William Haefeli

William Haefeli (born August 14, 1953) is an American cartoonist and a staff cartoonist for The New Yorker. His single-panel cartoons, drawn with a distinct graphics style, depict contemporary life through observational humor. Haefeli is known for his ground-breaking inclusion of gay characters on a regular basis in The New Yorker cartoons.

Early life

Haefeli grew up on the well-to-do Philadelphia Main Line. "...the dynamics of (the) Battle of the Sexes was superbly translated with savage irony by William Haefeli, one of a handful of great American cartoonists working for Punch, in what could be described as his New Man and New Woman cartoons of the 80s and 90s," wrote Andre Gailani, Manager at Punch, Ltd., in 2014.

Haefeli’s first New Yorker cartoon appeared in 1998 and his cartoons have continued to appear in the magazine regularly since then. Bob Mankoff, the cartoon editor of The New Yorker from 1997 to 2017, said of Haefeli, “Bill’s cartoon artistry is unsurpassed, as is the comedy of manners, mores, and morals his cartoons delineate for the gay, the straight, and everyone in between.”

Personal life Haefeli is openly gay. He relocated to Los Angeles from Chicago in 1995 and continues to make his home in LA.