Gene Deitch, Oscar-winning illustrator and animator, popular for directing cartoons Tom and Jerry and Popeye passed away last week. He was 95.
Deitch directed as many as 13 episodes of Tom and Jerry between 1961 to 1962, and several episodes of ‘Popeye the Sailor’ between 1960 and 1963. He also directed other popular cartoons like Munro and Nudnik and Tom Terrific.
Born in Chicago in 1924, Eugene Merrill Deitch began working in with animation studio United Productions of America in 1955 as an apprentice. He is credited with creating characters 'Sidney the Elephant', 'Gaston Le Crayon', 'Tom Terrific', and 'Clint Clobber' during his career spanning several decades.
Munro won the Academy Award for Animated Short Film in 1961. He also won Winsor McCay Award for his lifetime contributions to animation in 2003.
