Gone to Cartoon Heaven: In Memoriam 2006

Posted:
Dec 31, 2006

Many animators, voice actors, writers, directors and other members of the animation community passed on in 2006.

This year's list appears much longer than those that I've done for the Big Cartoon Forum in previous years. It doesn't necessarily mean that more people have died. However, in the past year, I've found a much better source for entertainment-related obituaries.



January 6
Lou Rawls, 72; smooth-voiced, Grammy-winning singer who sold over 40 million albums over his long career; sang in many award-winning Garfield specials, and had numerous other roles in animated shows and movies.

January 9
Don Stewart, 70; soap opera actor (The Guiding Light, Santa Barbara, The Young and the Restless); provided the voice of Clem in the 1991 Hyperion Pictures animated feature film Rover Dangerfield.

January 10
Dennis Marks, 73; wrote 1992's Tom and Jerry: The Movie and 1990's Jetsons: The Movie; other works included The Barkleys and Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space (both 1972), Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends (1981).

January 12
Eldon Dedini, 84; had a career of over 50 years as a cartoonist for Playboy (specializing in nymphs and satyrs) and The New Yorker; was a writer for the 1947 Disney animated musical feature Fun and Fancy Free.

January 14
Shelley Winters, 85; one of only two women to win two Oscars for Best Supporting Actress; had voice role in Pete's Dragon (Disney, 1977); was in Frosty's Winter Wonderland (1976) and Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July (1979).

January 17
Norm McCabe, 94; Winsor McCay Award-winning Warner Bros. animator and director; career started with Porky in the North Woods (1936); continued late in life as a director of Transformers, G.I. Joe and Tiny Toon Adventures.

January 21
Robert "Buzz" Knudson, 80; sound re-recording mixer; won three Oscars for Cabaret, The Exorcist and E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial; nominated for shared Oscar for his work on partly-animated Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

January 26
Len Carlson, 68; prolific Canadian voice actor who pitched Kraft products in TV commercials; animated series included Rocket Robin Hood, Spider-Man, Captain America, Cyberchase; was Bert Raccoon in The Raccoons.

January 28
Arthur Bloom, 63; a founder of 60 Minutes who pioneered animated graphics in political coverage on American TV; introduced early computer-enhanced animation for CBS News, including "bumpers."

January 30
Coretta Scott King, 78; widow of assassinated human rights leader Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.; voice was provided by Oprah Winfrey in Our Friend Martin (1999), an hour-long animated special from DiC Entertainment.

February 3
Al Lewis, 82; ageless actor famed for portraying "Grandpa" on the TV sitcom The Munsters; reprised his most famous role in The Mini-Munsters, a 1973 Fred Calvert Productions animated special.

February 4
Myron Waldman, 97; animator and illustrator; last surviving head animator of Fleischer Studios; helped develop such characters as Betty Boop and created her dog Pudgy; also drew Popeye, Superman and Casper the Friendly Ghost.

February 5
Franklin Cover, 77; portrayed George and Louise Jefferson's white neighbor Tom Willis in the CBS sitcom The Jeffersons; guested in "Harley's Holiday," a 1994 episode of The Adventures of Batman and Robin, as General Vreeland.

February 6
Pedro Gonzalez Gonzalez, 80; ebullient Mexican-American comedic actor who voiced several 1960s Speedy Gonzales cartoons from DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, including Mucho Locos, Chili Corn Corny and A Taste Of Catnip.

February 7
Alan J. Shalleck, 76; directed and wrote 104 episodes of Curious George for television; five-minute episodes aired on Nickelodeon and the Disney Channel in the 1980s, and were adapted into 28 books; victim of homicide.

February 8
Akira Ifukube, 91; composer for Godzilla and many other Japanese monster movies; composer for 1963 Toei Doga animated feature film The Little Prince and the Eight-Headed Dragon; music used in 1972 Toei series TranZor Z.

February 13
Andreas Katsulas, 59; science-fiction character actor best-known as Narn ambassador G'Kar on the syndicated cult series Babylon 5; was Stephano DePace on "The Robot Spies," a 1997 episode of Jonny Quest: The Real Adventures.
Robert "Tiger" West, 81; key developer of Xerox equipment for all animation cartoon processing; supervised Hanna-Barbera's Xerox department from 1968 to 1977; helped set up Hanna-Barbera Productions in Australia.

