Stephen McDannell Hillenburg (August 21, 1961 – November 26, 2018) was an American animator, cartoonist, director, writer, producer, storyboard artist, voice actor, and marine science educator. He is best remembered for creating the Nickelodeon animated television series SpongeBob SquarePants. Hillenburg served as the showrunner for the first three seasons of the show, which has become the fifth-longest-running American animated series.