Mort Drucker - Illustration History

Biography

A native of New York, Mort Drucker was born in Brooklyn to Edward Drucker and Sarah Spielvogel. He attended Erasmus Hall High School, where he met his future wife, Barbara Hellerman. Aside from a brief stint at Parsons School of Design, Drucker was largely self-taught. Although he was always encouraged to take art classes, he didn’t begin to find his voice as an artist until after graduating from high school. He studied the work of many influential artists, including Norman Rockwell, Albert Dorne, Harold Foster, Robert Fawcett, Al Hirschfeld, and Charles Schulz.

In 1947, with the help of his friend and fellow artist Will Eisner, Drucker began his career as an assistant to Bert Whitman on the comic series “Debbie Dean.”

In the years that followed, Drucker began working with National Periodical Publications—now known as DC Comics. While at DC, he also served as a ghost artist for Paul Webb’s syndicated strip “The Mountain Boys,” which appeared regularly in Esquire magazine. Around 1950, Drucker started freelancing for a number of comic publishers, including Stan Lee’s Atlas Comics—now Marvel Comics—as well as Dell, St. John, Better Publications, and ACG.

Drucker made his debut in MAD Magazine with issue #32 (April 1957), contributing a satire of cigarette ads. Early in his MAD career, he primarily illustrated basic lampoons written by Tom Koch, Bob Elliott, and Ray Goulding. His first television parody appeared in issue #48 (July 1959), with a spoof of Perry Mason titled “The Night That Perry Masonmint Lost a Case.”

The story of how Drucker was hired by MAD has become something of a legend. After responding to a magazine ad, he visited the office where his future was humorously tied to the outcome of a Dodgers game. Watching the World Series, publisher Bill Gaines quipped that if the Dodgers won, Drucker would be hired. They won—and Drucker’s decades-long career at MAD began. Gaines later admitted that Drucker would have been hired regardless of the outcome.

In the 1950s and ’60s, Drucker began spoofing television series at a time when MAD artists had limited access to reference materials. Studios and production companies were reluctant to share promotional images for parody. Artists had to buy movie stills, search magazines, or scour newspapers. Despite these challenges, Drucker became a regular contributor to over four hundred MAD issues and emerged as one of America’s premier celebrity caricaturists. He quickly became the go-to artist for film and television satires, respected by directors, producers, actors, and writers alike. Many celebrities considered it a badge of honor to be drawn by him.

One example: when Michael J. Fox appeared on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson, he said he knew he had “made it” when he was caricatured by Drucker.

While continuing his work at MAD, Drucker freelanced for DC Comics, contributing to both war and humor titles. His growing reputation led to high-profile projects like The JFK Coloring Book—which sold over two million copies—and The Ronald Reagan Coloring Book in 1988. He also illustrated for magazines, movie posters, advertisements, album covers, and children’s books. Among his many advertising clients were Heinz Ketchup, the U.S. Postal Service, and Whirlpool Refrigerators.

Despite his busy schedule, Drucker also co-created a daily comic strip with cartoonists Jerry Dumas and John Reiner. Syndicated by the Register and Tribune Syndicate, “Benchley” ran from 1984 to 1987 and followed the fictional adventures of a presidential assistant. Ronald Reagan, a fan of Drucker’s work, invited him and his wife for a personal tour of the White House.

Drucker was known for constructing characters that captured not just physical likeness but personality. His caricatures were visually engaging, even when the subject lacked distinctive features in real life. He focused on hands, costumes, gestures, and body language, always searching for visual cues to bring humor and humanity to the page. He often added playful touches to his illustrations, such as hiding favorite characters—like Bart Simpson or the Peanuts gang—in the background.

For his contributions to art and satire, Drucker received numerous accolades. He earned the National Cartoonists Society’s Special Features Award in 1985, the prestigious Reuben Award in 1987, and was inducted into the Will Eisner Hall of Fame in 2010. In 2014, he was honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award.

In the late 1990s, Drucker created “The Frugies,” a campaign promoting healthy eating for the United Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Association. He also produced artwork for several films, including Casino Royale (1967), It’s Alive (1974), Finders Keepers (1984), and American Graffiti (1973).

When George Lucas needed an artist for American Graffiti, he chose Drucker—his first and only pick. A devoted MAD fan, Lucas famously called Drucker the da Vinci of caricature. Ironically, when MAD later parodied The Empire Strikes Back, Lucasfilm’s legal team attempted to sue—until Lucas himself stepped in with a letter praising the parody and asking for the original artwork.

Alongside fellow MAD creator Al Jaffee, Drucker was one of the magazine’s longest-serving contributors. His MAD career spanned more than sixty years, with his final piece appearing in 2011.

Mort Drucker was a true craftsman of visual storytelling whose work influenced generations of artists, actors, filmmakers, writers, and fans. He passed away on April 9, 2020, at the age of 91.

Illustrations by Mort Drucker

Additional Resources

Bibliography

Duncan, David D., Mort Drucker and Merylene Schnieder. Familiar Faces: The Art of Mort Drucker. Redford: Stabur Press, 1988.

Drucker, Mort and Michael J. Fox. Mort Drucker: Five Decades of his Finest Works. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2012.

Drucker, Mort. The JFK Coloring Book. New York: Kanrom Inc., 1962.

Ficarra, John. Inside MAD: The “Usual Gang of Idiots” Pick Their Favorite MAD Spoofs (And Tell Why!). New York: Time Home Entertainment, 2013.

Jacobs, Frank, Jack Davis and Mort Drucker. Frank Jacobs: Five Decades of His Greatest Works. Philadelphia: Running Press, 2015.

Meglin, Nick. Humorous Illustration: Top Artists of Our Time Talk about their Work. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 2001.

Meglin, Nick. The Art of Humorous Illustration. New York: Watson-Guptill Publications, 1973.

Mikics, David. The Mad Files: Writers and Cartoonists on the Magazine that Warped America’s Brain. New York: Library of America, 2024.