Tex Avery
Tex Avery | |
|---|---|
_(cropped).jpg) Avery in 1941 | |
| Born | Frederick Bean Avery February 26, 1908 Taylor, Texas, U.S. |
| Died | August 26, 1980 (aged 72) Burbank, California, U.S. |
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills |
| Other names | Fred Avery Texas Avery |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1928–1980 |
| Employers |
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| Spouse |
Patricia Johnson
(m. 1935; div. 1972) |
| Children | 2[2] |
Frederick Bean "Tex" Avery (/ˈeɪvəri/; February 26, 1908 – August 26, 1980) was an American animator, film director and voice actor. He was known for directing and producing animated cartoons during the golden age of American animation. His most significant work was for Leon Schlesinger Productions and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's cartoon department, where he was crucial in the creation and evolution of famous animated characters such as Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig and Elmer Fudd for Warner Bros. and Droopy, Butch Dog, Screwy Squirrel, The Wolf, Red Hot Riding Hood, and George and Junior for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.
He gained influence for his technical innovation, directorial style, and brand of humor that appealed especially towards adults.[3] Avery's attitude toward animation was opposite that of Walt Disney and other conventional family cartoons at the time. Avery's cartoons were known for their dark humor, sarcasm, irony, surreal, and sometimes sexual tone in nature. They focused on visual gags, meta humor, physically impossible gags, social satire, surrealist humor, rapid pacing, racial stereotypes, and violent slapstick occurring around brash, outlandish characters who broke the fourth wall, stating that cartoons are meant to do anything.[4]
Early life and education
[edit]
Avery was born to Mary Augusta "Jessie" (née Bean; 1886–1931) and George Walton Avery (1867–1935) in Taylor, Texas, a suburb of Austin. His father was born in Alabama and his mother was born in Chickasaw County, Mississippi.
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Avery graduated in 1926 from North Dallas High School.[5][6] A popular catchphrase at his school was "What's up, doc?",[7] which he later used for Bugs Bunny in the 1940s. Interested in becoming a newspaper cartoonist, he took a three-month summer course at the Art Institute of Chicago[8] but left after a month.[9]
Tex Avery's major inspirations were comedians such as Laurel & Hardy, Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton, Harold Lloyd and especially The Marx Brothers; the latter of which was inspiration for Bugs Bunny. He was especially inspired by Winsor McCay, Pat Sullivan, Otto Messmer, Max Fleischer and Walt Disney in terms of animation field. He additionally liked the works of newspaper comic strip artist Virgil Partch, mainly praising his surrealist gags.[10]
Animation career
[edit]On January 1, 1928, Avery arrived in