Mort Walker was born on 3 September 1923 in El Dorado, Kan. At the age of 11 he had his first comic published and by 12 he sold his first cartoon. At 15 he worked as a comic-strip artist for a daily newspaper and by 18 he became chief editorial designer at Hall Bros.
After military service and graduation from University of Missouri in 1948, he went to New York to pursue his cartooning career. His 200 first cartoons were rejected, but he was slowly gaining recognition among the editors for his talent. His big break came with Beetle Bailey and another success followed with Hi and Lois. Other noteworthy cartoons he has created includes Boner's Ark and Sam & Silo (with Jerry Dumas).
After more than 50 years in the business, Mort Walker still supervises the daily work at his studio, which also employs 6 of his children.
In 1974 he founded the Museum of Cartoon Art and in 1989 he was inducted into the Museum of Cartoon Art Hall of Fame. He has received numerous awards for his work and dedication to the art.