Ann “Little” Rothschild
Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Dave Fleischer, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Actor, Voice Actor
"Ann L. Rothschild, better known as Little Ann Little, started in show business in 1925 as a part of the Greenwich Village Follies. In the early 1930s, she auditioned for the part of a new cartoon character at Fleischer Studios. Impressed by her high-..."
Arthur (Art) Babbitt
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Director, Educator, Union Activist
"Art was born in Omaha of Russian Jewish ancestry. Soon after High School he took himself to New York where he slummed around doing odd jobs and eating stale food to put himself through Columbia College Pre Med. He tried some jobs drawing cartoons and..."
Bea Benaderet
Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Bugs Bunny, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Actor, Voice Actor
"Born in New York City to a Turkish-Sephardic tobacconist and an Irish-American woman, Bea Benaderet made a name for herself in the first half of the twentieth century displaying her vocal and comedic talents in animation, radio, television, and film...."
Ben “Bugs” Hardaway
Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Animator, Storyboard Artist, Voice Actor
"Ben Hardaway was an American storyboard artist, voice actor, animator and gagman during the Golden Age of American animation. Supplying the voice of Woody Woodpecker in many cartoon shorts, Hardaway was the man who gave "Bugs Bunny" his iconic name. "
Bill Nolan
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animator
"Bill Nolar started in New York doing crazy cat on Felix the Cat. He worked for Lantz Studios during the mid 40s."
Bob Kurtz
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animation Designer, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director, Misc. Crew, Producer, Sequence Animator, Soundtrack, Storyboard Artist, Title Department, Writer
"His career started when he began writing the pink panther series."
Brad Bird
Filed under: people, 3D Animation, Pixar Animation Studios, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Director
"Brad started his first animated cartoon at age eleven and finished it at fourteen. The film attracted the attention of Disney Studios which offered the young legend a chance to come be mentored by Milt Kahl, one of the Nine Old Men. After graduating ..."
Carl Barks
Filed under: people, Donald Duck, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Animator, Cartoonist, Storyboard Artist, Storyman
"Carl Barks was an American cartoonist who was most well-known for drawing Donald Duck as well as creating the iconic character of Scrooge McDuck. "
Carl Thomas Anderson
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animator, Cartoonist
"Anderson was a cartoonists and comic strip artist most well-known for his drawings of Henry. Anderson began his career as a cartoonist for the Philadelphia Times drawing fashion illustrations in 1894. Throughout his career, Anderson worked for the N..."
Carl W. Stalling
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Early Sound, Looney Tunes, Music, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Composer
"Carl Stalling was the composer of Warner Bros. Cartoon classic Looney Tunes, serving as composer and arranger for over 22 years and averaging the completion of a score per week. Sta..."
Charles Augustus Nichols (“Nick”)
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director
""Nick" Nichols was an Academy Award winning animator and director who first came into prominence working for Disney Studios, hired on December 31st, in 1937. In years to come he would work ..."
Charles B. Mintz
Filed under: people, Krazy Kat, U.S.A., Producer
"Mintz got his start as a producer of animation after his marriage to Margaret J. Winkler of Winkler Pictures. The company produced over 370 cartoon shorts between 1925-1939. The Columbia cartoon producer studied at St. Lawrence University and started..."
Chuck Jones
Filed under: people, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Looney Tunes, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Porky Pig, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Animator, Director
"Chuck Jones was a 14 time Oscar nominee who created over 300 hundred animated films, including some of Warner Bros. most memorable cartoon characters, as well as producing many television specials, and full-length features."
Clayton “Bud” Collyer
Filed under: people, Dave Fleischer, Max Fleischer, Superman, Technicolor, U.S.A., Actor, Voice Actor
"Born in Manhattan to Clayton Johnson Heermance and Caroline Collyer as Clayton Johnson Heermance Jr., Clayton "Bud" Collyer initially intended to pursue law as his profession. While attending Fordham University, he began work as a radio singer and an..."
Dave Fleischer
Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Dave Fleischer, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, U.S.A., Director
"First generation American Jew who grew up in Manhattan. His father had emigrated from Austria in the late 1880’s. He and his brother, Max, distributed their Out of the Inkwell Series by themselves in mid-1921. Sometime in 1922 they signed with dist..."
Dick Beals
Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, Stop Motion, U.S.A., Actor, Voice Actor
"Born in Detroit, as a child Dick Beals was too small to play sports, instead opting to be a cheerleader. He attended Michigan State University, where he began to lend his voice to radio broadcasting. In the 1940s, Beal began to do voice acting profes..."
