Who is Rachael MacFarlane?
Rachel Ann MacFarlane was born on 21 March 1976, in Kent, Connecticut, USA. She is a voice actress, writer and singer, but perhaps best known for being the sister of comedian Seth MacFarlane. Like her brother, her work has mostly been involved in animated programs and voice acting – for example the voice of the character Hayley Smith in “American Dad!”
The Wealth of Rachael MacFarlane
As of early-2020, Rachael MacFarlane’s net worth is estimated to be over $5 million, earned through a successful career in the entertainment industry, working on various high profile projects during her career. Apart from voice acting, she’s also done production and writing work for popular cartoons.
Early Life, Education, and Career Beginnings
Rachael grew up in Kent alongside her sibling Seth – both are of Irish, Scottish and English descent, and both aspired to a career in the entertainment industry. Their mother worked as an admissions officer in South Kent School, where their father was a teacher. After matriculating from high school, she was set on her career direction, and enrolled at Boston Conservatory which is known for its focus on the performing arts.
However, she did not complete her education as the prospect of a voice acting career prompted her to quit and move to Los Angeles. She first worked with Hanna-Barbera, the animation company responsible for the creation of popular shows such as “Dexter’s Laboratory” and “Johnny Bravo”.
Following, she made a natural move to transition to Cartoon Network, voicing many characters across numerous programs. She also began learning more about the behind the scenes production of cartoons, including animation.
Rise to Prominence
Eventually, MacFarlane became a big part of the animated show “The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy”, in which she served as the production manager. The show follows two children who became best friends with the Grim Reaper, and their subsequent misadventures, and was very successful during its run, winning two Emmy Awards.
Afterwards she became a part of the production team for “Welcome to Eltingville”, which is based on the comic book series of the same name. The show was set to become a part of Adult Swim, but after its initial run failed expectations, its life was short-lived as it wasn’t picked up by the network for a full series.
This was not the end of her endeavors, however, as she was soon contacted by her brother to help with work on a new project which would become “Family Guy”. She was responsible for providing incidental voices for the pilot, and after its success she was asked by her brother to stay with the show. She remained a regular in the show for its entire run, while also working on other projects.
The show is responsible for helping launch the career of his brother too, as it became a very highly successful cartoon often compared to “The Simpsons”.
American Dad and Other Projects
Rachael’s work with “Family Guy” helped her become a mainstay in the voice acting world. She continued her ties with Cartoon Network, and also began getting contracts from Disney. In 2005, she collaborated with her brother once more, helping him launch the show “American Dad!” in which she voices the character Hayley Smith. The animated show leans away from the type of comedy “Family Guy” became known for, instead focusing on more quirky characters that the humor is derived from.
The show also became a success, and won numerous awards including four Primetime Emmys. The show has been running for over 17 seasons, with two more seasons of production under contract.
While working on “American Dad!”, Rachael also remains a consistent member of the team of “Family Guy”. In 2015, she made a cameo appearance in her brother’s film “Ted 2”, the sequel to “Ted” which follows the life of the titular sentient teddy bear. Some of her latest voice acting projects include “The Orville” and “Sofia the First”.
Apart from her voice acting work, she also writes books for children, with the help of her husband.
Brother – Seth MacFarlane
Aside from the massive success of “Family Guy” and “American Dad!”, Seth is also responsible for the creation of other popular shows including “The Cleveland Show” which ran from 2009 to 2013, serving as a spin-off from “Family Guy” with a focus on the character Cleveland Brown and his family. In recent years, he’s been more focused on live-action projects, especially after the success of the “Ted” film series. He is also the creator of the film “A Million Ways to Die in the West”, a comedy starring himself alongside Neil Patrick Harris, Charlize Theron, Amanda Seyfried and Liam Neeson, and which tells the story of a cowardly man on the frontier who must find the courage to face a tough outlaw.
In 2017, he looked into creating a live-action television series – “The Orville” – primarily inspired by the “Star Trek” franchise. The show is noted for heavily parodying the “Star Trek” series, and pays homage to it as well as other popular science fiction franchises. He’s also ventured into production, and is a successful singer, working on various musical releases during his career.
Personal Life
Rachael is married to animator Spencer Laudiero.
The two met while working on “The Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy” and started a relationship, leading to their marriage in 2008. They have two children together and the couple frequently collaborates when it comes to work projects.
She has admitted that she shares some of the beliefs of her “American Dad!” character Hayley Smith, especially when it comes to political views. She also made a tribute jazz album for her, singing as the character called “Hayley Sings”.
In 2010, her mother passed away after a long bout with cancer, the news of her passing announced by Larry King on “Larry King Live”, as the siblings and their mother had been interviewed by him in the past.