Stephen Hillenburg Personal life
Is he married?
Is Stephen Hillenburg married?
Hillenburg's wife, Karen, is a chef who teaches at the New School of Cooking in Culver City, California. Hillenburg deems her to be the funniest person that he knows. The couple have a son named Clay (born c. 1998). Hillenburg formerly resided in Hollywood and in Pasadena, and now lives with his family in San Marino, California. His hobbies include surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, and performing "noisy rock music" on his guitar. He would jam with his son who is a drummer which, according to Hillenburg, is "a great way to bond with each other." He also enjoys birdwatching at home, but says that he was always "an ocean freak".  According to his colleagues, Hillenburg is "a perfectionist workaholic". He is also known for his private nature. Julia Pistor, co-producer of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, noted that Hillenburg is "very shy". She went on to say, "He doesn't want people to know about his life or family. He's just a really funny, down-to-earth guy with a dry sense of humor who puts his family first and keeps us on our toes in keeping our corporate integrity." Hillenburg said about himself, "I make animation because I like to draw and create things. I have no real interest to be on camera or to be a celebrity. It's not that I don't like people, but I like having my privacy."  In March 2017, Hillenburg disclosed that he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a terminal illness that affects and causes the death of neurons that control the brain and the spinal cord. He released a statement to the Variety magazine after his diagnosis, in which he affirmed that he would continue to work on SpongeBob SquarePants "for as long as [he is] able." He stated further, "My family and I are grateful for the outpouring of love and support. We ask that our sincere request for privacy be honored during this time." Hillenburg is currently in the early stages of the disease, according to a source close to him. CANNOTANSWER
Hillenburg's wife, Karen,
Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, writer, producer, and marine science educator. Hillenburg created the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants, on which he served as the showrunner for the first three seasons of the show, and has become the fifth-longest-running American animated series.

Born in Lawton, Oklahoma, and raised in Anaheim, California, Hillenburg became fascinated with the ocean as a child and developed an interest in art. He started his professional career in 1984, instructing marine biology, at the Orange County Marine Institute, where he wrote The Intertidal Zone, an informative picture book about tide-pool animals, which he used to educate his students. In 1989, two years after leaving teaching, Hillenburg enrolled at the California Institute of the Arts to pursue a career in animation. He was later offered a job on the Nickelodeon animated television series Rocko's Modern Life (19931996) after his success with The Green Beret and Wormholes (both 1992), short films that he made while studying animation.

In 1994, Hillenburg began developing The Intertidal Zone characters and concepts for what became SpongeBob SquarePants. The show has aired continuously since its premiere in 1999. He also directed The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004), which he originally intended to be the series finale. Hillenburg resigned as showrunner, but Nickelodeon continued to produce more episodes after he departed the series. He resumed making short films, with Hollywood Blvd., USA in 2013, but continued to be credited as an executive producer for SpongeBob SquarePants. Hillenburg co-wrote the story for the second film adaptation of the series, The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, which was released in 2015.

Besides his two Emmy Awards and six Annie Awards for SpongeBob SquarePants, Hillenburg also received other recognition, such as an accolade from Heal the Bay for his efforts on elevating marine life awareness, and the Television Animation Award from the National Cartoonists Society. Hillenburg announced he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2017, but stated he would continue to work on SpongeBob SquarePants as long as possible. He died on November 26, 2018, at the age of 57.

Early life and education
Stephen McDannell Hillenburg was born on August21, 1961 at Fort Sill, a United States Army post in Lawton, Oklahoma, where his father, Kelly N. Hillenburg Jr., worked for the U.S. military. His mother, Nancy (née Dufour), taught visually impaired students. When he was a year old, the family moved to Orange County, California, where his father began a career as a draftsman and designer in the aerospace industry. His younger brother, Bryan, eventually became a draftsman/designer as well.

When an interviewer asked Hillenburg to describe himself as a child, he replied that he was "probably well-meaning and naive like all kids." His passion for sea life can be traced to his childhood, when films by French oceanographer Jacques Cousteau made a strong impression on him. Hillenburg said that Cousteau "provided a view into that world", which he had not known existed. He liked to explore tide pools as a child, bringing home objects that "should have been left there and that ended up dying and smelling really bad."

Hillenburg also developed his interest in art at a young age. His first drawing was of an orange slice. An illustration which he drew in third grade, depicting "a bunch of army men... kissing and hugging instead of fighting", brought him the first praise for his artwork, when his teacher commended it. "Of course, this is 1970... She liked it because, I mean, obviously that was in the middle of [the Vietnam War]. She was, I would imagine, not a hundred percent for the war like a lot of people then. ...I had no idea about the implications, really, because I just thought it was a funny idea. I remember that still, that moment when she said, 'oh my gosh, look at that'", Hillenburg elaborated. It was then when he knew he "had some [creative] skill". He asserted that his artistry came from his mother's side, despite his father being a draftsman, noting that his maternal grandmother was "really, really gifted" and a "great painter". In the 1970s, someone took Hillenburg to the International Tournée of Animation at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He was "knocked out" by the foreign animated films, including Dutch animator Paul Driessen's The Killing of an Egg (1977). "That was the film that I thought was uniquely strange and that lodged itself in my head early on," he recounted.

He attended Savanna High School in Anaheim, describing himself as a "band geek" who played the trumpet. At age 15, he snorkeled for the first time; Hillenburg took part in a "dive program" at Woods Coves in Laguna Beach, as part of the Regional Occupational Program at Savanna. This experience, as well as subsequent dives, reinforced his interest in, and led to his decision to study, marine biology in college: "The switch clicked and I decided I wanted to be a marine biologist, but I also liked being an artist." Some of his high-school teachers, who knew of his interest in art and fascination with the ocean, advised him otherwise, saying: "You should just draw fish." However, the idea of drawing fish seemed boring to him and he was more riveted by "making weird, little paintings". During a few summers after finishing high school, he worked as a fry cook and lobster boiler at a fast-food seafood restaurant in Maine. (This later inspired SpongeBob SquarePants' occupation in the television series, which he would begin developing in 1994.)

Hillenburg went to Humboldt State University in Arcata, California as a marine-science major. He minored in art, and claimed that "[he] blossomed as a painter in Humboldt." In 1984, he earned his bachelor's degree in natural-resource planning and interpretation, with an emphasis on marine resources. He intended to take a master's degree, but said it would be in art: "Initially I think I assumed that if I went to school for art I would never have any way of making a living, so I thought it might be smarter to keep art my passion and hobby and study something else. But by the time I got to the end of my undergrad work, I realized I should be in art."

Early career

After graduating from college, Hillenburg held various jobs in 1984, including as a park service attendant in Utah and an art director in San Francisco, before landing the job he wanted: teaching children. He hoped to work in a national park on the coast, and eventually found a job at the Orange County Marine Institute (now known as the Ocean Institute), an organization in Dana Point, California, dedicated to educating the public about marine science and maritime history. Hillenburg was a marine-biology teacher there for three years: "We taught tide-pool ecology, nautical history, diversity and adaptation. Working there, I saw how enamored kids are with undersea life, especially with tide-pool creatures." He stayed at the Dana Point Marina and was also a staff artist. Although "[i]t was a great experience" for him, during this period, Hillenburg realized he was more interested in art than his chosen profession.

While working there, one of the educational directors asked him if he would be interested in creating an educational comic book about the animal life of tidal pools. He created a comic called The Intertidal Zone, which he used to teach his students. It featured anthropomorphic forms of sea life, many of which would evolve into SpongeBob SquarePants characters—including "Bob the Sponge", the comic's co-host, who resembled an actual sea sponge, as opposed to his later SpongeBob SquarePants character, who resembles a kitchen sponge. He tried to get the comic published, but the publishers he approached turned him down.