Earl Hurd
Filed under: people, Bray Productions, Terrytoons Animated Shorts, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney
"Hurd was a pioneering American animator who worked at the beginning of the early animation age, noted for creating the silent animated short Bobby Bumpbs, and working for John Randolph Bray's company Bray Productions. Together, the pair developed ..."
Émile (Eugène Jean Louis) Courtet
Filed under: people, 1890s, 1900s, 1910s, 1920s, Early Sound, France, Pixilation, U.S.A., World War 1 ( WW1 ), Animator, Artist, Background Artist, Cartoonist, Director, Writer
"Émile Cohl was an important early independent cartoonist and animator, who was a caricaturist in the "Incoherent Movement" and has often been called "The Father of the Animated Cartoon.""
Floyd Ernest Norman
Filed under: people, Hanna-Barbera Studios, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Animation Designer, Director
"Floyd Norman is an American animation legend responsible for directing a number of feature animated films for Walt Disney Studios, including Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmations (1961), and The Jungle Book (1967). Having worked fo..."
Frank Moser
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animator, Director
"Similarly to other animators, Moser started his career as a cartoonist for newspapers and print publications. Soon, however, he turned his attention to animation, and in 1915 started working for Barré Studio, where he animated The Animated Grouch Ch..."
John Whitney, Sr.
Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, U.S.A., Animator, Composer, Inventor
"John Whitney attended school at Pomona College, and in 1937, took a year in Paris to study twelve-tone composition under conductor René Leibowitz. Upon returning to America, he and his brother, James, began to make experimental films, initially work..."
Ken O’Connor
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Art Director, Layout Artist
"Ken O'Connor was born in Perth, Australia, and died in Burbank California. He was a legendary Disney layout artist, designer as well as art director. During his time at Disney, he helped the studio achieve a high level of visual dynamism in their cla..."
Kevin Altieri
Filed under: people, 1990s, U.S.A., Animator, Director
"Kevin Alteri is an American television director of animated cartoons. He is best known for his work on Batman: The Animated Series and Pearl Jam's music video "Do the Evolution". A versatile talent lent to a long and project filed career in animation..."
Laverne Harding
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Color, Daffy Duck, Early Sound, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Oswald, Speedy Gonzales, Technicolor, The Road Runner, U.S.A., Walter Lantz, Walter Lantz Productions, Warner Bros., Woody Woodpecker, Animator, Cartoonist, Comic Strip Artist
"Laverne Harding was the second female studio animator in history, and one of the first to receive onscreen credit for her work. She started out as an inker for the Walter Lantz Productions, moving on to do animation work for several of the Lantz Prod..."
Leo D. Sullivan
Filed under: people, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 2010s, Bob Clampett, Color, Educational films, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Racial representation, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Animation Designer, Animator, Art Director, Director, Educator, Producer
"Leo D. Sullivan began his career in 1959 after graduating from the Chouinard Art Institute. He first worked as an assistant to Warner Bros. producer Bob Clampett on the television show, Beany and Cecil. In 1965, Sullivan met fellow animator Floyd Nor..."
Leon Searl
Filed under: people, 1900s, 1910s, Krazy Kat, Silent, U.S.A., Animator, Cartoonist, Comic Strip Artist
"Leon Searl (whose name is alternatively spelt "Leon Searle") got his start as a newspaper cartoonist, first working for the Pulitzer Papers on the comic strip "Jimmy Johnnypants" from November of 1905 to February of 1906. He later went on to write at..."
Lillian Friedman Astor
Filed under: people, 1910s, 1920s, 1930s, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Animator
"Lilian Friedman Astor was the first American female studio animator and worked at Fleischer studios."
Lillian Friedman Astor
Filed under: people, 1930s, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Color, Dave Fleischer, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer, Popeye, U.S.A., Animator
"Lillian Friedman Astor was born in New York City. She developed a passion for drawing as a preteen, and went on to attend Washington Irving High School, focusing on fashion design. After a brief stint as a fashion designer upon graduation, she sought..."
Manuel Perez
Filed under: people, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Animator
"Manuel Perez - typically credited as Manny Perez - was a Mexican-American animator who worked at Warner Bros. studios from 1938 on. He worked for Friz Freleng's unit for ten years, but they did not get along. Between 1955 and 1959 he did not work in ..."
Margaret Bray
Filed under: people, Bray Productions, U.S.A., Production Manager
"Margaret Till Bray was a successful business woman who worked in real-estate, before meeting her husband John Randolph Bray. He installed her as the production manager at Bray Productions, a..."
Mary Blair
Filed under: people, 1950s, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Artist, Color Stylist and Designer, Illustrator
"Mary Blair was an American animator, best known for her work with Disney Studios."