February 21
Bruce Hart, 68; lyricist for Sesame Street and the partly animated 1974 TV special Free To Be... You And Me; wrote lyrics for Sesame Street title song; head writer, contributing lyricist and producer for Free To Be... You and Me.

February 24
Dennis Weaver, 81; played limping deputy Chester Goode in Gunsmoke and New Mexico deputy in McCloud; guested in Simpsons episode "The Lastest Gun in the West"; roles in Captain Planet and the Planeteers, Home on the Range.

February 25
Darren McGavin, 83; perennial character actor whose many TV roles included a starring turn as Carl Kolchak in the 1974-75 cult horror series Kolchak: The Night Stalker; guested in "The Silver Falcon," a 1995 episode of Gargoyles.

March 4
David Rose, 95; courtroom artist who sketched the Imelda Marcos and Klaus Barbie trials; layout artist at Walt Disney Studios from 1936 to 1940; worked at U.S. Army Film Corps unit responsible for the animated Private Snafu series.

March 6
Dana Reeve, 44; singer-actress married to the late Christopher "Superman" Reeve; one of the producers (and the voice of Emily) in Yankee Irving, an IDT Entertainment animated feature film directed by her husband.

March 13
Maureen Stapleton, 80; won Oscar for supporting role as anarchist activist Emma Goldman in Warren Beatty's Reds; voice actress for Hubley Studios animated projects (Dig, Voyage to Next, The Cosmic Eye, My Universe Inside Out).

March 14
Thomas Hickson, 85; layout artist and model designer who worked for Filmation Associates, Ruby-Spears and Hanna-Barbera; series included He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, The Centurions.

March 17
Oleg Cassini, 92; fashion designer whose creations graced people ranging from First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy to the Emperor in the Rankin-Bass animated feature The Daydreamer (designing the Emperor's Clothes).

March 19
Dick Addis, 74; veteran TV weather forecaster in "Michiana" and the host of an afternoon children's program called Cartoon Carnival; main weather forecaster at WNDU-TV 16 in South Bend, Indiana for three decades.
Brad Case, 93; animator and director who worked for nearly two dozen studios from 1934 until his retirement in 1999; uncredited animator for Disney's Bambi (1942); directed The Dick Tracy Show, The Fantastic Four, other shows.

March 21
Hiroshi Miyagawa, 75; Japanese composer best-known for penning theme of 1974 anime series Space Battleship Yamato (aka Star Blazers); other animated series included Odin, Odin -- Photon Ship Starlight, Thundersub.

March 25
Richard Fleischer, 89; son of cartoon producer Max Fleischer (Popeye the Sailor, Betty Boop); directed live-action science-fiction and war films; wrote biography Out Of The Inkwell: Max Fleischer And The Animation Revolution.
Buck Owens, 76; flashy singer who helped bring country music to TV on Hee Haw; hits included "Act Naturally," which was covered by the Beatles; guested on "The Skrawl/Pie Day/Secret Passages," a 2002 episode of ChalkZone.

March 27
Stanislaw Lem, 84; Polish science-fiction author whose novel Solaris was adapted twice into films; books sold over 27 million copies; wrote screenplays for animated sci-fi shorts Wycieczka w Kosmos (1961) and Bezludna Planeta (1962).

April 4
Gary Gray, 69; voice of boy in the Oscar-nominated 1944 George Pal Puppetoon And To Think I Saw It On Mulberry Street (written by Dr. Seuss); child and teen acting roles included numerous Westerns.

April 10
Suzi Dalton, 95; as Sue Dalton, was an ink and paint artist for the 1977 Peanuts feature film Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown; from 1934 until her retirement in 1973, worked at WB, MGM, Lantz, H-B, many other studios.

April 15
Pavel Koutecky, 49; Czech filmmaker who made dozens of documentaries; partly animated film ...Forever and Ever (1998) and animated The Sportsman (1994) won awards abroad; died in accidental fall from building.

April 23
Harvey Bullock, 84; prolific comedy writer and producer of film and TV; was writer for The Flintstones and Where's Huddles?, and producer of early 1970s "adult" sitcom Wait Till Your Father Gets Home.

May 7
Machiko Soga, 68; Japanese actress who played Rita Repulsa in Mighty Morphin Power Rangers; did anime voice acting under the name Naoko Yukita; had title role in 1960s black and white anime series Ghost Q-Taro.

