Paul J. Smith (director)

Infobox_actor
bgcolour = silver
name = Paul J. Smith


imagesize =
caption =
birthname =
birthdate = birth date|1906|3|15|mf=y
location =
deathdate = death date and age|1980|11|17|1906|3|15
deathplace = Van Nuys, California
flagicon|USA
height =
othername = Paul Smith
yearsactive =
spouse =
homepage =
notable role =
academyawards =

Paul J. Smith (March 15, 1906 - November 17, 1980) was an American animator and director.

Smith worked for the Walter Lantz studio for much of his career, first starting as an animator, and then as a director.

By 1955, Smith had taken over as primary director of the "Woody Woodpecker" cartoon shorts, with periodic fill-in shorts directed by peers Alex Lovy, Jack Hannah, and Sid Marcus. With Smith in the director's chair, the "Woody Woodpecker" series maintained its trademark frenetic energy, while the animation itself was simplified, due to budget constraints. By the late 1960s, Smith became the sole director of the Lantz studio's output: the cartoon series "Woody Woodpecker", "Chilly Willy", and "The Beary Family". Smith stayed with Lantz until the studio was closed in 1972.

Smith died in Van Nuys, California on November 17, 1980. He was the uncle of a actor Charles Martin Smith. [ [http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006761/ imdb.com] ]

References

External links

*imdb name|id=0006761|name=Paul J. Smith