Cecil Beard
Occupation / Title:Biography
Art, cartooning and story writing had Cecil’s main interests all his life. At the tender age of 13 he saved up money he had earned with after school jobs and sent for a mail order cartooning course. He took those lessons very seriously, practicing all the time, honing his skills. By the time he reached college age he was able to pay his tuition to Trinity College with his cartooning skills. Comissions stacked up from stuents and faculty at the college as well as town merchants. He was art editor of the year book for 4 years running. He graduated at the top of his class with degree in journalism and art. Upon graduation, Cecil hitch-hiked from his hime in South Texas to Chicago to attend the Art Institute (when I say attend, I mean sit in on classes as he had no money for tuition) After a short stint as a schoolteacher back in his home town of Edna, TX where he met and married our mother, He got recruited by the fledgling Walt Disney Studio in Hollywood to work on their 1st animated feature, Snow White, which was already in production.
Career outline
After a short stint as a schoolteacher back in his home town of Edna, TX where he met and married Alpine Harper, He got recruited by the fledgling Walt Disney Studio in Hollywood to work on their 1st animated feature, Snow White, which was already in production Beard animated at Disney Studios from 1936-1940 (Snow White, Pinocchio Bambi), and animator and story man at Columbia from 1940-1945 (The Fox and the Crow), and at Cambria Productions from 1960-1965 (The New Three Stooges).
He was a writer for the American Comics Group from 1944-1950 (no titles known), and inker at D.C./National (The Fox and the Crow 1948-1953) (script by Hubie Karp and artwork by Jim Davis). Wrote scripts for The Fox and the Crow, The Hound and the Hare, Tito and His Burrito and Twiddle and Twaddle from 1953-1968. He was an inker for United Feature Syndicate on Ella Cinders 1952 (script by Fred Fox and artwork by Roger Armstrong). He wrote scripts for Western Publishing in the 1960s with Disney characters (Mickey Mouse) and others (Road Runner, Bugs Bunny), and for Disney Studios he wrote scripts for foreign-market comic book stories (Magica de Spell, Madam Mim).
His wife Alpine assisted him as writer of The Fox and the Crow, Tito and His Burrito, Twiddle and Twaddle, The Hound and the Hare from 1953-1968. She worked for Western Publishing: Comic book scripts with funny animals in the 1960s (no specifics known). Also worked for Disney Studios writing scripts for foreign-market comic-book stories 1960s (Uncle Scrooge, Mickey Mouse, Madam Mim) He also worked on George Pal’s Puppetoons and Madcap models in 1942.
Honors and awards
Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award 2000