Joseph Barbera

Joseph Barbera
Barbera in 1993
Born
Joseph Roland Barbera

(1911-03-24)March 24, 1911
DiedDecember 18, 2006(2006-12-18) (aged 95)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Burial placeForest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California
Other namesJoe Barbera
Occupations
  • Animator
  • cartoonist
Years active1930–2006
Employers
  • Fleischer Studios (1932)
    The Van Beuren Corporation (1932–1936)
  • Terrytoons (1936–1937)
  • MGM Cartoons (1937–1957)
Spouses
Dorothy Earl
(m. 1935; div. 1963)
    Sheila Holden
    (m. 1963)
    Children4

    Joseph Roland Barbera (/bɑːrˈbɛərə/ bar-BAIR;[1][2] Italian: [barˈbɛːra]; March 24, 1911 – December 18, 2006) was an American animator and cartoonist. He co-founded the animation studio Hanna-Barbera alongside William Hanna.

    Born to Italian immigrants in New York City, Barbera hesitantly joined Van Beuren Studios in 1932 and subsequently Terrytoons in 1936.[3] In 1937, he moved to California, and while working at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM), Barbera met Hanna. The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry.

    In 1957, after MGM dissolved its animation department, they co-founded Hanna-Barbera, which became the most successful television animation studio in the business, producing programs such as The Flintstones, Yogi Bear, Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?, Top Cat, The Smurfs, Huckleberry Hound, and The Jetsons. In 1967, Hanna-Barbera was sold to Taft Broadcasting for $12 million, but Hanna and Barbera remained heads of the company. In 1991, the studio was sold to Turner Broadcasting System,[4] which merged with Time Warner, owners of Warner Bros., in 1996; Hanna and Barbera stayed on as advisors.

    Hanna and Barbera directed seven Academy Award-winning films and won eight Emmy Awards. Their cartoon shows have become cultural icons, and their cartoon characters have appeared in other media, such as films, books, and toys. Hanna-Barbera's shows had a worldwide audience of over 300 million people in the 1960s and have been translated into more than 28 languages.

    1. ^ Olausson, Lena; Sangster, Catherine (2006). Oxford BBC Guide to Pronunciation. Oxford University Press. p. 165. ISBN 0-19-280710-2.
    2. ^ "ABC Book". National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
    3. ^ "Hanna and Barbera: Conversations". muse.jhu.edu.
    4. ^ "Joseph Barbera". The Times. London. December 20, 2006. Archived from the original on September 3, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2008.