Michael Maltese
Filed under: People, Writer, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes, Tasmanian Devil, U.S.A., Warner Bros.,
Michael Maltese
Occupation / Title:Date of birth:06/02/1908
Date of death:22/02/1981
Birthplace:New York, USA
Biography
Born in New York City to Italian immigrants, Michael Maltese studied at the National Academy of Art and Design, before landing his first animation job working as a colourist for Betty Boop cartoons, in 1935. He and his wife, Florence Sass, later moved to Warner Brothers, and by 1939, Maltese was working in the writing department, where he became a frequent collaborator of Chuck Jones.
During the 1940s, Maltese lent both his drafting and writing talents to both cartoons and comic strips featuring Looney Tunes characters. Alongside Jones, he created such iconic characters as Pepe Le Pew, Yosemite Sam, and Michigan J. Frog, for the latter of whom he composed “The Michigan Rag.” He also occasionally worked as a voice actor, and had a brief live-action cameo in You Ought to Be in Pictures (Freleng, 1940).
In 1958, he moved on to work for Hanna-Barbera, where he headed the writing department, helping to develop and run such shows as The Yogi Bear Show, Quick Draw McGraw, and The Flintstones. He retired in 1973, and passed away in 1981, survived by his wife.