Trey Parker (born Randolph Severn Parker III on October 19, 1969) is an American actor, animator, writer, producer, director, and songwriter. He is best known as the co-creator of the animated television series South Park and the stage musical The Book of Mormon, both developed with his longtime creative partner Matt Stone. Parker's work is marked by provocative satire, deliberately crude humor, musical ambition, and a willingness to challenge cultural, political, and religious conventions.
Parker grew up in Conifer, Colorado, and studied at the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met Stone. The two began collaborating on short films and comedy projects while still students. Their early work included the feature film Cannibal! The Musical, a low-budget musical comedy inspired by the story of nineteenth-century Colorado pioneer Alferd Packer. Released in 1993, the film established several traits that would later define Parker's career: irreverent comedy, sudden shifts between absurdity and sincerity, and an unusually strong emphasis on original songs.
Parker and Stone gained wider attention with The Spirit of Christmas, a short animated film created in 1995. Its crude paper-cutout style and darkly comic depiction of Christmas became the foundation for South Park. The television series premiered on Comedy Central in 1997 and quickly developed into one of the most influential and controversial adult animated shows in American television. Parker has served as a writer, director, producer, composer, and voice performer on the series, providing the voices for characters including Eric Cartman, Stan Marsh, Randy Marsh, and many others.
Unlike many animated productions, South Park has generally been shaped by a small central creative team. Parker and Stone's direct involvement has allowed the series to respond rapidly to current events while maintaining its distinctive visual and comedic style. The show's targets have ranged from politics and celebrity culture to organized religion, media institutions, consumerism, and social attitudes. Its musical episodes and songs have also become a major part of Parker's contribution, revealing a knowledge of traditional musical theater beneath the show's deliberately rough surface.
Parker co-wrote the screenplay and songs for South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut, the 1999 feature film based on the series. The film received an Academy Award nomination for the song "Blame Canada," written by Parker and Marc Shaiman. Parker later wrote, directed, and starred in Team America: World Police (2004), a puppet-based action comedy that parodied Hollywood blockbusters, American foreign policy, and patriotic entertainment. His other film work includes Orgazmo (1997), which he directed and co-wrote with Stone, and an acting role in BASEketball (1998).
In 2011, Parker, Stone, and composer Robert Lopez brought The Book of Mormon to Broadway. The musical combines conventional show-tune structures with the creators' characteristic irreverence, following two young Mormon missionaries whose faith is tested during an assignment in Uganda. The production became a major critical and commercial success, winning nine Tony Awards, including Best Musical, as well as a Grammy Award for Best Musical Theater Album. Parker received four Tony Awards for his work on the production.
Beyond television, film, and theater, Parker has contributed music to recordings, video games, and other projects connected with the South Park universe. In 2024, he and Stone were featured in the documentary Casa Bonita Mi Amor!, about their effort to preserve the famous Colorado restaurant that had appeared in South Park. Their enduring partnership was recognized in 2026 when Parker and Stone were inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. Together, they have built a body of work that joins animation, satire, songwriting, and live performance in a singular style.