William Hanna

William Denby"Bill"Hanna(July 14, 1910– March 22, 2001) was an Americananimator,director,producer,television director,television producer, andcartoon 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 inCompton, California, by 1919. There, Hanna became anEagle Scout. Hanna graduated fromCompton High Schoolin 1928. He briefly attendedCompton City Collegebut dropped out at the onset of theGreat Depression.After working odd jobs in the first months of the Depression, Hanna joined theHarman and Isinganimationstudioin 1930. During the 1930s, Hanna steadily gained skill and prominence while working on cartoons such asCaptain and the Kids. In 1937, while working atMetro-Goldwyn-Mayer(MGM), Hanna metJoseph Barbera. The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producingTom and Jerryandlive action films. In 1957, they co-foundedHanna-Barbera, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such asThe Flintstones,The Huckleberry Hound Show,The Jetsons,Scooby-Doo,The Smurfs, andYogi Bear. In 1967, Hanna–Barbera was sold toTaft Broadcastingfor $12million, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads 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 cartoons 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.