During this time, Hillenburg also started going to animation festivals such as the International Tournée of Animation and Spike and Mike's Festival of Animation where films made by students from the California Institute of the Arts (colloquially called CalArts) were shown. He determined that he wanted to pursue a career in that field. Hillenburg had planned to take a master's degree in art, but instead of "going back to school for painting", he left his job in 1987 to become an animator.

Hillenburg enrolled in CalArts' Experimental Animation Program in 1989. About this decision, he said: "Changing careers like that is scary, but the irony is that animation is a pretty healthy career right now and science education is more of a struggle." He studied under Jules Engel, the founding director of the program, whom he considered his "Art Dad" and mentor. Engel accepted him into the program impressed by The Intertidal Zone. Hillenburg said, "[Engel] also was a painter, so I think he saw my paintings and could easily say, 'Oh, this guy could fit in to this program.' I don't have any [prior experience in] animation really." Hillenburg graduated in 1992, earning a Master of Fine Arts in experimental animation. During his time at CalArts, he briefly drew comics for the surfing magazine KEMA in 1990.

Animation career

Early works

Hillenburg made his first animated works, short films The Green Beret (1991) and Wormholes (1992), while at CalArts. The Green Beret was about a physically challenged Girl Scout with enormous fists who toppled houses and destroyed neighborhoods while trying to sell Girl Scout cookies. Wormholes was his seven-minute thesis film, about the theory of relativity. He described the latter as "a poetic animated film based on relativistic phenomena" in his grant proposal in 1991 to the Princess Grace Foundation, which assists emerging artists in American theater, dance, and film. The foundation agreed to fund the effort, providing Hillenburg with a Graduate Film Scholarship. "It meant a lot. They funded one of the projects I'm most proud of, even with SpongeBob. It provided me the opportunity just to make a film that was personal, and what I would call independent, and free of some of the commercial needs," he said in 2003. Wormholes was shown at several international animation festivals, including: the Annecy International Animated Film Festival; the Hiroshima International Animation Festival; the Los Angeles International Animation Celebration; the International Short Film Festival Oberhausen; and the Ottawa International Animation Festival, where it won Best Concept. LA Weekly labeled the film "road-trippy" and "Zap-comical", while Manohla Dargis of The New York Times opined that it was inventive.

Hillenburg explained that "anything goes" in experimental animation. Although this allowed him to explore alternatives to conventional methods of filmmaking, he still ventured to employ "an industry style"; he preferred to traditionally animate his films (where each frame is drawn by hand) rather than, for instance, make cartoons "out of sand by filming piles of sand changing". Hillenburg had at least one other short film that he made as an animation student but its title is unspecified.

Rocko's Modern Life
Hillenburg's first professional job in the animation business was as a director on Rocko's Modern Life (19931996), Nickelodeon's first in-house cartoon production. He "ended up finding work in the industry and got a job" at the television network after he met the show's creator, Joe Murray, at the 1992 Ottawa International Animation Festival, where Wormholes and Murray's My Dog Zero were both in competition. Murray, who was looking for people to direct Rocko's Modern Life at the time, saw Hillenburg's film and offered him a directorial role on the television series. He "[had] friends that [gave him] a hard time about [the offer]. ... but doors opened when [he] stepped into the animation world," so he accepted it. He "was planning on being a starving artist": "[I spent] several thousand dollars to make a film and [realized] I may not make it backI had loans out. Fortunately, Joe Murray saw my film... and he took a huge chance," Hillenburg related.

Hillenburg worked closely with Murray on Rocko's Modern Life for its whole run on the air. Aside from directing, he also produced, wrote and storyboarded for some episodes, and served as the executive story editor. In 1995, during the show's fourth and final season, he was promoted to creative director, where he helped oversee pre- and post-production. Working on the series enabled him to repay his loans. He later related that he "learned a great deal about writing and producing animation for TV" from his stint on Rocko's Modern Life.

SpongeBob SquarePants

Creation
Some evidence shows that the idea for SpongeBob SquarePants dates back to 1986, during Hillenburg's time at the Orange County Marine Institute. He indicated that children's television series such as The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse (19871988) and Pee-wee's Playhouse (19861991) "sparked something in [him]." He continued, "I don't know if this is true for everybody else, but it always seems like, for me, I'll start thinking about something and it takes about ten years to actually have it happen, or have someone else believe in it... It took me a few years to get [SpongeBob SquarePants] together."

During the production of Rocko's Modern Life, Martin Olson, one of the writers, read The Intertidal Zone and encouraged Hillenburg to create a television series with a similar concept. At that point, he had not even considered creating his own series: "After watching Joe [Murray] tear his hair out a lot, dealing with all the problems that came up, I thought I would never want to produce a show of my own." However, he realized that if he ever did, this would be the best approach: "For all those years it seemed like I was doing these two totally separate things. I wondered what it all meant. I didn't see a synthesis. It was great when [my two interests] all came together in [a show]. I felt relieved that I hadn't wasted a lot of time doing something that I then abandoned to do something else. It has been pretty rewarding," Hillenburg said in 2002. He claimed that he finally decided to create a series as he was driving to the beach on the Santa Monica Freeway one day.

As he was developing the show's concept, Hillenburg remembered his teaching experience at the Orange County Marine Institute and how mesmerized children were by tide-pool animals, including crabs, octopuses, starfish, and sponges. It came to him that the series should take place underwater, with a focus on those creatures: "I wanted to create a small town underwater where the characters were more like us than like fish. They have fire. They take walks. They drive. They have pets and holidays." It suited what Hillenburg liked for a show, "something that was fantastic but believable." He also wanted his series to stand out from most popular cartoons of the time exemplified by buddy comedies such as The Ren & Stimpy Show (19911995). As a result, he decided to focus on one main character: the weirdest sea creature that he could think of. This led him to the sponge: "I wanted to do a show about a character that was an innocent, and so I focused on a sea sponge because it's a funny animal, a strange one." In 1994, Hillenburg began to further develop some characters from The Intertidal Zone, including Bob the Sponge.

Bob the Sponge is the comic's "announcer". He resembles an actual sea sponge, and at first Hillenburg continued this design because it "was the correct thing to do biologically as a marine-science teacher." In determining the new character's personality, he drew inspiration from innocent, childlike figures that he enjoyed, such as Charlie Chaplin, Laurel and Hardy, Jerry Lewis, Pee-wee Herman, Abbott and Costello, and The Three Stooges. He then considered modeling the character after a kitchen sponge, and realized that this idea would match the character's square personality perfectly: "[I]t looked so funny. I think as far as cartoon language goes he was easier to recognize. He seemed to fit the character type I was looking fora somewhat nerdy, squeaky clean oddball." To voice the central character of the series, Hillenburg turned to Tom Kenny, whose career in animation had begun with his on Rocko's Modern Life. Elements of Kenny's own personality were employed in further developing the character.

While pitching the cartoon to executives at Nickelodeon, Hillenburg donned a Hawaiian shirt, brought along an "underwater terrarium with models of the characters", and played Hawaiian music to set the theme. Nickelodeon executive Eric Coleman described the setup as "pretty amazing". Although Derek Drymon, creative director of SpongeBob SquarePants, described the pitch as stressful, he said it went "very well". Nickelodeon approved and gave Hillenburg money to produce the show.

Broadcast
SpongeBob SquarePants was Nickelodeon's first original Saturday-morning cartoon. It first aired as a preview on May 1, 1999, and officially premiered on July 17 of the same year. Hillenburg noted that the show's premise "is that innocence prevailswhich I don't think it always does in real life." It has received positive reviews from critics, and has been noted for its appeal to different age groups. James Poniewozik of Time magazine described the titular character as "the anti-Bart Simpson, temperamentally and physically: his head is as squared-off and neat as Bart's is unruly, and he has a personality to matchconscientious, optimistic and blind to the faults in the world and those around him." On the other hand, The New York Times critic Joyce Millman said that the show "is clever without being impenetrable to young viewers and goofy without boring grown-ups to tears. It's the most charming toon on television, and one of the weirdest. ...Like Pee-wee's Playhouse, SpongeBob joyfully dances on the fine line between childhood and adulthood, guilelessness and camp, the warped and the sweet."

