Robert Kirkman

Robert Kirkman was born in Lexington, KY and raised roughly 30 miles northeast in the small town of Cynthiana, KY. Kirkman is best known for his hugely successful comic book series, ‘The Walking Dead.’ Although the story takes place in Georgia, he has noted that much of the landscape and settings in the Image Comics series were heavily inspired by his hometown. First published in 2003 with artist Tony Moore, the comics eventually gave way to AMC’s critically acclaimed serial drama of the same name in 2010. Now in its ninth year, no cable series in television history claims a higher total viewership than ‘The Walking Dead’. It was nominated for Best New Series and Best Television Series Drama by the Writers Guild of America Awards 2011 and the 68th Golden Globe Awards, respectively. Apart from countless prestigious nominations, “Dead”—as it has affectionately been shortened to by fans—has won such awards as Television Program of the Year by the American Film Institute (2010, 2012), IGN’s Best Horror Series (2012, 2016), and 2 Emmy’s for Outstanding Prosthetic Makeup (2011, 2012), among several others. Kirkman continues to pen more comics and is also deeply involved with the production of the show. Even with all that success, Kirkman and his family still spend most of the year living in Cynthiana, Kentucky.