Full Name:Kenneth L. Muse
Occupation / Title:Date of birth:26/07/1910
Date of death:26/07/1987
Birthplace:USA.
Biography
Kenneth muse was an American animator best known for working on the first episodes of the Tom and Jerry series at MGM Studios, as well as the Mickey Mouse cartoons for Walt Disney and The Flintstones series for Hanna-Barbera.
Family and early life
Muse married Oneta Sill, and had a stepdaughter, singer Judee Sill. However, his relationship with his stepdaughter was strained, with Judee describing Muse in a 1972 Rolling Stone article as “mean, dumb, narrow-minded – he used to beat dogs.”
Career outline
Kenneth L. Muse was born on July 26, 1910.
He worked at Walt Disney Productions as an assistant for Preston Blair on Fantasia. He also animated on Pinocchio and some Mickey Mouse cartoons, earning $22 an hour for drawing the iconic character.
Muse left Walt Disney after the 1941 strike and joined MGM Studios’ animation department in the same year along with several former Disney animators. He remained with the company for 17 years, working on the first Tom and Jerry cartoons and the live-action film Anchors Aweigh (1945), which starred Gene Kelly. Muse worked on an animated sequence where Kelly danced with an cartoon mouse, which was animated by him. Most notably, he animated for several of the first episodes of Tom and Jerry.
When MGM folded their animation department in 1957, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera founded Hanna-Barbera in the same year on July 7. Muse joined Hanna-Barbera, continuing to work on animations, most importantly The Flintstones, The Jetsons, Scooby-Doo, Yogi Bear, and several others.
Muse died on. July 26, 1987 at 75 years old in Templeton, California, USA.
Personal style
Muse was known in the industry for being a speedy drawer and his prolific output.
References:
“Kenneth L. Muse Dies at 75; Animator for Major Studios.” The New York Times, 30 July 1987, p. A18.
“Kenneth Muse – Biography.” IMDb, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0615622/bio/?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm.