William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 â€" March 22, 2001) was an American
animator, director, producer, voice actor, cartoon artist, and
musician whose film and television cartoon characters entertained
millions of people for much of the 20th century.After working odd jobs
in the first months of the Great Depression, Hanna joined the Harman
and Ising animation studio in 1930. During the 1930s, Hanna steadily
gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as Captain
and the Kids. In 1937, while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),
Hanna met Joseph Barbera. The two men began a collaboration that was
at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry. In 1957, they
co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which became the most successful television
animation studio in the business, creating and/or producing programs
such as The Flintstones, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Jetsons,
Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Yogi Bear. In 1967, Hanna-Barbera was sold
to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained
heads of the company until 1991. At that time, the studio was sold to
Turner Broadcasting System, which in turn was merged with Time Warner
in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.Tom and Jerry won
seven Academy Awards, while Hanna and Barbera were nominated for two
others and won eight Emmy Awards. Their cartoons have become cultural
icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such
as films, books, and toys. Hanna-Barbera's shows had a worldwide
audience of over 300 million people in their 1960s heyday, and have
been translated into more than 28 languages.
animator, director, producer, voice actor, cartoon artist, and
musician whose film and television cartoon characters entertained
millions of people for much of the 20th century.After working odd jobs
in the first months of the Great Depression, Hanna joined the Harman
and Ising animation studio in 1930. During the 1930s, Hanna steadily
gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such as Captain
and the Kids. In 1937, while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM),
Hanna met Joseph Barbera. The two men began a collaboration that was
at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry. In 1957, they
co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which became the most successful television
animation studio in the business, creating and/or producing programs
such as The Flintstones, The Huckleberry Hound Show, The Jetsons,
Scooby-Doo, The Smurfs, and Yogi Bear. In 1967, Hanna-Barbera was sold
to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained
heads of the company until 1991. At that time, the studio was sold to
Turner Broadcasting System, which in turn was merged with Time Warner
in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.Tom and Jerry won
seven Academy Awards, while Hanna and Barbera were nominated for two
others and won eight Emmy Awards. Their cartoons have become cultural
icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such
as films, books, and toys. Hanna-Barbera's shows had a worldwide
audience of over 300 million people in their 1960s heyday, and have
been translated into more than 28 languages.
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