Max Fleischer
Filed under: people, Aesop's Fables, Betty Boop, Early Sound, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Koko the Clown, Max Fleischer, Popeye, Rotoscope, Silent, Superman, U.S.A., Cartoonist, Director, Photographer, Producer, Writer
"Max Fleischer was an American inventor born in Hungary, who moved to the United States with his family at the age of 4 and later became a filmmaker, animator, director and producer, famous for serving as the head of his own animation studio, Fleisch..."
Michael Lah
Filed under: people, Barney Bear, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, U.S.A., Animator, Director
"Michael Lah was a noted MGM animator and director, as well as being the understudy of Tex Avery. Lah helped redesign the well-known Barney Bear character, and directed many screwball cartoons, including one that garnered him an Academy Award nomina..."
Michael Maltese
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Looney Tunes, Tasmanian Devil, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Writer
"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 move..."
Milton (Milt) Kahl
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Color, Goofy, Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Winnie the Pooh, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director
"Milt Kahl was an renown animator and director who was a part of Disney's group of “Nine Old Men”, who created and designed many Disney characters, and whose distinctive style had a large influence within the history of the studio. "
Myron (Grim) Natwick
Filed under: people, Betty Boop series, Max Fleischer, U.S.A., Animator
"Myron Natwick was born in Wisconsin Rapids in 1890 and died 100 years later in LA, California of pneumonia and heart disease. He is best known for creating the most popular character from
Oliver Wallace
Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, Early Sound, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Composer
"Born in England, Wallace studied music widely, in London as well as in Chicago, San Francisco and Los Angeles. First relocating to Canada in 1904, Oliver eventually settled in the United States, becoming a citizen 10 years later in 1914. After compl..."
Otto Messmer
Filed under: people, 1910s, 1920s, Early Sound, Felix the Cat, Noveltoons, Pat Sullivan Cartoons, Silent, U.S.A.
"Messmer was a legendary American cartoonist and animator, who was best know as the creator of Felix the Cat, who is considered the first major cartoon star."
Patrick Anthony (Pat) Powers
Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, Early Sound, Iwerks Studio, Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies, Technicolor, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Universal Studios, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Businessman, President, Producer, Studio Head
"Pat Powers was an influential American businessman who was involved with the film and animation developments inAmericaduring the first part of the twentieth century. His most important development being the work of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, who he b..."
Pete Alvarado
Filed under: people, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Animator, Background Artist, Comic Book Pencilist, Comic Strip Artist, Layout Artist
"Pete Alvarado was born in 1920 and was raised in Glendale, California. He attended Chouinard Art Institute. Soon after graduating from art school he was hired at Disney as an animation assistant and first worked on Snow White and Dumbo. He worked mos..."
Raymond “Ray” Patterson
Filed under: people, Barney Bear, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A., Animator, Cartoonist, Producer
"Ray Patterson was an Emmy nominated animator, cartoon director, producer, most noted for his work in the 40's during the “golden age” of animation on the legendary Tom and Jerry cartoon series, as well as animating with
Richard “Dick” Lundy
Filed under: people, Barney Bear, Bill Hanna, Donald Duck, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Mickey Mouse, Silly Symphonies, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Woody Woodpecker
"Dick Lundy was an animator and director, associated with several studios, including Disney, MGM and
Robert “Bob” McKimson
Filed under: people, Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, Speedy Gonzales, Sylvester Jr., Tasmanian Devil, U.S.A., Warner Bros., Animator
"Bob McKimson was one of the most-underrated and overlooked animators who worked at Warner Bros. during the golden age of animation. He directed many Academy Award-nominated shorts as a part of Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies series, creating cha..."
Robert Fred “Freddie” Moore
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Looney Tunes, Mickey Mouse, U.S.A., Ub Iwerks, Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Walter Lantz, Walter Lantz Productions, Woody Woodpecker, Animator, Artist, Character Designer
"Freddie Moore was a highly influential animator with Walt Disney Productions in a crucial era of its development during the 30s, up until the production of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves (1937) and the establishment of the core group of animators k..."
Roland Crandall
Filed under: people, Betty Boop series, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, U.S.A., Animator
"Roland Crandall - nicknamed "Doc" - was one of the most important animators to work for the Fleischer Bros., working on the Ko-Ko the Clown series, Betty Boop, and Popeye, as well as their feature Gulliver's Travels. In 1923 he married Julia Hoffman..."
Rudy Ising
Filed under: people, Bosko, Early Sound, Looney Tunes, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Warner Bros., Animator
"Ising began his animation career first working for Walt Disney, and was the lifelong business partner of Hugh Harman, producing Oscar-winni..."
