William Hanna

American animator (1910–2001)

AI overview

William Hanna was an American animator who lived from 1910 to 2001 and is best known for co-creating some of the most iconic animated characters and cartoons in entertainment history. His work fundamentally shaped the animation industry and created beloved characters that entertained generations of audiences worldwide.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Person · Open Library

Born: 1910-07-14
Died: 2001-03-22
Works: 43

Top works

Studies in small-pox and vaccination
Saint Abraam
Essays for Orthodox Youth
Monroe's Fire
Book of Condolences and Comforting Words

via Open Library + Wikidata

Film & TV

Directing · Melrose, New Mexico, USA

William Denby "Bill" Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, director, producer, television director, television producer, and cartoon artist, whose movie and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the 20th century. When he was a young child, Hanna's family moved frequently, but they settled in Compton, California, by 1919. There,…

Known for

Tom and Jerry — (archive voices)2023
Tom and Jerry Cowboy Up! — Tom / Jerry (voice) (archive sound)2022
Tom & Jerry — Tom / Jerry (archive sounds) (uncredited)2021
The House That Cat Built — Tom / Jerry (archive sound) (uncredited)2021
On a Roll — Tom / Jerry (archive sound) (uncredited)

Article

William Denby Hanna (July 14, 1910 – March 22, 2001) was an American animator, voice actor, and musician. Hanna and Joseph Barbera co-created Tom and Jerry and founded the animation studio and production company Hanna-Barbera, with Hanna providing the vocal effects for Tom and Jerry's title characters.

Hanna joined the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930 and 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 Barbera and formed a working relationship. In 1957, they co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, creating 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 (equivalent to about $116 million today) 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.