Born: Karyl Ross Harris Birthday: July 31, 1898 Location: Tulare County, CA, U.S. Occupation: Animator, Writer, Storyboard, Director Years active: 1927-1982 Died: March 24, 1982 Karyl “Ken” Ross Harris was born July 31, 1898 in Tulare County, California. He changed the spelling of his name first to Karol, then to

Read More

Born: Franklin Rosborough Thomas Birthday: September 5, 1912 Location: Santa Monica, CA, U.S. Alma mater: Chouinard Art Institute Occupation: Animator, Director Years active: 1934-1999 Died: September 8, 2004 Frank Thomas had an interest in drawing that began in childhood and engaged in amateur filmmaking as a teenager. Frank was president

Read More

Born: Wolfgang Reitherman Birthday: June 26, 1909 Location: Munich, Kingdom of Bavaria, German Empire Alma mater: Chouinard Art Institute Occupation: Animator, Director, Producer Years active: 1933-1981 Died: May 22, 1985 Though born in Germany, Wolfgang “Woolie” Reitherman was raised in Sierra Madre, California. Driven by a love for airplanes and flying, he

Read More

Born: John Mitchell Lounsbery Birthday: March 9, 1911 Location: Cincinnati, OH, U.S. Alma mater: Art Institute of Denver, ArtCenter College of Design Occupation: Animator, Director Years active: 1935-1976 Died: February 13, 1976 John Lounsbery was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and raised in Colorado with a love of drawing. He graduated from

Read More

Born: Eric Cleon Larson Birthday: September 3, 1905 Location: Cleveland, UT, U.S. Alma mater: University of Utah Occupation: Animator, Director Years active: 1933-1986 Died: October 25, 1988 Eric Larson displayed his early artistic talent working on his high school yearbook all four years, and as its art director his senior

Read More

Born: Ward Walrath Kimball Birthday: March 4, 1914 Location: MN, U.S Alma mater:  Santa Barbara School of the Arts Occupation: Animator, Director, Producer, Writer Years active: 1934–1980 Died: July 8, 2002 Ward Kimball attended the Santa Barbara School of the Arts to become a painter and illustrator. One of his

Read More

Born: Oliver Martin Johnston Jr. Birthday: October 31, 1912 Location: Palo Alto, CA, U.S. Alma mater: Chouinard Art Institute Occupation: Animator, Director Years active: 1934–1981 Died: April 14, 2008 Ollie Johnston was born in Palo Alto, California and attended Stanford University. There, he worked on the humorous campus magazine, The

Read More

Born: Marc Fraser Davis Birthday: March 30, 1907 Location: Bakersfield, CA, U.S. Alma mater: Kansas City Art Institute, California School of Fine Arts, Otis Art Institute Occupation: Animator, Director Years active: 1937–1978 Died: January 12, 2000 Although Marc Davis was born in Bakersfield, California, his family moved frequently, He was

Read More

Born: Leslie James Clark Birthday: November 17, 1907 Location: Ogden, UT, U.S. Occupation: Animator, Director Years active: 1927–1975 Died: September 12, 1979 Les Clark was born in Ogden, Utah and was raised in Salt Lake City and Twin Falls, Idaho before his family finally moved to Los Angeles. As the

Read More

Born: Charles Martin Jones Birthday: September 21, 1912 Location: Spokane, WA, U.S. Alma mater: Chouinard Art Institute Occupation: Animator, Director Years active: 1931-2001 Died: Februray 22, 2002 Chuck Jones drew frequently as a child. His father was an entrepreneurial man who started many businesses, and every time he began a

Read More

< Back To Animation Artist Directory Born: Gary Goldman Birthday: November 17, 1944 Location: Oakland, CA, U.S. Alma mater: University of Hawaii Occupation: Director, Producer, Animator, Writer Years active: 1972–present Gary Goldman joined Walt Disney Productions in February 1972 as Frank Thomas’ in-betweener for “Robin Hood.” As an animator, he

Read More

Born: Frederick Bean Avery Birthday: February 26, 1908 Location: Taylor, TX, U.S. Occupation: Animator, Director, Writer Years active: 1929-1980 Died: August 26, 1980 Frederick Bean “Tex” Avery was born in Taylor, Texas. After graduation from high school, he signed up for a three-month summer course at the Chicago Art Institute

Read More

< Back To Animation Artist Directory Born: Donald Virgil Bluth Birthday: September 13, 1937 Location: El Paso, Texas, U.S. Nationality: American Alma mater: Brigham Young University Occupation: Film Director, Producer, Animator Years active: 1959–present Don Bluth is one of the most influential American animators in today’s industry. In the field

Read More