Sadie Friedlander Bodin
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, Color, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, U.S.A., Van Beuren Corporation, Animation Supervisor, Animator, Background Artist, Colorist, Inker, Union Activist
"Sadie Bodin was an extremely influential animator, being the first to picket an animation studio during the fight for animation workers' rights in the 1930s. Bodin was also one of the few women animators to move up into managerial positions, becoming..."
Sammy Timberg
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, Betty Boop series, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Music, Superman, U.S.A., Composer
"Sammy Timberg was the musical director for Fleischer Studios and one of the most important composers of music in the history of American cartoons. Although Timberg had a long career that began in vaudeville in the 1910s, Timberg is best known for th..."
Scott Bradley
Filed under: people, 1930s, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Composer
"Scott Bradley was a film composer who wrote acclaimed music for many memorable cartoons during the 1930s, 1940s, and 1950s. He is best known for his work at MGM, scoring thea..."
Seymour Kneitel
Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Baby Huey, Betty Boop, Betty Boop series, Bray Productions, Casper the Ghost, Color, Dave Fleischer, Herman and Katnip, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Isadore Sparber, Koko the Clown, Max Fleischer, Noveltoons, Paramount Pictures, Popeye, Sam Buchwald, Seymour Kneitel, Superman, U.S.A., Animation Supervisor, Animator, Director, Executive Producer, Studio Head
"Seymour Kneitel was an early American animator, most well known for his work with Fleischer Studios. After the studio closed, he headed its successor, Famous Studios."
Sidney (Sid) Marcus
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animator, Director
"Marcus began his career in animation in 1916 as an animator for William Randolph Hearst's International Film Service, where he animated the Krazy Kat series. In 1925, he joined Associated Animators in order to work on Mutt and Jeff animations for Sho..."
Sterling Holloway
Filed under: people, 1920s, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Winnie the Pooh, Actor, Voice Actor
"Born in Cedartown, Georgia to a grocer, Sterling Holloway's acting career began in his teens, when he enrolled in the American Academy of Dramatic Arts in New York City, where his classmates included Spencer Tracy and Pat O'Brien. After graduation, h..."
Tom Sito
Filed under: people, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s, 2000s, 3D Animation, Color, Hanna-Barbera Studios, U.S.A., Walt Disney Studios, Warner Bros., Animator
"Tom Sito is a highly influential American animator, animation historian and teacher, who has often been considered one of the key figures in the Disney Renaissance."
Vladimir William (“Bill”) Tytla
Filed under: people, 1930s, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Casper the Ghost, Color, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Little Lulu, Musical, Popeye, Terrytoons Animated Shorts, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Artist
"Vladimir Tytla worked as an animator for several studios, including his own. His happiest times, and best work, were done at Disney Studios where he felt a certain atmosphere of artistry and care for the animated product, which fed his deep interest ..."
Walter Lantz
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animator, Cartoonist, Painter
"Walter Lantz was born on April 27, 1899, to a family of Italian immigrants in Westchester County, 16 miles from New York City. Watching Gertie the Dinosaur immediately ignited his passion for animation. While working as an auto mechanic by day, he me..."
Ward Walrath Kimball
Filed under: people, 1940s, 1950s, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, Color, Musical, U.S.A., Walt Disney, Walt Disney Studios, Animator, Artist, Character Designer
"Ward Kimball was a prolific animator for Walt Disney, part of the earliest team of core animators known as "Disney's Nine Old Men." While extremely influential, his importance in the early days of Disney has meant that biographers have encountered se..."
Wilfred Jackson
Filed under: people, U.S.A., Animator, Director
"Came to Disney in the midst of the loss of Oswald the rabbit to Warner Brothers. Originally a musician, he worked on synchronization for animation shorts. Became a director on accident. Early Life/Family: Married in 1929 to Jane, last name not found...."
William C. (Bill) Nolan
Filed under: people, Early Sound, Felix the Cat, Inkwell / Fleischer Studios, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios, Oswald, Popeye, U.S.A.
"Nolan was a innovative film animator and director during the early days of sound animation, working mostly with Walter Lantz and J.R. Bray<..."
William Hanna and Joseph Barbera
Filed under: people, 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, Bill Hanna, Color, Droopy, Hanna-Barbera Studios, Joe Barbera, Tom and Jerry, Tom and Jerry, U.S.A., Animation Supervisor, Animator, Cartoonist, Director
"William Hanna and Joseph Barbera were two animators from MGM who began their own animated television studio, Hanna-Barbera Productions; a studio which would dominate and transform the industry from the 60s to the end of the century.William Denby “B..."