William Hanna Biography

Fast Facts

• He and his longtime creative partner Joseph Barbera were both inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame in 1994
• Was recognized by the Boy Scouts of America and received a Distinguished Eagle Scout Award, which would be the award he was most proud of, trumping over his numerous career-related awards
• Died in North Hollywood from throat cancer
• Played the saxophone in a dance band while in high school, and this love for music carried into his career
• A common trope of his cartoons with Joseph Barbera was the use of classical music and allusions
• Was hired by MGM studios in 1938 to the company’s new cartoon studio, which is where he met his creative partner Joseph Barbera
• With his own production company, he produced more than 100 cartoon series, including "The Jetsons," "The Flinstones," "The Smurfs," and "Scooby-Doo․"
• Graduated from Compton High School, whose later alumni included rappers The Game and Eazy E, and former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle
• His cartoons were very popular among audiences, but received harsh reviews from critics and artist, saying that his shorts like "Tom and Jerry" were too violent
• After leaving MGM studio to start their own production company, he and creative partner Joseph Barbera flipped a coin to determine the precedence in naming the company, Hanna-Barbera Productions