May 14
Mary Ritts, 95; with husband Paul, hosted puppet wraparounds for NBC's The Pink Panther Show; puppets appeared in 1969-70 Saturday morning animated series, which combined theatrical shorts of The Pink Panther and The Inspector.

May 17
Clive H. Mizumoto, 53; executive vice-president of post-production at Saban and Fox Family Worldwide; shared awards for work as re-recording engineer on animated series The Incredible Hulk and Mad Jack the Pirate.

May 19
Alan Gleitsman, 76; owned a TV and film distribution company that included Felix the Cat cartoons; helped distribute The Mighty Hercules and Speed Racer; executive producer of the 1982 animated feature film The Wizard of Oz.

May 24
Claude Pieplu, 83; French actor who voiced various incarnations of long-running animated series Les Shadoks; was voice of the Palace Mayor in 1980 animated feature film Le Roi et L'Oiseau (The King and the Mockingbird).

May 27
Barbara Cohen, 53; casting director of such feature films as Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003) and Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993); casting associate at Disney from 1985 to 1988.
Alex Toth, 77; artist and animator; designer of Space Angel and director of Captain Fathom; designed for series Space Ghost, Samson & Goliath, Shazzan, The Fantastic Four, Birdman and the Galaxy Trio, etc.; died while writing at table.

May 30
Bill Kovacs, 56; work in computer animation led to 1997 Oscar for science and engineering contributions to motion pictures; a programmer for Disney's 1982 feature film Tron, which incorporated early computer animation.

June 1
Lloyd Rees, 85; assistant animator for Walt Disney Studios; began as inbetweener at Disney in 1945; did much work for Jay Ward and Hanna-Barbera; worked as an assistant beyond his retirement in the mid-1980s.

June 2
Bernard Loomis, 82; toy marketer known as "the man who invented Saturday morning"; introduced Hot Wheels cars in a Saturday morning cartoon; executive producer of Strawberry Shortcake: Housewarming Surprise, other kidvid.

June 6
Billy Preston, 59; keyboardist and singer known as the "Fifth Beatle" for close association with the Fab Four; provided voice of Mose on The Kingdom Chums: Original Top Ten, a two-part direct-to-video cartoon by Rick Reinert Pictures.

June 9
Richard Warren Pugh, 55; Broadway singer, dancer and actor who was in chorus of 1995 Disney film Pocahontas; an original cast member of The Phantom of the Opera for 18 years; also on Broadway in Sweeney Todd, The Music Man.

June 20
Charles Smith, 57; Kool & the Gang co-founder and lead guitarist; co-wrote hit tune "Celebration," heard in "Ron Millionaire," a 2004 episode of Disney's Kim Possible; tune was also in the 1995 live-action film Nick of Time.

June 21
Jacques Lanzmann, 79; French Jewish author and songwriter; wrote song lyrics for 1982 SF animated feature Time Masters (aka Masters of Time); brother of documentary film director Claude Lanzmann (Shoah).

June 23
Aaron Spelling, 83; hugely successful TV producer; shows included Beverly Hills 90210, Dynasty, Fantasy Island, Starsky and Hutch, Charlie's Angels; executive producer of 1967 animated special The Cricket on the Hearth.

June 28
Lennie Weinrib, 71; voice of title character in 1969 live-action series H.R. Pufnstuf; provided voices in many animated series; voiced Scooby's pal Scrappy-Doo in Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo, etc.; died in Chile.

July 6
Elisabeth Volkmann, 70; red-haired actress in numerous German sitcoms; voiced Marge and her twin sisters in the German dub of The Simpsons; voice of the Queen in Germany's version of 1998's A Bug's Life.

July 7
Syd Barrett, 60; reclusive founder of British prog-rock group Pink Floyd; his songs were in 1999 Brazilian animated feature The Piper at the Gates of Dawn; film Pink Floyd: The Wall considered by many to retell Barrett's life story.

July 10
Daryl G. Nickens, 57; writer whose TV series included Disney's animated The Lion King's Timon and Pumbaa; wrote episodes of 1995 animated series Happily Ever After: Fairy Tales for Every Child; former board member of Writers Guild.

July 11
Libby Hilberman, wife of "Bambi" art director Dave Hilberman and a woman pioneer in animation; an artist at UPA, Tempo and Disney; her husband was one of the few artists named by Walt Disney as a suspected Communist.
Barnard Hughes, 90; Tony- and Emmy-winning character actor whose Broadway career dated back to 1935; had voice roles in Michael Sporn cartoons What's Under My Bed? (1989) and The Emperor's New Clothes (1991).