SpongeBob SquarePants was an immediate hit. Within its first month on air, it overtook Pokémon (1997) as the highest-rated Saturday morning children's series. By the end of 2001, the show boasted the highest ratings of any children's series on television. Nickelodeon began adding SpongeBob SquarePants to its Monday-through-Thursday prime-time block. This programming change increased the number of older viewers significantly. By May 2002, the show's total viewership reached more than 61 million, 20 million of which were aged 18 to 49. Hillenburg did not expect the show would be very popular even to adults: "I never imagined that it would get to this point. When you set out to do a show about a sponge, you can't anticipate this kind of craze. We just try to make ourselves laugh, then ask if it's appropriate for children. I can tell you that we hoped it would be liked by adults. But we really thought the best we could hope for was a college audience." SpongeBob SquarePants has gone on to become one of the longest-running series on Nickelodeon. "Ten years. I never imagined working on the show to this date and this long. It never was possible to conceive that. ...I really figured we might get a season and a cult following, and that might be it," Hillenburg said in 2009 during the show's tenth anniversary. Its popularity has made it a media franchise, which is the most-distributed property of MTV Networks. , it has generated $12 billion in merchandising revenue.

Departure
In 2002, Hillenburg halted production of the show after the third season was completed to focus on the making of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie which was released in 2004: "I don't want to try and do a movie and the series at the same time. We have 60 episodes and that is probably as many as [Nickelodeon] really needs. It is a standard number for a show like this. I have done a little research and people say it is just crazy doing a series and movie at the same time. I would rather concentrate on doing a good job on the movie," he noted. He directed the film from a story that he conceived with five other writer-animators from the series: Paul Tibbitt, Derek Drymon, Aaron Springer, Kent Osborne, and Tim Hill. The writers created a mythical hero's quest: the search for a stolen crown, which brings SpongeBob and his best friend Patrick to the surface. In 2003, during the production of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, his mentor Jules Engel died at the age of 94. Hillenburg dedicated the film to his memory. He said that Engel "truly was the most influential artistic person in [his] life." The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie grossed $140 million worldwide, and received positive reviews from critics. The review-aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes rates it 68 percent positive based on 125 reviews, with an average rating of 6.2/10. Its consensus states in summary, "Surreally goofy and entertaining for both children and their parents."

After completing the film, Hillenburg wanted to end the series "so [it] wouldn't jump the shark." "We're working on episodes 40 through 60 right now, and I always looked at that as a typical run for an animated show. [The Ren & Stimpy Show] lasted about that long, for example. And I thought now was a good time to step aside and look at a different project. I personally think it's good not to go to the point where people don't want to see your show anymore," Hillenburg said in 2002. However, Nickelodeon wanted to produce more episodes: "The show was such a cash cow for the station that it couldn't afford not to," storyboard director Sam Henderson observed. Initially Hillenburg doubted that the network would continue the show without him, saying: "I think [Nickelodeon executives] respect that my contribution is important. I think they would want to maintain the original concept and quality." Consequently, he resigned as the showrunner and appointed his trusted staff member Paul Tibbitt to the role. Although he no longer had a direct involvement producing SpongeBob SquarePants, he retained his position as an executive producer and maintained an advisory role, reviewing each episode. Tibbitt started out as a supervising producer but rose up to executive producer when Hillenburg went into semi-retirement in 2004. While he was on the show, he voiced Potty the Parrot and sat in with Derek Drymon at the record studio to direct the voice actors while they were recording. During the fourth season, Tibbitt took on voicing for Potty, while Andrea Romano replaced the two as the voice director.

In 2014, Tibbitt announced on his Twitter account that Hillenburg would return to the show. However, he did not specify what position the former showrunner would hold. As early as 2012, Hillenburg had already been contributing to another film based on the series, which was first reported in 2011 and officially announced the following year, with Tibbitt as director. Tibbitt also wrote the story with Hillenburg, who "[had] been in the studio everyday working with [the crew]." Besides writing, Hillenburg also executive-produced. He said in 2014: "Actually when [the film] wraps, I want to get back to the show. ...it is getting harder and harder to come up with stories. So Paul [Tibbitt] and I are really going to brainstorm and come up with fresh material." Called The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of Water, the second film adaptation was released in 2015 to positive critical reception, currently holding a Rotten Tomatoes approval rating of 80 percent and an average rating of 6.5/10. It earned $323.4 million worldwide, becoming the second highest-grossing film based on an animated television show, behind The Simpsons Movie (2007).

Other pursuits 

In 1998, Hillenburg formed United Plankton Pictures Inc., a television and film production company, which produces SpongeBob SquarePants and related media. From 2011 to 2018, the company published SpongeBob Comics, a comic-book series based on the cartoon. Hillenburg announced the venture in a 2011 press release, where he said, "I'm hoping that fans will enjoy finally having a SpongeBob comic book from me." Various cartoonists, including James Kochalka, Hilary Barta, Graham Annable, Gregg Schigiel, and Jacob Chabot, have contributed to issues of the comic.

According to Jeff Lenburg, in his book Who's Who in Animated Cartoons, Hillenburg was co-writing and co-directing a second animated feature film based on Rob Zombie's comic-book series, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, which was slated for a 2006 release. He helped to write Diggs Tailwagger, a 2007 pilot by Derek Drymon. Hillenburg stated in 2009 that he was developing two other television projects that he did not want to discuss.

In 2010, he began working on Hollywood Blvd., USA, a new short film for animation festivals. In making the two-minute film, he videotaped people walking and animated them in walk cycles. Hillenburg said in 2012, "I hope to get [the film] done. It takes forever." He was aiming to finish it that fall. In 2013, three years after production began, Hollywood Blvd., USA was released to festivals. Hillenburg characterized it as a "personal film" and said that "it's not a narrative. It's just really about people in our town."

Personal life
Hillenburg married Karen Umland, a Southern Californian chef who teaches at the New School of Cooking in Culver City, in 1998. Hillenburg deemed her to be the funniest person that he knew, and the character of Karen Plankton was named after her. Also in 1998, the couple's first and only child, son Clay, was born. Hillenburg formerly resided in Hollywood and in Pasadena, and he lived with his family in San Marino, California, until his death. His hobbies included surfing, snorkeling, scuba diving, swimming, and performing "noisy rock music" on his guitar. He jammed with his son, who is a drummer, which Hillenburg called "a great way to bond with each other." He also enjoyed birdwatching at home, but said that he was always "an ocean freak".

He was known informally as "Steve" among his family, friends, and fans. According to his colleagues, Hillenburg was "a perfectionist workaholic". He was also known for his private nature. Julia Pistor, co-producer of The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, noted that Hillenburg was "very shy". She went on to say, "He doesn't want people to know about his life or family. He's just a really funny, down-to-earth guy with a dry sense of humor who puts his family first and keeps us on our toes in keeping our corporate integrity." Hillenburg said about himself, "I make animation because I like to draw and create things. I have no real interest to be on camera or to be a celebrity. It's not that I don't like people, but I like having my privacy."

Philanthropy
Hillenburg, with his wife Karen, had endowed numerous projects and organizations through the United Plankton Charitable Trust, which the couple established in 2005. The foundation, the name of which was adopted from Hillenburg's United Plankton Pictures, supports areas of the two's personal interest, giving under $500,000 annually . Grantees include large, established arts-related organizations such as the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Society for the Activation of Social Space through Art and Sound, in which Karen is co-chair. Health accounts for most of their grantmaking; they had gifted to Planned Parenthood (where Karen is member of the board of directors ) and the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, among other national health organizations.

