Gene Deitch

Infobox actor


imagesize = 150px
name = Gene Deitch
birthname = Eugene Merril Deitch
birthdate = birth date and age|1924|8|8
location = flagicon|USA Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
spouse = Zdenka Deitch (m. 1960)
children = Kim Deitch, Simon Deitch, Seth Deitch
occupation = Illustrator, Animator, Film Director
website [http://www.genedeitch.com/]
award = Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award 2003 Lifetime Achievement

Eugene Merril "Gene" Deitch (born August 8, 1924 in Chicago, Illinois)Jeff Lenburg, "Who's Who in Animated Cartoons: An International Guide to Film & Television" (2006), ISBN 155783671X, pages 62 to 64, retrieved 2007-11-02.] is an American Academy-Award winning illustrator, animator and film director, based in Prague.

From 1945 to 1951 Deitch was primary graphics contributor, and eventually art director, for "The Record Changer", a jazz magazine. He has produced animated cartoons for studios such as UPA/Columbia Pictures, Terrytoons Fox ("Tom Terrific [http://www.toonopedia.com/terrific.htm Tom Terrific] , Don Markstein's Toonpedia. Article copyright dated 2000-2005, retrieved 2007-01-28.] "), MGM ("Tom and Jerry") and Paramount Pictures ("Nudnik"). He directed, with producer William L. Snyder, a series of made for TV shorts of Krazy Kat for King Features Television from 1962 to 1964. "The Bluffers", which was based on one of Deitch's ideas, was also co-produced by him.

Since 1968, Deitch has been the leading animation director for the Connecticut organization Weston Woods/Scholastic, adapting children's picture books. In 2003, he was awarded the "Annie" by ASIFA Hollywood for a lifetime contribution to the art of animation.Annie Awards [http://annieawards.com/winsormccayrecipients.htm Winsor McCay recipient 2003] retrieved 2007-11-03.]

His sons Kim Deitch and Simon Deitch were prominent artists in the underground comix movement. Another son, Seth Deitch writes fiction, mostly for underground publications.

Since 1961, Deitch has resided with his wife, Zdenka, in Prague, where he works as an independent animation scenarist/director. He wrote a memoir, "For the Love of Prague", based on the experience of being "the only free American in Prague during 30 years of Communism".

References and footnotes

External links

* [http://www.genedeitch.com/ Gene Deitch official site]
* [http://genedeitch.awn.com/ "How to succeed in animation"] - a long article by Gene Deitch
*imdb name|id=0215126|name=Gene Deitch
* [http://www.cartoonhalloffame.org/2005/12/deitch-gene.html Biography of Gene Deitch from the Cartoon Hall of Fame of ASIFA-Hollywood]