Nick Galifianakis (cartoonist)

Born in Durham, North Carolina, Galifianakis grew up in Falls Church, Virginia, and attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and American University in Washington, D.C. His career as a cartoonist followed earlier work as a cartoonist and illustrator for USA Today and nephew of former U.S. Representative Nick Galifianakis. He and Hax married in 1994. they continue to collaborate on the column. He has remarried and has a daughter, Katerina. Zach Galifianakis is Katerina's godfather. ==Zuzu==

Galifianakis's earlier work prominently featured his pit bull, Zuzu, who died in August 2010. Zuzu was named after a character in the film ''It's A Wonderful Life'', the daughter of George Bailey – who gave him flower petals to carry in his pocket. In early 2011, Galifianakis said in an NPR interview, "the reason the Zuzu cartoons are funny, or any cartoons that anthropomorphize an animal like that, that place it in a human dynamic, is that relationships with animals are generally good." In an August 2010 The Washington Post tribute to Zuzu, Galifianakis wrote: "she died a week short of 13, rendering me more human than I had ever cared to be." ==References==