In education, they donated to schools, including the Polytechnic School in Pasadena (which their son attended), CalArts, and Humboldt State University. Donations to the latter helped fund the HSU Marine Lab and the Stephen Hillenburg Marine Science Research Award Endowment, which the couple created in 2018 to support the university's marine-science research students. The previous year, the Princess Grace Foundation introduced the Stephen Hillenburg Animation Scholarship, an annual grant from the Hillenburgs to emerging animators.

Illness, death and legacy
Hillenburg disclosed to Variety magazine in March 2017 that he had been diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a fatal neurodegenerative disease that affects the motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord. He released a statement to the publication, in which he said that he would continue to work on SpongeBob SquarePants "for as long as [he is] able." He added: "My family and I are grateful for the outpouring of love and support. We ask that our sincere request for privacy be honored during this time." Hillenburg was in the early stages of the disease at the time, according to a source close to him. During his last days as executive producer, he had difficulty speaking, and it came to the point where he eventually stopped coming to the office.

Hillenburg died at his home on November 26, 2018, at the age of 57, due to the complications. According to his death certificate, his body was cremated and his ashes were scattered in the Pacific Ocean at least  off the coast of California the next day.

During the halftime show for Super Bowl LIII, the performing band Maroon 5 arranged to use a clip from the SpongeBob episode "Band Geeks" (which uses the song "Sweet Victory" as part of a spoof of a football halftime show) during their show as a means to pay tribute to Hillenburg. A full clip of the "Sweet Victory" song, including a dedication to Hillenburg, was played inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium, but not during the game, which angered many fans. The song was later included in a promo for ViacomCBS' Paramount+ streaming service during Super Bowl LV.

The TV special SpongeBob's Big Birthday Blowout and the theatrical film The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge on the Run are dedicated to him and his career.

In 2019, a spin-off of SpongeBob SquarePants began production, featuring younger versions of the characters attending summer camp. Former showrunner Paul Tibbitt stated that Hillenburg would have disliked the idea; he commented, "Steve [Hillenburg] would always say to me, 'You know, one of these days, they're going to want to make SpongeBob Babies. That's when I'm out of here.'" Tibbitt also released a statement stating, "I do not mean any disrespect to my colleagues who are working on this show ... [but] they all know full well Steve would have hated this." The concept of Kamp Koral came from a season 12 meeting in October 2018, a month before Hillenburg died. Hillenburg is credited as the creator of Kamp Koral, and is credited on other spin-offs as the characters' creator.

Awards and honors

In 1992, one of Hillenburg's early works, Wormholes, won for Best Concept at the Ottawa International Animation Festival. For SpongeBob SquarePants, Hillenburg was nominated for 17 Emmy Awards, winning in the categories of Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Outstanding Sound Editing – Animation in 2010 and 2014, respectively. The show has also received several other awards and nominations, including 17 Annie Award nominations, winning six times, as well as winning two British Academy Children's Awards, out of four nominations. In 2002, SpongeBob SquarePants won its first TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Children's Programming nomination.

In 2001, Heal the Bay, an environmental nonprofit organization, honored Hillenburg with its Walk the Talk award. He was recognized for raising public awareness of marine life through SpongeBob SquarePants. The following year, Hillenburg was given the Television Animation Award from the National Cartoonists Society, and the Princess Grace Statue Award from the Princess Grace Foundation. In 2018, Hillenburg received the Winsor McCay Award at the 45th Annie Awards, and a special recognition at the 45th Daytime Emmy Awards "for his contribution and impact made in the animation field and within the broadcast industry."

The marine demosponge species Clathria hillenburgi, known from mangrove habitats off the coast of Paraíba, Brazil, was named in honor of Stephen Hillenburg.

On November 18, 2021, Hillenburg was honored with a bench and historical plaque at his alma mater Savannah High School in Anaheim, California. The project was a collaboration between the Hillenburg family, Anaheim Historical Society, and YouTube personality Griffin Hansen. Karen Hillenburg specifically chose a bright yellow bench that "she thought perfectly captured her husband's warmth and goofiness". The memorial was dedicated one day before Savanna High School's 60th anniversary at a school-wide assembly hosted by Hansen and principal Michael Pooley. The event was attended by Karen and Clay Hillenburg, as well as members of Spongebob Squarepants' cast and crew including Tom Kenny, Jill Talley, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Clancy Brown, Mr. Lawrence, Marc Ceccarelli, and Derek Drymon.

Filmography

Film

Television

References

Further reading

External links

 
 
 
 Stephen Hillenburg at the Nickelodeon Animation Studio website

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Laird of Burnbrae was a hereditary title in Scotland that was held by several generations in the Primrose family. The Lands of Burnbrae was situated near Kincardine, and has since been joined with Kincardine.

The book, Culross and Tulliallan, states that the Lands of Burnbrae were previously held by the Blaw family until it was passed on to the Primrose family when Margaret Blaw married Archibald Primrose, who then became the first proprietor of that name to hold the lands of Burnbrae. The Primrose family held the title to the Lands of Burnbrae for over two hundred years until it became incorporated with the Tulliallan estate.

The Lairds of Burnbrae resided in Tulliallan, formerly in Perthshire, Scotland although in some early sources Tulliallan is cited as part of Fife, where it currently lies. The family is related to the Lord Dalmeny (a subordinate title of the Earl of Rosebery), whose family surname is also Primrose.

Lairds of Burnbrae 
Archibald Primrose was the first Laird of Burnbrae. He was born about 1538 in Culross to Duncan Primrose and Helen Smyth. Archibald married Margaret Blaw about 1564 in Culross.

Peter Primrose is the second known Laird of Burnbrae and uncle of the first Laird. He was born about 1512 and died in July 1584.

Henry Primrose is the third known Laird of Burnbrae. He was born in 1536 to Peter Primrose. Henry married Margaret Beveridge in about 1558 and died in 1576.

Peter Primrose is the fourth known Laird of Burnbrae. He was born in 1560 to Henry Primrose and Margaret Beverage. Peter married Margaret Callender and died in 1609.

John Primrose is the fifth known Laird of Burnbrae. He was born about 1590 to Peter Primrose and Margaret Callender. It is unknown who the mother(s) of his children are but it is recorded that he married Elizabeth Sands on 20 September 1665 in Culross, Fife, Scotland. John died in December 1669.

John Primrose is the sixth known Laird of Burnbrae. He was born about 1617 to John Primrose, and married Margaret Reiddock.

John Primrose is the seventh known Laird of Burnbrae. He was christened on 26 December 1648 in Culross, Fife, Scotland to John Primrose and Margaret Reiddock. John married Christian Wannan on 24 October 1680.

William Primrose is the eighth known Laird of Burnbrae. He was born on 16 May 1685 to John Primrose and  Christian Wannan. William married Janet Drysdale on 6 April 1716. Janet was born on 3 February 1689 to John Drysdale and Margaret Love.

John Primrose is the ninth known Laird of Burnbrae. He was christened on 3 May 1719 to William Primrose and Janet Drysdale. John married Janet Primrose about 1745.

James Primrose is the tenth and last known Laird of Burnbrae. He was born about 1746 to John Primrose and  Janet Primrose. He was also known by the title "esquire". James married Jane Lawrie about 1784 and died November 1827; his wife died in April 1832.

References

Burnbrae
People from Kincardine, Fife The following is a list of characters from the Polish TV series M jak miłość.

For biographies of members of Mostowiak family, see: List of M jak miłość characters (Mostowiak family)

Banach family 
Banach family is related to Mostowiak family through the 2020 wedding of Mateusz Mostowiak and Liliana Banach.

 Krzysztof Banach (January Brunov) is a patriarch of Banach family.

 Krystyna Banach (Dorota Chotecka-Pazura) is a wife of Krzysztof Banach.

