premiered in 1997.
- His work reaches well beyond television, including film, theater, music, and voice acting.
- The Book of Mormon became a major Broadway success and won nine Tony Awards.
- The Television Academy inducted Parker and Stone into its Hall of Fame in August 2026.
- Forbes estimated his real-time net worth at $1.4 billion on August 18, 2026.
- South Park season 29 is scheduled to premiere on September 16, 2026.
Who is he, and why is he famous?
Randolph Severn Parker III grew up in Conifer, Colorado. He developed an interest in music, comedy, and filmmaking before entering the entertainment business professionally. He later attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where one meeting changed the direction of his career. That was where he met Matt Stone.
The two began making films and animated shorts together while they were young filmmakers. One early project was Cannibal! The Musical, which Parker wrote, directed, and starred in while in college. Their animated short The Spirit of Christmas later helped create interest in a television series.
That series became South Park. Comedy Central premiered it on August 13, 1997. Its deliberately simple animation and fast-moving satire gave the show a style unlike most television animation of the period. Nearly three decades later, it remains in production.
How Trey Parker Built a Career Around South Park
Parker and Stone have shared creative control of the series for decades. Parker has worked as a writer, director, producer, voice performer, and musician on the show. Official credits also list him as a creator and executive producer.
His voice work is another major part of the series. He has performed numerous recurring characters over the years, including Stan Marsh, Eric Cartman, Randy Marsh, and others. This means his involvement extends from writing stories to giving many familiar characters their voices.
The show’s business history is almost as significant as its creative run. In July 2025, Paramount announced a new five-year agreement with Park County and South Park Digital Studios. The agreement included 50 new episodes and expanded Paramount+ streaming rights worldwide. That combination of creative control and long-term rights agreements helps explain why the creators have earned far more than standard television salaries.
The work beyond South Park
Animation may have made Parker famous, but his résumé covers several formats. He directed, co-wrote, and produced Team America: World Police, the 2004 comedy made with marionettes. Earlier film work included Orgazmo and BASEketball. He later voiced the villain Balthazar Bratt in Despicable Me 3.
His most important work outside television may be The Book of Mormon. Parker, Stone, and Robert Lopez created the musical together. It opened on Broadway in 2011 and won nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The show reached its 15th anniversary on Broadway in 2026. Its original cast reunited for a performance at the 79th Tony Awards in June, introduced by Parker, Stone, and Lopez.
Another recent project connects entertainment with a piece of Colorado history. Parker and Stone bought the well-known Casa Bonita restaurant and spent years rebuilding it. Their efforts became the 2024 documentary ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!. For readers interested in other detailed public-figure timelines, Notepare’s Beckett Etheridge biography uses a similar fact-first approach.
Awards and recognition
The awards attached to Parker’s work cross television, film, music, and theater. The Television Academy currently lists him as having 22 Emmy nominations and 5 Emmy wins. His work on South Park has also brought recognition from organizations beyond the Emmys.
His Broadway work brought another set of honors. The Television Academy credits him with four Tony Awards and a Grammy connected with The Book of Mormon. He also received an Academy Award nomination for the song “Blame Canada” from South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.
A major career honor arrived on August 13, 2026. The Television Academy inducted Parker and Stone into its 28th Hall of Fame. Their induction took place exactly 29 years after South Park first aired. That timing offered a useful measure of how long their creative partnership has lasted. What began with small college projects became one of American television’s longest-running collaborations.
Family and personal life
Public records and major biographies list two previous marriages. Parker married Emma Sugiyama in 2006, and the marriage ended in divorce in 2008. He later married Boogie Tillmon in 2014. That marriage also ended in divorce. He has one daughter, Betty, who was born in 2013.
Betty has also taken part in her father’s work. She has provided voices for characters in South Park, including Ike Broflovski in some episodes. Celebrity biographies often mix confirmed personal details with online rumors. A more useful approach is to separate documented facts from speculation. Notepare applies that distinction in its Pedro Pascal profile as well.
Net worth and where the money comes from
Celebrity wealth figures deserve a qualifier because personal finances are rarely fully public. Forbes listed Parker’s real-time net worth at $1.4 billion as of August 27, 2026. That figure is an estimate rather than a public accounting of all assets and liabilities.
His wealth is tied to several income streams. South Park provides television production income and valuable digital rights. The Book of Mormon has generated revenue through its long Broadway run and international productions. Film, music, licensing, and other business ventures add further sources.
Forbes also points to a 2007 agreement that gave Parker and Stone a share of the series’ digital revenue. Streaming later made those rights far more valuable than they appeared when the agreement was signed. Readers comparing entertainment wealth stories can also see Notepare’s Lashana Lynch net worth analysis.
What is he doing in 2026?
The latest confirmed updates show that Parker remains closely involved with the work that made him famous. South Park season 29 is scheduled to premiere on Comedy Central on September 16, 2026, with next-day streaming on Paramount+ in the United States. More episodes are scheduled through November. Parker and Stone remain executive producers.
The year has also included major institutional recognition. Beyond the Hall of Fame induction, South Park received attention from the Television Academy in 2026, while Parker received nominations in both animation and music. Meanwhile, The Book of Mormon marked 15 years on Broadway. Taken together, those developments show a career that remains active across television and theater rather than one resting on past hits.
Where to read next
His career connects animation, theater, film, music, and one of television’s longest creative partnerships. The 2026 Hall of Fame honor adds another milestone, while new episodes show the partnership is still active. For more biographies, entertainment careers, and public-figure explainers, browse Notepare’s Entertainment section.
Frequently asked questions
He is 56 as of August 2026. His birthday is October 19, 1969, so he will turn 57 in October 2026.
His full birth name is Randolph Severn Parker III. “Trey” is the name by which he has become known professionally.
The pair met while attending the University of Colorado Boulder. They began working on films and animation together before moving into professional television and film production.
His best-known projects include The Book of Mormon, Team America: World Police, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, Cannibal! The Musical, and ¡Casa Bonita Mi Amor!.
Yes. He has one daughter, Betty, born in 2013. She has also performed voice work for the animated series.
Forbes placed his real-time net worth at approximately $1.4 billion on August 27, 2026. Net worth rankings change and should be treated as estimates.
Yes. Season 29 is scheduled to begin on September 16, 2026. Official announcements continue to list Parker and Matt Stone as executive producers.