July 13
Red Buttons, 87; veteran carrot-topped comedian; provided voice of Robespierre in 1962 UPA animated feature film Gay Purr-ee; Frosty's friend Milton in 1979 Rankin-Bass Productions film Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July.

July 16
Barbara Eiler Sperzel, 79; former teen actress (radio programs The Life of Riley, The Dennis Day Show); provided voice of poet Clement Clarke Moore's wife in 1968 animated TV special The Night Before Christmas.

July 19
Marty Farrell, 78; screenwriter for 1990 Warner Bros. special Happy Birthday, Bugs!: 50 Looney Years; wrote for dozens of TV awards and variety shows; shared writing Emmy in 1971 for TV special Singer Presents Burt Bacharach.
Jack Warden, 85; longtime character actor who won Emmy for role as coach in 1971 TV-movie Brian's Song; films included Shampoo, Heaven Can Wait; had voice roles in Hubley Studios TV special Dig and film The Cosmic Eye.

July 21
Mako, 72; Japanese-born American actor nominated for Oscar for role as Po-han in The Sand Pebbles (1966); provided evil sorcerer Aku's voice in Cartoon Network Studios' Samurai Jack; main title narrator for Dexter's Laboratory.

July 27
Johnny Weissmuller Jr., 65; San Francisco actor and son of Tarzan film star Johnny Weissmuller; was in voice cast of English-language dub of the 1975 French pornographic animated movie spoof Tarzoon: Shame of the Jungle.

August 11
Alvin Cooperman, 83; a producer of the 1977 animated Christmas special The Fourth King (shown just once on NBC); an executive at the Shubert Organization, he owned over a dozen New York theaters.
Mike Douglas, 81; TV afternoon talk show host (1961 to 1982) and former big-band singer; provided Prince Charming's singing voice ("So This Is Love") in the 1950 Disney feature film Cinderella; died on 81st birthday.

August 13
Tony Jay, 73; deep-voiced, London-born actor; his many roles included villainous Judge Frollo in Disney's 1996 film The Hunchback of Notre Dame; ex-Shakespearian was in Beauty and the Beast, Treasure Planet, The Jungle Book 2.

August 23
Maynard Ferguson, 78; Canadian-born jazz trumpeter; recorded Rocky theme song "Gonna Fly Now"; one of several jazz soloists in Urbanissimo, a 1966 animated short film from Hubley Studios.

August 28
Ed Benedict, 94; designer of most of Hanna-Barbera's early stars; H-B favorites included Fred and Wilma Flintstone, Barney and Betty Rubble, Dino the Snorkasaurus, Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound, Quick Draw McGraw and Snagglepuss.

September 1
Marlene Burkhart, 76; a Xerox processor and Xerox checker for Disney and other studios from 1967 to 1990; had screen credits as a xerographer for Disney's feature films Oliver & Company (1988) and The Little Mermaid (1989).

September 6
Jan Svochak, 80; head animator for 30 years on the Hawaiian Punch TV commercial campaign; an animator at Famous Studios, assisting Marty Taras with cartoons featuring Baby Huey, Little Audrey, and Herman and Katnip.

September 7
Bernard "Berny" Wolf, 95; veteran animator; many works included "The Pastoral Symphony" sequence in Disney's Fantasia (1940); rotoscoped Cab Calloway as a ghostly walrus for Fleischer Studios' Minnie The Moocher (1932).

September 11
Pat Corley, 76; character actor best known as burly, friendly bar owner Phil on Murphy Brown; in voice cast of All Dogs Go to Heaven 2 (1996); voiced Mr. Camacho in pair of 2002 episodes of Hey Arnold!

September 13
Ann Richards, 73; former Texas governor; enjoyed a voice role as saloon owner "Annie" in 2004 Disney feature film Home On The Range; outspoken, silver-haired Democrat served one term, losing in 1995 to George W. Bush.

September 15
Pablo Santos, 19; Mexican-born star of WB television series Greetings from Tucson (2002-03); guested in title role of "Johnny Lovely," a 2003 episode of Disney animated series The Proud Family; died following plane crash in Mexico.

September 22
Edward Albert, 55; son of actor Eddie Albert; blind man Don Baker in the 1972 film Butterflies Are Free; the voice of Rafe in the Emmy-winning 1998 DreamWorks Television Animation mini-series Invasion America.