 Liliana Mostowiak, born Banach (Monika Mielnicka) is a daughter of Jacek Kotowski and Krystyna Banach and legal daughter of Krzysztof Banach. She was a classmate of Mateusz Mostowiak and lived with her family in Lipnica. Her father used a domestic violence. In late 2019 she was raped by Daniel and fell pregnant. Mateusz Mostowiak decided to take care of her and raise her child as his own. In March 2020 Liliana miscarried. She married Mostowiak on April 21, 2020. In January 2021 she learnt that her biologcal father was Jacek Kotowski. Liliana had a romance with Australian Ethan Anderson, who is fifteen years senior and has a daughter. She left Mateusz and decided to divorce him and to marry her new partner.

 Mateusz Mostowiak is a husband of Liliana Mostowiak. They married on April 21, 2020.

 Kamil Banach is a second child and first son of Krzysztof Banach and his wife, Krystyna Banach. He lives in Lipnica.

Budzyński family 
Budzyński family is related to Mostowiak family through the 2012 wedding of Andrzej Budzyński and Marta Mostowiak.

 Tadeusz Budzyński is a brother of Wanda Budzyńska. He was born in 1929 and died in 2012. She met Irena Malanowska, a woman whom he loved in his youth, and moved with her to Cracow.

 Wanda Budzyńska (Maria Rybarczyk) is a senior of Budzyński family. She was born in 1956. Wanda has one brother, Tadeusz Budzyński. She is a lawyer and a judge. She was dating Jerzy Kolęda (2014-2015).

 Andrzej Budzyński (Krystian Wieczorek) is an only child of Wanda Budzyńska and her unnamed husband. He was born on November 17, 1973. In 2003 he had a son, Piotr Bielak, with his married lover, Edyta Bielak. He hasn't known about him and met him later. Piotr was raised as a son of Edyta's husband. Andrzej married Marta Wojciechowska on January 16, 2012 and became a stepfather to her two children. They divorced in May 2017 after Marta moved to Colombia. He then started dating Magdalena Marszałek and they married on January 7, 2020. Andrzej is a stepfather to Magdalena's son, Maciej Chodakowski.

 Marta Budzyńska, born Mostowiak is a first wife of Andrzej Budzyński. They married on January 16, 2012 and divorced on May 15, 2017.

 Magdalena Budzyńska, born Marszałek is a second wife of Andrzej Budzyński. They married on January 7, 2020.

 Piotr Bielak is a first child of Andrzej Budzyński and his then lover, Edyta Bielak. His legal father is Janusz Bielak. He was born in 2003.

Chodakowski family 
Chodakowski family is related to Mostowiak family through the 2009 wedding of Tomasz Chodakowski and Małgorzata Mostowiak.

 Grzegorz Chodakowski (Wojciech Majchrzak) is a first child of Mr. and Mrs. Chodakowski and older brother of Tomasz Chodakowski. He was born on May 6, 1967. 

 Aleksandra Chodakowska (Małgorzata Pieczyńska) is a wife of Grzegorz Chodakowski. She was born on May 12, 1965. Aleksandra has one sister, a nun named Łucja (born July 9, 1967, died March 14, 2008).

 Aleksander Chodakowski (Maurycy Popiel) is a first child of Grzegorz Chodakowski and his wife, Aleksandra Chodakowska. He was born on June 6, 1987. He civilly married Aneta Kryńska on April 28, 2020 in a prison in Warsaw.

 Magdalena Chodakowska, born Marszałek is a first wife of Aleksander Chodakowski. They married on December 22, 2015 and divorced on September 19, 2017.

 Aneta Chodakowska, born Kryńska (Ilona Janyst) is a second wife of Aleksander Chodakowski. They married on April 28, 2020.

 Maciej Chodakowski, born Romanowski (Franciszek Przanowski) is a first child of Aleksander Chodakowski and his first wife, Magdalena Chodakowska. He was born in 2006. His biological father, Krzysztof Romanowski, died because of heart attack on January 18, 2016. On March 14, 2016 he was adopted by Aleksander and Magdalena

 Marcin Chodakowski (Mikołaj Roznerski) is a second child and second son of Grzegorz Chodakowski and his wife, Aleksandra Chodakowska. He was born on August 18, 1990. Marcin was raised in Germany by his father, because his mother left the family and moved abroad. He was a boxer. He came to Warsaw because he had a conflict with boxer club's chef. Marcin had romances with Weronika Zawada (who was married to Ryszard Zawada, 2013), Agnieszka Olszewska (2012), Eryka Bufford (2013-2014) and Jane Bufford (2013). In 2014 he met Katarzyna Mularczyk. They started dating and she fell pregnant. Marcin got engaged to Katarzyna on December 29, 2014. On March 9, 2015 their son Szymon Chodakowski was born in Warsaw, but Katarzyna died as a result of severe blooding. Marcin, who raised his son alone, met Izabela Lewińska. She worked as a curator and controlled Marcin's family. They fell in love and has a daughter, Maja Chodakowska, on November 14, 2017. In the meantime, Izabela married her former boyfriend, Artur Skalski and didn't say Marcin that she was expecting their child. Artur was killed in October 2019 by Aleksander Chodakowski. Marcin and Izabela engaged on January 28, 2020 and married in a church ceremony on March 24, 2020. Chodakowski owns a company.

 Izabela Chodakowska, born Lewińska (Adriana Kalska) is a wife of Marcin Chodakowski. They married on March 24, 2020.

 Szymon Chodakowski is a first child of Marcin Chodakowski and his fiancee, Katarzyna Mularczyk. He was born on March 9, 2015. His mother died hours after his birth and he was raised by his father.

 Maja Chodakowska is a first child of Marcin Chodakowski and his then girlfriend, Izabela Lewińska. She was born on November 14, 2017.

 Tomasz Chodakowski (Andrzej Młynarczyk) was a second child of Mr. and Mrs. Chodakowski and younger brother of Grzegorz Chodakowski. He was born on July 7, 1978. He lived in Szczecin and worked as a policeman. He decided to change his work and become a driver after the death of his close friend. He took care of his daughter, Zofia Warakomska. Tomasz met Małgorzata Mostowiak and saved her life when a man tried to rape her. They married on November 10, 2009 and their son was born on November 23, 2009. In the past, Tomasz was engaged to Agnieszka Olszewska, who escaped from the church minutes before their wedding. Agnieszka came to Warsaw from Szczecin and they renewed their relationship. Tomasz's relationship with Agnieszka and Małgorzata's work abroad was bad for their marriage. In 2014 Małgorzata left her family and moved to United States where she got engaged to her first husband, Michał Łagoda, and fell pregnant. Tomasz divorced her on May 12, 2014. Chodakowski had another one night stand with Olszewska. It resulted in a birth of their daughter, Helena Chodakowska, on February 23, 2016. Tomasz started dating Joanna Tarnowska, a nanny of Wojciech. Tomasz and Joanna married on March 28, 2017. Chodakowski was attacked with a knife and died in a Warsaw hospital on September 11, 2017.

 Małgorzata Chodakowska, born Mostowiak is a first wife of Tomasz Chodakowski. They married on November 10, 2009 and divorced on May 12, 2014.

 Joanna Chodakowska, born Tarnowska is a second wife of Tomasz Chodakowski. They married on March 28, 2017 and she widowed on September 11, 2017.

 Zofia Warakomska is a stepchild of Tomasz Chodakowski and his first wife, Małgorzata Chodakowska. She was born on June 15, 1999 in Szczecin.

 Wojciech Chodakowski is a first child of Tomasz Chodakowski and his first wife, Małgorzata Chodakowska. He was born on November 23, 2009 in Warsaw.

 Helena Chodakowska is a first child of Tomasz Chodakowski and his former fiancee, Agnieszka Olszewska. She was born on February 23, 2016. She spent her first years in Warsaw. In September 2017 her father died. In April 2020 she moved to home town of her mother, Szczecin.

Domański family 
 Stefan Domański (Zbigniew Waleryś) is a patriarch of Domański family. He was born in 1955. He has a daughter, Alicja Domańska. For many years Stefan had been a tramp. He met his granddaughter Barbara Domańska and they become friends.

