Lantz, Walter

Lantz was born in New Rochelle, NY, Apr. 27, 1900; at 12 years old he took his first mail-order cartoon drawing course which affected his entire life and career; he began working as a copyboy for the Hearst newspaper, New York American, where he was recommended to Gregory LaCava; from that point he started his career as a cartoonist drawing characters such as the Katzenjammer kids, Happy Hooligan, Krazy Kat, and Mutt and Jeff; produced and directed his first cartoon series, Colonel Heeza Liar, at J.R. Bray Studios in NY (1922); moved to Hollywood, CA in 1926 and wrote for Max Sennet comedies; started with Universal Studios in 1928 where he produced Oswald Rabbit for 10 years; in 1930, he produced The king of jazz, the first technicolor cartoon and Bing Crosby's first sound recording in a film; married Grace Stafford in 1941 who later became the voice of Woody Woodpecker; Lantz started his own production company in 1935 and served as its president into the 1970s; Lantz who is best remembered for Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, and Andy Panda, received an honorary Academy award, 1978; died Mar. 22, 1994, in Burbank, CA.

Biography

Lantz was born in New Rochelle, NY, Apr. 27, 1900; at 12 years old he took his first mail-order cartoon drawing course which affected his entire life and career; he began working as a copyboy for the Hearst newspaper, New York American, where he was recommended to Gregory LaCava; from that point he started his career as a cartoonist drawing characters such as the Katzenjammer kids, Happy Hooligan, Krazy Kat, and Mutt and Jeff; produced and directed his first cartoon series, Colonel Heeza Liar, at J.R. Bray Studios in NY (1922); moved to Hollywood, CA in 1926 and wrote for Max Sennet comedies; started with Universal Studios in 1928 where he produced Oswald Rabbit for 10 years; in 1930, he produced The king of jazz, the first technicolor cartoon and Bing Crosby's first sound recording in a film; married Grace Stafford in 1941 who later became the voice of Woody Woodpecker; Lantz started his own production company in 1935 and served as its president into the 1970s; Lantz who is best remembered for Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, and Andy Panda, received an honorary Academy award, 1978; died Mar. 22, 1994, in Burbank, CA.