September 23
Patrick Quinn, 56; Actors' Equity Association executive director and former president; a working actor throughout his adult life, he had the replacement role of Lumiere in the 1994 Broadway production of Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
Timothy Rooney, 59; second son of Mickey Rooney; in the voice casts of The Jetsons and Mister T in the 1980s; had parts in such movies as Riot on Sunset Strip (1967) and Village Of The Giants (1965).

September 24
Tetsuro Tamba, 84; Japanese actor who played intelligence chief Tiger Tanaka in the 1967 James Bond film You Only Live Twice, supplied the voice of the Cat King in the original version of the 2002 anime movie The Cat Returns.

October 2
Patrice Holloway, 58; in Hanna-Barbera Productions' Josie and the Pussycats, provided the singing voice of Valerie Brown, the first African-American starring character in a cartoon series.

October 8
David Adams, 83; Pyramid Films Corporation founder who shared an Oscar nomination for the 1973 animated short The Legend of John Henry; executive produced award-winning Claymation film Dinosaur (1980).

October 11
Jacques Sternberg, 83; French-language science-fiction writer who worked with film directors René Laloux and Alain Renais; wrote the screenplay for 1964 animated film Les Temps morts.

October 16
Sid Davis, 90; independent producer-director of dozens of mental hygiene and other educational films; animated films included Why Take Chances? (1952), Too Young to Burn (1954), The Cautious Twins (1960).
Jack DeLeon; portrayed half of gay couple in 1970s police sitcom Barney Miller; was in voice casts of such animated series as Scooby-Doo and Scrappy-Doo; also voiced parts in Halloween is Grinch Night, The Hobbit (both 1977).
Lister Sinclair, 85; longtime Canadian Broadcasting Corporation personality who hosted radio program Ideas; narrated such National Film Board of Canada cartoons as A Thousand Million Years and Riches of the Earth (both 1954).

October 17
Daniel Emilfork, 82; Chilean-born French stage and movie actor whose unusual face made him a favorite in villainous character roles; portrayed the First Minister in partly computer-animated feature film Taxandria (1994).

October 18
Anna Russell, 94; singer and comedienne famed for her 30-minute sendup of Richard Wagner's 20-hour The Ring cycle; voiced the role of the Witch in the 1954 stop-action animated feature Hansel and Gretel.

October 27
Jozsef Gregor, 66; Hungarian bass whose 48-year career included performances at New York's Metropolitan Opera in New York and Milan's La Scala; cast as Bika in Szerencsi, fel!, a TV series of five-minute animated shorts.

October 29
Roy Barnes, 70; set designer whose films included the partly animated 1988 feature Who Framed Roger Rabbit; longtime art director, working on such films as Basic Instinct, The Bodyguard and The Last Samurai.

October 30
Richard Ramos, 65; member of the voice casts of Marvel Productions' Spider-Man and Hanna-Barbera's The New Scooby-Doo Mysteries; acted and directed for nearly a decade at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis.

November 1
Nicolette "Nicki" Bonnell, 58; daughter of animation director Alex Lovy; worked for Hanna-Barbera, Bakshi and Disney as a cel painter, Xerox checker and animation checker from 1966 to 2002.

November 9
Cosmic Fool (Kevin), 42; longtime Big Cartoon Forum member and contributor; supplied the Forum with much information on British cartoons, as well as being expert on -- and proponent of -- Dr. Who.

November 10
Jack Palance, 87; craggy-faced actor who took on villainous roles, then won Oscar for comedic turn in City Slickers; provided the voice of Lord Rothbart in the 1994 animated feature film The Swan Princess.

November 11
Ronnie Stevens, 81, veteran actor in British comedy films; in the voice cast of Tony Collingwood's BAFTA-nominated 1998 short Rarg; narrated the 1959 cutout animated TV series Noggin the Nog.

November 12
Mario Merola, 72; considered one of the best interpreters of traditional Neapolitan songs; provided the voice of Vincenzone in the 2003 Italian animated feature Totò Sapore e la magica storia della pizza.

November 16
Gary Graver, 68; cinematographer whose works ranged from Orson Welles films to softcore porn; worked on the 1975 Warner Bros. feature documentary Bugs Bunny Superstar, narrated by Welles.