 Jerzy Domański (Michał Czernecki) is a son of Stefan Domański and biological father of Barbara Zduńska. He was married to Alicja but they later divorced and he didn't have a contact with his child. Barbara is now raised as a child of Paweł Zduński. He was born in 1979.

 Alicja Zduńska, primo voto Domańska, secundo voto Zduńska was a wife of Jerzy Domański. She was born on October 18, 1985. Alicja has one sister, Olga. Alicja was married to Jerzy Domański with whom she has a daughter, Barbara. Secondly she married Paweł Zduński and they raised Barbara as her parents. Alicja left her family and moved to London with her new boyfriend. She soon fell pregnant and divorced Zduński. She gave birth to another son.

 Barbara Zduńska, born Domańska (Gabriela Raczyńska) is a daughter of Jerzy Domański and his then wife, Alicja Zduńska and also stepdaughter of Paweł Zduński. She was born on July 15, 2006.

Filarski family 
Filarski family is related to Mostowiak family through the 2002 wedding of Piotr Zduński and Kinga Filarska.

 Zbigniew Filarski is a senior of Filarski family. He is divorced from Krystyna Filarska since May 16, 2006.

 Krystyna Filarska-Marszałek is a first wife of Zbigniew Filarski. They divorced on May 16, 2006.

 Kinga Filarska-Zduńska, born Filarska (Katarzyna Cichopek-Hakiel) is a first child of Zbigniew Filarski and his wife, Krystyna Filarska. She was born on May 22, 1984. Status: present, living in Warsaw since 2002. Occupation: psychologist. Marital status: married to Piotr Zduński since 2002.

Lisiecki family 
Lisiecki family is related to Mostowiak family through the 2019 wedding of Bartosz Lisiecki and Urszula Mostowiak.

 Andrzej Lisiecki (Tomasz Oświeciński) is an older brother of Bartosz Lisiecki. In the past he was married to Elżbieta but his marriage lasted only a few months. On January 31, 2017 he married his friend, Marzena Laskowska and they're expecting their first child. Status: present, living in Grabina. Marital status: married to Marzena Lisiecka since 2017.

 Elżbieta Lisiecka (Anna Sarna) is a divorced first wife of Andrzej Lisiecki. She came to Grabina to stop Andrzej's wedding with Marzena Laskowska, saying that they're not divorced. Status: non-present since 2017. Marital status: divorced from Andrzej Lisiecki.

 Marzena Lisiecka, born Laskowska (Olga Szomańska) is a second wife of Andrzej Lisiecki. She worked at Siedlisko with Urszula Lisiecka. Marzena gave birth to her daughter Kalina on March 17, 2020.

 Kalina Lisiecka is a first child of Andrzej Lisiecki and his wife, Marzena Lisiecka. She was born on March 17, 2020 in Warsaw.

 Bartosz Lisiecki (Arkadiusz Smoleński) is a younger brother of Andrzej Lisiecki. Before he came to Grabina, he was in jail. Bartosz was previously married to Jolanta Lisiecka but they divorced after she betrayed him and gave birth to a daughter whose father was her lover. Lisiecki met Urszula Mostowiak and she split with her fiance to be with Bartosz. They married on June 4, 2019. Status: present, living in Grabina. Occupation: car mechanic. Marital status: married to Urszula Lisiecka since 2019.

 Jolanta Lisiecka is a first wife of Bartosz Lisiecki. They are divorced.

 Urszula Lisiecka, born Jakubczyk is a second wife of Bartosz Lisiecki. They married on June 4, 2019.

Łagoda family 
Łagoda family is related to Mostowiak family through the 1960 adoption of Maria Mostowiak by Lucjan Mostowiak and through the 2002 wedding of Michał Łagoda and Małgorzata Mostowiak.

 Feliks Łagoda (never seen on screen) was a senior of Łagoda family. He was born in 1896 and died on June 28, 1960.

 Zofia Łagoda (never seen on screen) was a wife of Feliks Łagoda.

 Zenon Łagoda (Emil Karewicz) was a first child of Feliks Łagoda and his wife, Zofia Łagoda. He was born on June 14, 1936. He died on November 17, 2001.

 Maria Rogowska, born Mostowiak, primo voto Zduńska, secundo voto Rogowska is a first child of Zenon Łagoda and his then fiancee, Barbara Wrzodak. She is a legal daughter of Lucjan Mostowiak. She was born on December 24, 1960. Status: present, living in Grabina since 2018. Occupation: nurse. Marital status: married to Artur Rogowski since 2018.

 Piotr Zduński is a first child of Krzysztof Zduński and his wife, Maria Zduńska. He was born on February 18, 1984. Status: present, living in Warsaw since 2002. Occupation: lawyer. Marital status: married to Kinga Filarska-Zduńska since 2002.

 Magdalena Zduńska (Maja Wudkiewicz) is a first child of Piotr Zduński and his wife, Kinga Filarska-Zduńska. She was born on March 9, 2009. 

 Mikołaj Zduński is a second child and first son of Piotr Zduński and his wife, Kinga Filarska-Zduńska. He was born on May 6, 2014.

 Emilia Zduńska is a third child and second daughter of Piotr Zduński and his wife, Kinga Filarska-Zduńska. She was born on February 25, 2019.

 Zuzanna Zduńska is a fourth child and third daughter of Piotr Zduński and his wife, Kinga Filarska-Zduńska. She was born on February 25, 2019.

 Paweł Zduński is a second child and second son of Krzysztof Zduński and his wife, Maria Zduńska. He was born on February 18, 1984.  Status: present, living in Warsaw since 2002. Occupation: businessman. Marital status: divorced from Katia Zduńska since 2018. 

 Barbara Zduńska is a first child of Paweł Zduński and his second wife, Alicja Zduńska. She was born on July 15, 2006. 

 Maria Zduńska was a third child and first daughter of Krzysztof Zduński and his wife, Maria Zduńska. She was born on June 2, 2001 and died on June 2, 2001.

 Michał Łagoda (Paweł Okraska) was a first child of Zenon Łagoda and his unnamed wife. He was born on August 18, 1974 and died on April 3, 2014.

 Marian Łagoda was a second child and second son of Feliks Łagoda and his wife, Zofia Łagoda. He died in 2003.

 Unnamed Starski, born Łagoda was a brother of Feliks Łagoda. He moved to United States and changed his surname to Starski.

 Unnamed Starski II is a son of Unnamed Starski and his wife and nephew of Feliks Łagoda.

 Kamil Starski (Radosław Krzyżowski) was a son of Unnamed Starski II and his wife. He died in 2019.

 Maciej Kalicki (Aleksander Kaleta) is a son of Kamil Starski and his former partner, Miss Kalicka. Status: present, living in Gródek since 2019. Occupation: doctor.

Marszałek family 
 Wojciech Marszałek (Emilian Kamiński) is a senior of Marszałek family. 

 Halina Marszałek (Marta Klubowicz) was a first wife of Wojciech Marszałek. She was born on April 9, 1960. Halina died on November 21, 2009 after a long illness.

 Krystyna Filarska-Marszałek (Hanna Mikuć) is a second wife of Wojciech Marszałek. She was born in 1956. She lived in Gródek with her wealthy husband Zbigniew Filarski and daughter Kinga. She didn't accept that her daughter was dating Piotr Zduński whose family was poor. Krystyna and Zbigniew divorced on May 16, 2006. Krystyna met Wojciech Marszałek and married him on May 3, 2011, making best friends Kinga Zduńska and Magdalena Marszałek stepsisters.

 Magdalena Budzyńska, born Marszałek, primo voto Maksymowicz, secundo voto Chodakowska, tertio voto Budzyńska (Anna Mucha) is an only child of Wojciech Marszałek and his first wife, Halina Marszałek. She was born on September 14, 1982. She studied psychology at Warsaw University where she met Kinga Zduńska, Piotr Zduński and Kamil Gryc. She married her first husband, Sasza Maksymowicz, to let him applicate for a Polish citizenship.

