34 Facts About Michael Leunig

Michael Leunig, typically referred to by his pen name Leunig, was an Australian cartoonist, poet and artist.

Michael Leunig was best known for his work for Melbourne's The Age, and The Sydney Morning Herald.

Michael Leunig wrote several books of prayers, including A Common Prayer, The Prayer Tree and When I Talk To You.

Michael Leunig was declared a Australian Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia in 1999.

Michael Leunig, a fifth-generation Australian, was born on 2 June 1945 in East Melbourne, the eldest of five children.

Michael Leunig said he traced his family's ancestry to the Harz, Holy Roman Empire, in the 16th century.

Michael Leunig grew up in Footscray, an inner western suburb of Melbourne, where he went to Footscray North Primary School.

Michael Leunig then went to Maribyrnong High School, but as the school had not finished being built, he first had to attend classes held at the nearby Melbourne Showgrounds in Ascot Vale.

Michael Leunig was conscripted in the Vietnam War call-up, but he registered as a conscientious objector; he was rejected on health grounds when it was revealed that he was deaf in one ear.

Michael Leunig began his cartoon career while studying at Swinburne in 1965 when his cartoons appeared in the Monash University student newspaper Lot's Wife.

The main outlet for Michael Leunig's work was the daily Fairfax Media newspapers, Melbourne's The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation provided airtime to Michael Leunig to discuss his views on a range of political and philosophical issues.

Michael Leunig continued to contribute cartoons for the Saturday edition of The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald until he was sacked in August 2024, along with a number of other staff, as a cost-cutting measure.

Michael Leunig's drawings were done with a sparse and quivering line, usually in black and white with ink wash; the human characters often drawn with exaggerated noses.

Michael Leunig made increasingly frequent forays into a personal fantasy world of whimsy, featuring small figures with teapots balanced on their heads, grotesquely curled hair and many ducks.

Michael Leunig frequently satirised concepts such as Americanisation, greed, consumerism, corporations and warmongering, in a personal proclamation against the "war on terror".

From a very early stage in his career, Michael Leunig often included his own handwritten poetry within his cartoons; subsequently he published books of poetry.

Michael Leunig was very open about his themes in interviews about his work.

Michael Leunig opposed the 2003 invasion of Iraq, commenting that "if a cartoonist is representing the government line on Iraq, they're nothing better than a propagandist".

In 2006, Fairfax Media partially censored a Michael Leunig cartoon criticising the then prime minister, John Howard; the cartoon was published in Victoria but not in New South Wales.

Michael Leunig denied he had submitted the cartoon, and demanded that it be withdrawn, which it was.

Michael Leunig had designed the logo for the festival each year since 1988.

In 1986, Michael Leunig decorated a Melbourne tram with cartoon characters, sponsored by the Victorian Government.

In 1999, Michael Leunig was declared an National Living Treasure by the National Trust of Australia.

Gyan and Michael Leunig launched the album at the Melbourne Writers Festival, with Michael Leunig illustrating during Gyan's singing.

Michael Leunig performed at the opening ceremony of the 2006 Melbourne Commonwealth Games, wearing a duck costume.

That same year, for his work on Southern Star, Michael Leunig was co-recipient of the 2006 APRA Music Award together with Christopher Willcock.

In 2020, Michael Leunig was the winner of the Ernie Award for his cartoon of mothers "being too busy on Instagram".

Several Michael Leunig poems have been set to music by composers including Paul Stanhope, and, for the Song Company, the composers Alice Chance, Drew Crawford, James Wade, Kate Moore, Kate Neal, Katy Abbott, Lachlan Skipworth, Lyle Chan, Mark Viggiani, Robert Davidson and Ruth McCall.

Michael Leunig married his second wife, Helga, in 1992 but they separated in the 2010s.

Michael Leunig was together with his last partner, Nicola Dierich, until his death.

Michael Leunig did not attend his parents' funerals and was not in regular contact with his siblings.

Michael Leunig had a studio in the Melbourne suburb of Northcote and a country property in north-east Victoria.

Michael Leunig died in Melbourne, in the early hours of 19 December 2024, at the age of 79.