Joseph Barbera

Joseph Roland "Joe" Barberawas an influential Americananimator,director,producer,storyboard artist, andcartoon artist, whose movie and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the twentieth century. Through his young adult years, Barbera lived, attended college, and began his career in New York City. After working odd jobs and as a banker, Barbera joinedVan Beuren Studiosin 1932 and subsequentlyTerrytoonsin 1936. In 1937 he moved to California and while working atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM), Barbera metWilliam Hanna. The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producingTom and Jerryandlive action films. In 1957, after MGM dissolved their animation department, they co-foundedHanna–Barbera, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such asThe Flintstones,The Huckleberry Hound Show,Top Cat,The Jetsons,Scooby-Doo,The Quick Draw McGraw Show,The Smurfs, andYogi Bear. In 1967, Hanna–Barbera was sold toTaft Broadcastingfor $12million, but Hanna and Barbera remained head of the company until 1991. At that time the studio was sold toTurner Broadcasting System, which in turn was merged withTime Warner, owners ofWarner Bros., in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.Hanna and Barbera won sevenAcademy Awardsand eightEmmy Awards. Their cartoon shows have become cultural icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media such as films, books, and toys. Hanna–Barbera's shows have a global audience of over 300million people and have been translated into more than 20 languages.