 Sasza Maksymowicz (Iwan Komarenko) is a first husband of Magdalena Marszałek. They married in a civil ceremony and divorced.

 Aleksander Chodakowski is a second husband of Magdalena Marszałek. They married in 2015 and divorced in 2017.

 Andrzej Budzyński is a third husband of Magdalena Marszałek. They married on January 7, 2020.

 Zuzanna Marszałek (Jolanta Fraszyńska) is a cousin of Wojciech Marszałek. She worked as a nanny of Magdalena Zduńska and Mikołaj Zduński. She was dating Zbigniew Filarski and Wiktor Żak (whom she met in a secondary school and then again in Warsaw in 2016).

 Michał Marszałek is a brother of Zuzanna Marszałek.

Mostowiak family 
Mostowiak family is a main family of the series.

Ludwik Mostowiak (died)

Teodor Mostowiak (died)
Maria Mostowiak (married)

Hanna Smine (Mostowiak, born 1922, died 1978)
husband Smine

daughter Bufford (Smine)
husband Bufford (married)

Jane Bufford (born 1990)

Lucjan Mostowiak (born 1931, died 2017)
Barbara Mostowiak (Wrzodak, married 1960)

 Maria Rogowska (Mostowiak, born 1960)
 Krzysztof Zduński (married 1984, widowed 2006)
 Artur Rogowski (married 2008, divorced 2015; married 2018)

 Piotr Zduński (born 1984)
 Kinga Filarska-Zduńska (Filarska, married 2002)

 Magdalena Zduńska (born 2009)

 Mikołaj Zduński (born 2014)

 Emilia Zduńska (born 2019)

 Zuzanna Zduńska (born 2019)

 Paweł Zduński (born 1984)
 Joanna Zduńska (Liberadzka, married 2011, divorced 2012)
 Alicja Zduńska (Domańska, married 2014, divorced 2017)
 Katia Zduńska (Tatiszwili, married 2018, divorced 2018)

 Barbara Zduńska (born 2006, adopted 2018)

 Maria Zduńska (born 2001, died 2001)

 Barbara Rogowska (born 2009)

 Marta Budzyńska (Mostowiak, born 1972)
 Jacek Milecki (married 2003, divorced 2004)
 Norbert Wojciechowski (married 2005, widowed 2007)
 Andrzej Budzyński (married 2012, divorced 2017)

 Łukasz Wojciechowski (Mostowiak, born 1993)

 Natalia Wojciechowska (born 2020)

 Anna Wojciechowska (born 2006)

 Marek Mostowiak (born 1978)
 Hanna Mostowiak (married 2001, widowed 2011)
 Ewa Kolęda (married 2015)

 Natalia Zarzycka (Mostowiak, born 1996, adopted 2005)
 Franciszek Zarzycki (married 2017)

 Hanna Zarzycka (Mostowiak, born 2015)

 Urszula Lisiecka (Mostowiak, born 1996, adopted 2008)
 Bartosz Lisiecki (married 2019)

 Mateusz Mostowiak (born 2002)
 Liliana Mostowiak (Banach, married 2020)

 Małgorzata Chodakowska (Mostowiak, born 1980)
 Michał Łagoda (married 2002, divorced 2004, engaged 2014, died 2014)
 Stefan Miller (married 2004, divorced 2005)
 Tomasz Chodakowski (married 2009, divorced 2014, died 2017)

 Zofia Warakomska (born 1999, adopted)

 Wojciech Chodakowski (born 2009)

Olszewski family 
 Agnieszka Olszewska (Magdalena Walach) is a public prosecutor and former fiancee of Tomasz Chodakowski. She was born in 1978 in Szczecin. She met Chodakowski at a secondary school in Szczecin. They were even engaged but she decided to split with him. Agnieszka came to Warsaw as a widowed woman and met Chodakowski again. She was in love triangle with his wife, Małgorzata Chodakowska. In 2011 she fell pregnant after a one night stand with Andrzej Budzyński, but later miscarried. On February 23, 2016 her daughter Helena Chodakowska was born. In September 2017 Tomasz Chodakowski died. In April 2020 Agnieszka and her daughter moved to Szczecin.

 Helena Chodakowska is a first child of Agnieszka Olszewska and her former partner, Tomasz Chodakowski. She was born on February 23, 2016.

Rogowski family 
 Artur Rogowski (Robert Moskwa) is a senior of Rogowski family. He was born in 1969. He is a doctor. Rogowski has been in love with Maria Zduńska for many years and started dating her after the death of her first husband. They married in 2008 during their long stay in Oslo, Norway. On November 3, 2009 their daughter Barbara was born. Rogowski had a romance with Teresa Drawicz and it let to his divorce from Maria in 2015. They later reconciled and married for a second time on November 26, 2018. Since then they live in Grabina.

 Maria Rogowska, born Mostowiak is a wife of Artur Rogowski. They married in 2008 and divorced in 2015. They married for a second time on November 26, 2018.

 Barbara Rogowska is a first child of Artur Rogowski and his wife, Maria Rogowska. She was born on November 3, 2009.

 Agata Rogowska (Katarzyna Kwiatowska) is a sister of Artur Rogowski. She is a doctor. She was married and lived in Norway for many years. Then she divorced her husband and came back to Poland. She started her work in Lipnica with her brother and sister-in-law. She is dating Artur Werner as of 2020.

Tarnowski family 
Adam Tarnowski (born 1958)
Dorota Tarnowska (widowed 2015)

 Joanna Chodakowska (Tarnowska born 1987)
 Tomasz Chodakowski (married 2017, widowed 2017)
 Leszek Krajewski (engaged 2021)

Adam Tarnowski (Juliusz Krzysztof Warunek) is a senior of Tarnowski family. He was born in 1958.

Dorota Tarnowska (Katarzyna Żak) was a wife of Adam Tarnowski. In a past she was diagnosed with a cancer and recovered after her daughter stole money from the casino she worked. Later, she was diagnosed with a pancreatic cancer and died on June 1, 2015.

Joanna Chodakowska, born Tarnowska (Barbara Kurdej-Szatan) is a first child of Adam Tarnowski and his wife, Dorota Tarnowska. She was born on March 15, 1987. She worked in United States as a nanny of Wojciech Chodakowski. After his mother, Małgorzata Chodakowska, and her fiance, Michał Łagoda, had a car accident, she took care of Wojciech and later took him to Poland. Joanna fell in love with Tomasz Chodakowski and they married on March 28, 2017. Tomasz unfortunately died on September 11, 2017. Joanna lives in Warsaw and raises Wojciech Chodakowski. On December 6, 2021 she got engaged to Leszek Krajewski.

Tomasz Chodakowski was a first husband of Joanna Tarnowska. They married on March 28, 2017 and he died on September 11, 2017.

Tatiszwili family 
Tatiszwili family is of Georgian origin.

 Otar Tatiszwili (David Gamtsemlidze) is a senior of Tatiszwili family. He is Georgian. Otar lives in Warsaw and owns a restaurant.

 Katia Zduńska, born Tatiszwili (Joanna Jarmołowicz) is a daughter of Otar Tatiszwili and his wife. On May 21, 2018 she married Paweł Zduński in order to have a Polish citizenship. They eventually fell in love with each other but divorced on November 20, 2018. Katia had a romance with Łukasz Wojciechowski and fell pregnant. Her father didn't accept that she was expecting a child out of wedlock. On March 9, 2020 she gave birth to her daughter, Natalia.

 Paweł Zduński is a first husband of Katia Tatiszwili. They married on May 21, 2018 and divorced on November 20, 2018.

 Natalia Wojciechowska is a first child of Katia Zduńska and her former boyfriend, Łukasz Wojciechowski. She was born on March 9, 2020.

