Freleng biography
Friz Freleng was born Isadore Freleng on August 21, 1906 in Kansas City, Missouri. With no formal training in drawing, his first job as an animator was with United Film Advancement Services in 1924 at the age of 17. The first work Friz is credited with was for Disney Studios where he worked as an animator on the "Alice" series in 1927. Friz then did some animation for Robert Winkler Productions in 1928 starting with Fiery Fireman and for Screen Gems (Port Whines) in 1929, but it was his work in Bosko the Talk-Ink Kid (1929) in 1929 under the direction of Hugh Harmon and Rudolf Ising when he first worked for Warner Brothers, though known at that time as Leon Schlesinger Studios.
Under Leon Schlesinger's supervision in the budding animation department of Warner Brothers, Freleng's career as an animator and director rocketed, producing some of the most beloved cartoons in America's golden age of animation.
Freleng worked as the head animator and oftentimes producer on the two main animation subdivisions established by Warner Brothers, Looney Toons and Merrie Melodies.
In the late forties, after Tex Avery and Robert Clampett had left Warner Brothers, Freleng's career as a director soared. Though nominated throughout his career for numerous Academy Awards, it wasn't until 1947 that he eventually took the Oscar for Tweetie Pie (1947). Freleng then won Oscars for Speedy Gonzales (1955) in 1955, Birds Anonymous (1957) in 1957, Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) in 1958, and The Pink Phink (1964) in 1964.
In 1963, Freleng along with David De Patie created the DePatie-Freleng Studio that specialized in short films and television commercials. It was here that Freleng enjoyed great success with his Pink Panther television series.
Freleng returned to Warner Brothers to direct a number of specials, such as Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988) and Porky Pig in Hollywood.
In 1986, Freleng appeared as himself in the Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary (
Friz Freleng
Cause of death
Natural causes
Nationality
Jewish-American
Alternate names
I. Freleng
Occupation
Animator, cartoonist, director, producer
Spouse
Lily Freleng (?-?)
Freleng created cartoon characters that were memorable to many viewers and would live on with the legacy of Looney Tunes memorable cartoon characters, like Porky Pig, Sylvester the Cat, and Yosemite Sam.
Early life and Warner Bros. career[]
Friz Freleng was born in Kansas City, Missouri and started his career in animation at United Film Ad Service. After, Freleng was invited to work as an employee for Walt Disney at the Laugh-O-Grams studio. There, Freleng met Hugh Harman and Ub Iwerks. When Walt Disney decided to close the studio and move to Los Angeles, California, Freleng followed. Freleng worked on the Alice Comedies and Universal Pictures' Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series before quitting following issues with Walt. When production of the Oswald series moved to Winkler Pictures, Friz began animating at their studio. After Universal Pictures head Carl Lamemmle terminated Winkler's Oswald contract in 1929, Friz joined Hugh Harman and Rudolf Ising at Harman-Ising Productions.
Freleng was unsure if Harman and Ising's "Bosko, the Talk-Ink Kid" would generate enough interest in a cartoon series, so he moved to New York City in case he was left without a job. There, he worked for Charles Mintz on his Krazy Kat films. Realizing he was unhappy in New York, Freleng moved back to California once he realized Harman and Ising's series sold to Schlesinger. Freleng was an assistant animator for three years until he was promoted to director.
When Harman and Ising left WB in 1933 for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Freleng stayed with Warner Bros. and handled almost all the Born in Kansas City, Missouri in 1905, Isador "Friz" Freleng animated the first Warner Bros. cartoon ever made (1930's Sinkin' in the Bathtub), and went on to become one of the greatest animation directors of all time. Friz Freleng created Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester, Speedy Gonzales, and many more classic Looney Tunes characters. He also played a crucial role in the development of Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Elmer Fudd, and directed many of their greatest cartoons. While at Warner Bros., Freleng won Academy Awards for Tweety Pie (1947), Speedy Gonzales (1955), Birds Anonymous (1957) and Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) and was nominated for seven others. After the closure of the Warner Bros. animation studio in 1963, Freleng, together with David DePatie, created The Pink Panther. In the early 1980's he directed several feature-length animated films including The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981), 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982), and Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island (1983). Friz Freleng was a master of comedic timing who could bring together action, dialogue, and music with tremendous precision and humor. His work has had a tremendous influence on generations of animators and animation directors. Friz Freleng passed away in 1995 and is fondly remembered by cartoon fans and animation lovers throughout the world. American animator, cartoonist, director, and producer (1905–1995) Isadore "Friz" Freleng (; August 21, 1905 – May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from the 1930s to the early 1960s. In total he created more than 300 cartoons. He introduced and/or developed several of the studio's biggest stars, including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety, Sylvester, Yosemite Sam (to whom he was said to bear more than a passing resemblance), Granny, and Speedy Gonzales. The senior director at Warners' Termite Terrace studio, Freleng directed more cartoons than any other director in the studio (a total of 266), and is also the most officially-honored of the Warner directors, having won five Academy Awards and three Emmy Awards. After Warner closed down the animation studio in 1963, Freleng and business partner David H. DePatie founded DePatie–Freleng Enterprises, which produced cartoons (including The Pink Panther Show), feature film title sequences, and Saturday-morning cartoons through the early 1980s. The nickname "Friz" came from his friend, Hugh Harman, who initially nicknamed him "Congressman Frizby" after a fictional senator who appeared in satirical pieces in the Los Angeles Examiner, due to the character's strong resemblance to him. Over time, this shortened to "Friz". William Schallert claimed that Freleng was the model for Mr. Magoo due to his physical appearance. Freleng was born to Louis Mendel Freleng, a Polish Jewish immigrant from Kutno, and Elka (née Ribakoff) Freleng, a Ukrainian Jewish immigrant from Odesa Oblast, in Kansas City, Missouri, where he attended Westport High School from 1919 to 1923 and where began h
Friz Freleng
Early career