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Joseph Barbera biography

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Cartoon artist, director and producer Joseph Barbera formed Hanna-Barbera with William Hanna, which by the late 1960s dominated the TV animation scene.

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Joseph Barbera was born March 24, 1911 in New York City. In 1936, he found work at the MGM studios. In 1938, he joined forces with William Hanna. Barbera and Hanna took charge of MGM's animation division from 1955 to 1957. After this, the duo formed H-B Enterprises, which became Hanna-Barbera Productions. By the late 1960s, they dominated the TV animation scene with hits like the Flintstones.

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Animator, Cartoon Artist, Director, Producer. Joseph Roland Barbera was born on March 24, 1911 in the Little Italy neighborhood of New York City. He spent his childhood in Flatbush, Brooklyn and when he was old enough, found a job as a tailor's delivery boy.

In 1932, he took a job at the Van Beuren Studio as an animator and scriptwriter. At Van Beuren, he worked on cartoons such as Cubby Bear and Rainbow Parades. When Van Beuren shut its doors in 1936, Barbera found work at the MGM studios. 1937 found him working, in California, for the new MGM cartoon unit. In 1938, he joined forces with William Hanna to direct short cartoons; Barbera was the storyboard and layout artist while Hanna was in charge of timing. Their first collaboration was a Tom and Jerry film titled "Puss Gets the Boot," released in 1940.

Barbera and Hanna took charge of MGM's animation division from 1955 until the unit was shut down in 1957. After this, the duo formed H-B Enterprises, which became Hanna-Barbera Productions. By the late 1960s, Hanna-Barbera dominated the television animation scene, masterminding hit television series such as Scooby-Doo, The Jetsons, Jonny Quest, and The Flintstones.

Hanna-Barbera was part of Taft Broadcasting from 1967 through 1991, when it was sold to Turner Broadcasting. The partners stayed on as consultants and worked on new shows. Their reign in television animation garnered them Academy Award nominations and well as many Emmy Awards. William Hanna died in 2001, but Barbera remained active until his own death on December 18, 2006. Joseph Hanna died of natural causes at his home in Studio City, California. He was 95 years old.

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