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Quick Facts
- NAME: William Hanna
- OCCUPATION: Artist, Director, Producer, Television Producer
- BIRTH DATE: July 14, 1910
- DEATH DATE: March 22, 2001
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Melrose, New Mexico
- PLACE OF DEATH: Hollywood, California
Best Known For
William Hanna was half of the cartoon-producing team of Hanna-Barbera, who created Tom & Jerry, Yogi Bear and The Flintstones.
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Play NowWilliam Hanna. (2013). The Biography Channel website. Retrieved 08:13, Jun 20, 2013, from http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038.
William Hanna. [Internet]. 2013. The Biography Channel website. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038 [Accessed 20 Jun 2013].
"William Hanna." 2013. The Biography Channel website. Jun 20 2013, 08:13 http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038.
"William Hanna," The Biography Channel website, 2013, http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038 [accessed Jun 20, 2013].
"William Hanna," The Biography Channel website, http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038 (accessed Jun 20, 2013).
William Hanna [Internet]. The Biography Channel website; 2013 [cited 2013 Jun 20] Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038.
William Hanna, http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038 (last visited Jun 20, 2013).
William Hanna. The Biography Channel website. 2013. Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/william-hanna-246038. Accessed Jun 20, 2013.
Synopsis
Initial Collaboration with Barbera
Animator, producer, director. Born on July 14, in Melrose, New Mexico. With his longtime collaborator Joseph Barbera, William Hanna created some of the most famous characters and shows in cartoon history. He started out as an engineer, but had a difficult time getting work during the Great Depression.Heading in a different direction, Hanna joined the staff of Pacific Art and Title, a cartoon production company. In 1930, he went to work for Harman-Ising Studios, which created the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons. His most significant work began in 1937 when he started his collaboration with Barbera at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) Studios. They made cartoon shorts that were shown at movie theaters before the main attraction. During their time at MGM, Hanna and Barbera created the legendary cat and mouse duo of Tom and Jerry. Tom and Jerry first appeared in Puss Gets the Boot (1940). Audiences loved it and the short received an Academy Award nomination. Hanna and Barbera made several more Tom and Jerry shorts, including several Academy Award-winners. The animated animals also appeared on the big screen. Jerry danced with Gene Kelly in Anchors Aweigh (1945) and both characters braved the waters with Esther Williams in Dangerous When Wet (1953).
Hanna-Barbera Studios Opens
When MGM closed its animation unit in 1957, Hanna and Barbera set up their own studio. Television was beginning to thrive, but animation seemed too costly for the new medium. Hanna figured out how to simplify the animation process to make it feasible for television. That year Hanna and Barbera had their first television program, The Ruff & Reddy Show, which debuted in 1957. But they found even greater success with their next few projects, The Huckleberry Hound Show and Yogi Bear.In 1960, Hanna-Barbera Studios broke new ground, creating the first prime time animated series, The Flintstones. Set in the Stone Age, it followed the misadventures of Fred Flintstone (voiced by Alan Reed), his wife Wilma (Jean Vander Pyl), and their friends, Barney and Betty Rubble (Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet). A send-up on modern suburbia, the show was a big success, reaching the top 20 in its first season. It proved that adults could enjoy cartoons as well as children and opened the door for such future shows as The Simpsons. The Flinstones has remained popular over the years and have spawned countless television specials and several feature films.
More Animated Success
After tackling the past, Hanna and Barbera jumped to the future with The Jetsons in 1962. Audiences enjoyed watching the antics of this space-age family, complete with a robot maid named Rosie.profile name: William Hanna profile occupation:
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