November 19
Doris Chillcott Peyman, 75; Vancouver-born actress with five-decade career in theater, radio, TV and film; had voice roles in English dubs of animes The Legend of the Dog Warriors: The Hakkenden and Ogre Slayer.

November 20
Chris Hayward, 81; Emmy-winning writer-producer who helped create Dudley Do-Right of the Mounties and The Munsters; produced and wrote for Rocky and His Friends; wrote episodes of Jay Ward's Crusader Rabbit.

November 22
Dave Cockrum, 63; longtime comics artist for The Legion of Superheroes, The Uncanny X-Men and more; a writer for Saban Entertainment's 1992-97 animated series X-Men, which aired on Fox.

November 23
Philippe Noiret, 76; French film star whose nearly 150 films included comedy Cinema Paradiso (1988); narrated the French version of 1987's The Man Who Planted Trees, which won the Oscar for Best Short Film (Animated).

November 26
Anthony Jackson, 62; the voice of many of the characters in Britain's Ivor the Engine animated TV series; the voice of Nug in animated series The Dreamstone (1990); Kehar and Cowslip in the 1999 series Watership Down.

November 29
Shirley Walker, 61; daytime Emmy-winning composer who scored animated adaptations of Superman, Batman and Spawn for television and the movies; nominated three times for an Annie Award for her TV work.

December 1
Sid Raymond, 97; longtime (70-year) actor and comedian best known as the voice of Baby Huey and Katnip in Famous Studios cartoons; the face and spokesperson for Schlitz Beer as the comical bartender in TV commercials.

December 8
Heinrich Riethmüller, 84; orchestra leader who adapted songs in many Disney animated feature films for their German versions; musical director for German dubs of Pinocchio, Dumbo, The Jungle Book, others.

December 9
Nicholas Balla, c. 88; producer of dozens of documentaries for the National Film Board of Canada; one of the editors of the animated documentary A Capital Plan (1949), narrated by a young Lorne Greene.
Martin "Marty" Nodell, 91; comic-book artist who created famed superhero Green Lantern and later helped create the Pillsbury Doughboy; Green Lantern appeared in several animated series; also made limited animation for industrial firms.

December 11
Tom Gregory, 79; host of the 1950s kids' TV shows Cartoon Playtime and Wonderama in New York City; segments of Cartoon Playtime included The Gabby Movie Cartoon Show, as well as Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies.

December 12
Peter Boyle, 71; tall actor who made grouchiness funny as father Frank Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond; voiced Muta in the English dub of Hiroyuki Morita's Studio Ghibli anime feature film The Cat Returns (2002).

December 13
Takeomi Nagayama, 81; chairman of Japanese film, TV and theater production house Shochiku Co.; produced or co-produced several animated movies, including Fullmetal Alchemist the Movie: Conqueror of Shamballa (2005).

December 15
Michael R. Colicchio, 82; composer whose scores ranged from the 1979 Rankin-Bass TV special Rudolph and Frosty's Christmas in July to such exploitation flicks as Deep Throat Part II.

December 17
Kyoko Kishida, 76; Japanese character actress known for supporting roles in live-action films; became popular among the public when she voiced the title role in the Tokyo Movie Shinsha anime series Moomin (1969).

December 18
Joe Barbera, 95; half of the Hanna-Barbera animation team that produced such beloved characters as Tom and Jerry, Yogi Bear and the Flintstones; with longtime partner, Bill Hanna, first found success creating Tom and Jerry cartoons.
Mavor Moore, 87; actor, playwright, director, producer and educator who founded numerous Canadian artistic institutions; the voice of the Elder in Ivan Reitman's 1981 animated feature film Heavy Metal.

December 21
Fran Dowie, 85; Canadian puppeteer famous for his 40 years portraying Santa Claus; provided the voice of St. Nick in the 2001 direct-to-video computer-animated movie A Christmas Adventure From a Book Called Wisely's Tales.

December 25
James Brown, 73; "Godfather of Soul" who was an enormous influence on 20th century blues music; classic works that he wrote or performed were heard in Garfield The Movie, Robots, Hey Arnold! The Movie, Osmosis Jones.

December 26
Gerald R. Ford, 93; the longest-living (and only unelected) president in United States history; spoofed in episodes of The X-Presidents, a cartoon segment produced by Robert Smigel Production for NBC's Saturday Night Live.



Though they are gone from the scene, we can take consolation in the fact that they are survived by their works.