Friz Freleng
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.
Friz Freleng | |
|---|---|
| Born | Isadore Freleng August 21, 1905 Kansas City, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | May 26, 1995 (aged 89) Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Resting place | Hillside Memorial Park Cemetery |
| Other names | I. Freleng Congressman Frizby |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1923–1986 |
| Employer(s) | Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio/Walt Disney Studio (1927–1928) Screen Gems (1928–1930) Harman-Ising (1929–1933) Warner Bros. Cartoons (1933–1937, 1939–1962) MGM (1937–1939) Hanna-Barbera (1962-1963) DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (1963-1981) Warner Bros. Animation (1981–1986) |
| Spouse |
Lily Schoenfeld Freleng
(m. 1932) |
| Children | 2 |
| Signature | |
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".