Randolph Severn "Trey" Parker III is an American animator, writer, producer, director, actor, and songwriter. He is best known for co-creating the animated television series South Park (since 1997) and the stage musical The Book of Mormon (2011) with his creative partner Matt Stone. Parker was interested in film and music as a child and at high school, and attended the University of Colorado Boulder, where he met Stone. The two collaborated on various short films and co-starred in Parker’s feature-length musical Cannibal! The Musical (1993).
Parker and Stone moved to Los Angeles, and Parker made his second feature-length film, Orgazmo (1997). Before the premiere of the film, South Park premiered on Comedy Central in August 1997. The duo possess full creative control of the show, and have produced music and video games based on it. A film based on the series, South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999), was well-received by both critics and fans.