Walisiak family 
 Władysław Walisiak was a senior of Walisiak family. He was born in 1947. In his youth Władysław was dating Wanda Kalicka but married her younger sister, Maria Kalicka. They had one child, Hanna, born in 1975. In 1980 Walisiak family came home from a party in a car driven by Waldemar Jaroszy. Jaroszy had no driving license and caused an accident with Lucjan and Barbara Mostowiak. Władysław and Maria died as a result and Hanna had to live in an orphanage. In 1978 Władysław had a child out of wedlock, Anna Gruszyńska.

 Maria Walisiak, born Kalicka was a wife of Władysław Walisiak. She was born in 1949 and died in a car accident in 1980. She had one daughter, Hanna, and has never learnt that her husband had also a daughter out of wedlock.

 Hanna Mostowiak, born Walisiak (Małgorzata Kożuchowska) was a daughter of Władysław Walisiak and his wife, Maria Walisiak. Hanna took part in a car accident in 1980 where her parents were killed. She later lived in an orphanage in Józefowo and was temporary adopted by Irena Gałązka and her husband. In 2001 she married Marek Mostowiak and they had son, Mateusz Mostowiak, in 2002. They later adopted two girls from Józefowo, Natalia and Urszula. Hanna died of brain aneurysm in 2011. Her granddaughter, Hanna Zarzycka, is named after her.

 Marek Mostowiak was a husband of Hanna Mostowiak. They married in 2001 and he widowed in 2011.

 Anna Gruszyńska (Tamara Arciuch) is a daughter of Władysław Walisiak. For some time she lived in Grabina before moving to France. She was previously married and divorced. She was later engaged to Adam Werner.

 Wanda Kalicka (Grażyna Marzec) was an older sister of Maria Walisiak and maternal aunt of Hanna Mostowiak. She was born in 1945. Wanda dated Władysław Kalisiak but he chose to marry her sister. In 1980 her sister and brother-in-law died in a car accident and Wanda refused to take care of their daughter resulting in Hanna living in an orphanage. She moved to Germany and was thought to be dead. In 2004 Hanna learnt that her aunt was still living and sick. Mostowiak went to Germany and took her aunt to Grabina. It was later revealed that Kalicka had much money but posed that she was poor. She came back to Germany to take care of one of her former wards, Erika.

Wojciechowski family 
Wojciechowski family is related to Mostowiak family through the 1993 birth of Łukasz Mostowiak and through the 2006 wedding of Norbert Wojciechowski and Marta Mostowiak.

 Kazimierz Wojciechowski (never seen on screen) was a senior of Wojciechowski family.

 Henryk Wojciechowski (Tadeusz Chudecki) was a first child of Kazimierz Wojciechowski and his first wife. He was born in 1961. He lived with his widowed sister-in-law, Marta Wojciechowska and her two children. Henryk was dating Matylda Górska. He married his girlfriend Nina.

 Nina Wojciechowska is a wife of Henryk Wojciechowski. 

 Norbert Wojciechowski (Mariusz Sabiniewicz) was a second child of Kazimierz Wojciechowski. He was born in 1967. In the early 1990s he was dating Marta Mostowiak. In 1993 their son Łukasz was born. He was fighting for his life. Norbert refuse to give his blood to Łukasz and left his family. As a result, Marta raised Łukasz as a single mother and told him that his father was dead. Wojciechowski worked abroad and he came back in 2001 as a famous politician. When a press reported that he had a child born out of wedlock, Łukasz learnt that he was Wojciechowski's son and they met. Norbert saved Łukasz's live after they had a car crash in United States. Norbert married Marta Mostowiak on October 11, 2005. They daughter Anna Wojciechowska was born on February 14, 2006. In the meantime, Wojciechowski was dating his student, Klara Sobieszczańska and Magdalena Rudnik. Norbert died in a plane crash on December 3, 2007.

 Marta Wojciechowska, born Mostowiak was a wife of Norbert Wojciechowski. They married on October 11, 2005 and she widowed on December 3, 2007.

 Łukasz Wojciechowski, born Mostowiak is a first child of Norbert Wojciechowski and his then girlfriend, Marta Mostowiak. He was born on October 9, 1993.

 Natalia Wojciechowska is a first child of Łukasz Wojciechowski and his former girlfriend, Katia Tatiszwili. She was born on March 9, 2020.

 Anna Wojciechowska is a second child and only daughter of Norbert Wojciechowski and his wife, Marta Wojciechowska. She was born on February 14, 2006.

Zduński family 
Zduński family is related to Mostowiak family through 1984 marriage of Krzysztof Zduński and Maria Mostowiak.

 Jadwiga Zduńska-Jabłońska, primo voto Zduńska, secundo voto Jabłońska (Barbara Horowianka) is a senior of Zduński family. Her first husband, Mr. Zduński, was a dentist. Jadwiga had two children with him: Krzysztof (born in 1958) and Renata. Her daughter Renata died as an infant because of SIDS. Zduńska wanted Krzysztof to become a doctor like his father. She was angry when he stopped his studies to marry his pregnant daughter Maria Mostowiak and they ended their contact. Jadwiga didn't like her daughter-in-law. On March 17, 2001 Jadwiga was diagnosed with stroke and hospitalized. She renewed contact with her son and met her grandchildren. Zduńska later moved to Krzysztof's and Maria's flat where Maria took care of her. She met Karol Jabłoński and married him in March 2004. Status: non-present since 2004. Marital status: married to Karol Jabłoński since March 2004.

 Krzysztof Zduński (Cezary Morawski) is a first child of Jadwiga Zduńska and her first husband, Mr. Zduński. He was born on February 13, 1953. His father was a dentist and Krzysztof studied medicine to become a doctor. When his girlfriend, Maria Mostowiak, fell pregnant, he quit his studies and married her. They had twin sons in February 1984, Piotr and Paweł. Their third child, daughter Maria, died a few hours after her birth in June 2001. She suffered from a heart disease. Krzysztof worked as a businessman but had no successes. In 2002 he had a romance with his secretary, Ewa Nowicka. She later gave birth to her daughter Aleksandra and Krzysztof was suspected of being Aleksandra's father. Zduński reconciled with Maria and bought a plot in Grabina to build them new home. On March 6, 2006 he suffered from a heart attack and died in Grabina, building their house. He was a godfather to Łukasz Wojciechowski and Aleksandra Skalska. Status: deceased since 2006. Occupation: businessman. Marital status: married to Maria Zduńska from 1984 to 2006. 

 Maria Zduńska, born Mostowiak is a first wife of Krzysztof Zduński. They married in 1984 and she widowed on March 6, 2006.

 Renata Zduńska (never seen on screen) was a second child of Jadwiga Zduńska and her first husband, Mr. Zduński. She died as an infant. Status: deceased.

Other characters

G 
 Irena Gałązka (Joanna Kasperska) is a former adoptive mother of Hanna Walisiak. She and her husband adopted Hanna, whose parents died in a car accident but they took her back to the orphanage in Józefowo when Irena fell pregnant. Irena's child later died and she had a mental disorder ever since. She met her former daughter again in 2001 when Hanna was married to Marek Mostowiak and expecting their child. Irena kidnapped Hanna's son, Mateusz Mostowiak and wanted to kill him and herself. Mateusz was saved by his parents and Irena was arrested.

O 
 Agnieszka Olszewska (Magdalena Walach) is a former fiance of Tomasz Chodakowski. She was born in 1978 in Szczecin.

W 
 Anna Waszkiewicz (Weronika Rosati) is a classmate of Piotr Zduński, Paweł Zduński and Kinga Filarska. In the past, she had a romance with Andrzej Budzyński. She is a godmother to Emilia Zduńska and Zuzanna Zduńska. Occupation: painter.

List of main characters' departures

References

External links
 M jak miłość – official site
 M jak miłośc – TVP site
 M jak miłość – Filmweb

Polish television soap operas