Chuck Jones Biography and Works.

Born on September 21, 1912 in Spokane, Washington, Charles Martin ‘Chuck’ Jones was an American animator, cartoonist, producer, screen writer and director of animated films.

Jones had an interest in drawing from early childhood. After graduating from Chouinard Art Institute, Jones started looking for jobs in the animation industry.

He joined ‘Leon Schlesinger Productions’, which produced Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies for Warner Bros. in 1933.

Jones’ first cartoon was ‘The Night Watchman’ that featured a cute kitten. After having an extraordinary career at Warner Bros, till 1962, Jones started his independent animation studio with his business partner, Les Goldman by the name, ‘Sib Tower 12 Productions’. Jones has the credit of producing the famous ‘Tom and Jerry cartoons’.

Later, Sib Tower 12 Productions was absorbed by the MGM and renamed as the ‘MGM Animation/Visual Arts’.

In a career of over 60 years, Jones made many classic short animated cartoons starring Sylvester, Daffy Duck, Bugs Bunny, the Road Runner and Wile E Coyote, Pepé Le Pew and a slew of other Warner characters.

Making more than 300 animated films, Jones won three Oscars as director and an honorary Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in 1996. Among the many awards and recognitions, one of those most valued was the honorary life membership from the ‘Directors Guild of America’.

Jones’ animated short film, The Dot and the Line: A Romance in Lower Mathematics won the 1965 Oscar for the Best Animated Short Films.

Jones died of heart failure on February 22, 2002.

Trivia

Three of these short films, Duck Amuck, One Froggy Evening and What’s Opera, Doc? – were later inducted into the National Film Registry.