Bill Meléndez

Infobox actor


imagesize =
name = Bill Meléndez
birthname = José Cuauhtemoc Meléndez
birthdate = birth date|1916|11|15
birthplace = Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
death_date = death date and age|2008|09|02|1916|11|15
death_place = Santa Monica, California, USA
occupation = Animator
yearsactive = 1938–2006
spouse = Helen
emmyawards = Outstanding Children's Program
1966 "A Charlie Brown Christmas"
Outstanding Children's Special
1975 "Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus"
1976 "You're a Good Sport, Charlie Brown"
Outstanding Animated Program
1981 "Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown"
1984 "Garfield on the Town"
1987 "Cathy"
grammyawards =
tonyawards =
awards =

José Cuauhtemoc "Bill" Meléndez (November 15, 1916 – September 2, 2008) [cite news|url=http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jcEwmmuNMCq6Iuz4KVQnE3yTvJDgD92VJLD80|title='Peanuts' animator Bill Melendez dies at 91|publisher=Associated Press|date=2008-09-04|accessdate=2008-09-06] cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/7597700.stm|title=Peanuts' animator Melendez dies|publisher=BBC|accessdate=2008-09-04] was a Mexican-born American character animator, film director and producer, known for his cartoons for Warner Brothers and the "Peanuts" series. Meléndez provided the voice of Snoopy and Woodstock in the latter as well.

Early life

A native of the Mexican city of Hermosillo, Sonora, Meléndez was educated in U.S. public schools in Douglas, Arizona, and later in Los Angeles at the Chouinard Art Institute (which would later become California Institute of the Arts).

Disney

In 1938, Meléndez was hired by Walt Disney to work on animated short films and feature-length films such as "Bambi", "Fantasia", and "Dumbo". While there, he worked to unionize the rank and file animators he was working with."News Brief". National Public Radio. 2008-09-04 15:00 ET.] A member of the Screen Cartoonists' Guild, he left as part of the 1941 Disney animators' strike and never returned as an employee.

Warner Brothers

Three years later, he joined Leon Schlesinger's team at the Warner Brothers studios, where, as a member of the Bob Clampett, Art Davis and Robert McKimson units, he animated on a number of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck shorts (as "J.C. Melendez"). UPA put him on their payroll in 1948 to work on many television commercials, as well as the "Gerald McBoing-Boing" and "Madeline" shorts.

Bill Melendez Productions

After a decade at two smaller production houses, Meléndez founded his own production company in 1964. Bill Melendez Productions helped produce the annually broadcast Christmas special "A Charlie Brown Christmas", for which he won an Emmy Award and the George Foster Peabody Award despite having to work on short notice and with a tight budget. Meléndez performed the voice of Snoopy, who normally in the specials does not talk. Melendez first started animating the "Peanuts" characters for a series of commercials in 1959 for the Ford Falcon, and it was during that time that he met Charles Schulz, the comic strip's creator. [cite news|last=Solomon|first=Charles|title=Bill Melendez, 'Peanuts' animator -- and voice of Snoopy -- dies at 91|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/obituaries/la-me-melendez4-2008sep04,0,148485.story?track=rss|publlisher=Los Angeles Times|date=2008-09-04|accessdate=2008-09-06] Melendez was the only animator authorized to work on Schultz's "Peanuts" characters.

Meléndez went on to do over 75 half-hour , including the 1989 miniseries "This is America, Charlie Brown", as well as four feature-length motion pictures – all with partner Lee Mendelson.

In 1979, he directed a made-for-TV animated version of "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" with Warner Bros. for the Children's Television Workshop. [The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe | http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0079474/]

Amongst the other comic strip characters he animated were "Cathy" and "Garfield", as well as the 1992 special "Frosty Returns".

Melendez died on September 2, 2008 in Santa Monica, California.

Other work

In addition to animation, Meléndez was once a faculty member at the University of Southern California's Cinema Arts Department.

He is [http://www.hrwiki.org/index.php/A._Chimendez parodied] in the online cartoon "Homestar Runner".

Related companies

*Melendez Films – Animation division : United Kingdom, video and interactive entertainment

References

External links

*
* [http://www.billmelendez.tv/index2.html Bill Melendez Productions Inc.]
* [http://www.chuckjones.com/artists/bill_melendez.php Bio of Bill Meléndez on Chuck Jones site]
* [http://www.animationarchive.org/pics/evewithmelendez.mov Interview of Meléndez (August '06)]
* [http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/charlie-brown-snoopy-and-the-gang-flowed-with-good-grief-from-hispen/2008/09/17/1221330922920.html Charlie Brown, Snoopy and the gang flowed with good grief from his pen]
* [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/09/04/ST2008090401641.html Washington Post: Bill Melendez, 91; Award-Winning 'Peanuts' Animator]
* [http://www.canyon-news.com/artman2/publish/santamonica/Bill_Melendez_Peanuts_Animator_Dies_age_91.php Los Angeles Canyon News: Peanuts" Animator Bill Melendez Dies At Age 91]
* [http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117991524.html?categoryid=14&cs=1 Variety Magazine: Animator Bill Melendez dies at 91]
* [http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/bill-melendez-animator-who-worked-on-disney-classics-and-adaptations-of-the-peanuts-cartoons-940212.html The Independent: Bill Melendez: Animator who worked on Disney classics and adaptations of the 'Peanuts' cartoons]

Persondata
NAME = Meléndez, Bill
ALTERNATIVE NAMES = Meléndez, José Cuauhtemoc; Meléndez, Bill
SHORT DESCRIPTION = Mexican-American animator, film director, film producer
DATE OF BIRTH = 15 November 1916
PLACE OF BIRTH = Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico
DATE OF DEATH = 2 September 2008
PLACE OF DEATH = Santa Monica, California, USA