Virgil Walter Ross | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1907-08-08)August 8, 1907 |
| Died | May 15, 1996(1996-05-15) (aged 88) |
| Other names | Virgil Ross |
| Occupation | Animator |
| Years active | 1929–1989 |
| Employer(s) | The Charles Mintz Studio (1930–1932) Ub Iwerks's studio (1931) Universal Cartoon Studios (1931–1935) Leon Schlesinger Productions/Warner Bros. Cartoons (1935–1962) Paul Fennell's studio (mid 50s) Hanna-Barbera (1960–1986) DePatie-Freleng Enterprises (1963–1980) Ed Graham Productions (1964) Format Films (1965-67) Walter Lantz Productions (1971) Bakshi Productions (1971–1972, 1974–1981, 1989) Filmation (1973–1974, 1979) Chuck Jones Enterprises (1978–1980) Marvel Productions (1981–1982) Warner Bros. Animation (1981–1982) DimenMark International (1983) Rick Reinert Productions (1983) Walt Disney Productions (1984–1985) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Virgil Walter Ross (August 8, 1907 – May 15, 1996) was an American artist, cartoonist, and animator best known for his work on theWarner Bros. animated shorts including the shorts of legendary animatorFriz Freleng.
Virgil Ross (as he was usually known) spent his early years inNew York state and inMichigan, but his family moved toLong Beach,California, when he was in his late teens. This state was to be his primary home for the rest of his life.
His introduction to cartooning was in high-school, where he took a class in that art form. He started drawing title cards forsilent films before moving into animated films.[1] Early work was done forCharles B. Mintz (laterScreen Gems),Iwerks Studio, and then on toWalter Lantz, where he began working on developingOswald the Lucky Rabbit and metTex Avery.[1] When Avery moved to work forLeon Schlesinger in 1935 on theLooney Tunes andMerrie Melodies series, he took Ross,Chuck Jones,Sid Sutherland, andCecil Surry with him.[1] Ross spent about 30 years there, first under Avery's supervision, and thenBob Clampett after Avery's departure in 1941. He later moved toFriz Freleng's unit after animating for Clampett for some time, presumably due to Ross' tepid relationship with him.[2][3] Ross would spend his career with Friz for the rest of him time at Warner Bros., with him animating on some of Freleng's most renowned shorts.
Of the very many characters Ross animated, he is most closely associated withBugs Bunny. As an animator forA Wild Hare (1940), generally regarded as the first appearance of Bugs Bunny, Ross had a first person view of the creation of the character. It received anAcademy Award nomination forBest Cartoon Short Subject.[4][1]
In an interview, published inAnimato magazine #19, Ross recalled how the character of Bugs Bunny came to be. He says in the interview, "We received orders from the story department that they needed a drawing of a bunny. We all did drawings and tacked them on the wall, and the storymen voted on them. We had one writer namedBugs Hardaway, and for some reason, this one drawing became known as Bugs' Bunny. Leon Schlesinger liked the sound of the name and told them to keep it, and that's how Bugs Bunny got his name. Years later, before he died, Hardaway tried to get some credit for making the character, which he probably deserved. But Warner Bros owned the rights to everything we created."[5]
He also did a great deal of work involvingDaffy Duck,Yosemite Sam,Tweety, and many others, including theRudy Larriva-directedWile E. Coyote and the Road Runner shorts. When handling long-eared characters such as Bugs or Wile E., Ross occasionally tilted or waved an ear in otherwise-static scenes.
His résumé also includes time spent with such firms asFilmation (where he worked on the early 1970sStar Trek: The Animated Series),Hanna-Barbera, andMarvel Comics. In 1979 he animatedWoody Woodpecker for a special scene at the 51stAcademy Awards.[6] He briefly animated for Disney (viaRick Reinert) forWinnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore, forChuck Jones at Warner Bros. again, and for 1984 educational short "Destination Careers: Explore Jobs" starring Disney'sDonald Duck. According to animator Dave Bennett, Ross struggled to animate Donald after animating Daffy for so many years.[7]
He was known as being self-effacing. In an interview with John Province in 1989, he is quoted as saying "I always had an eye for movement, and I think this kept me in the business a lot longer than a lot of guys, despite the fact that I really wasn't very good at drawing. When I started out in animation, you didn't have to be a good artist. I just had a little natural talent, and it's mostly just timing anyway."[5]
He married Frances Ewing in 1940 and they had a daughter. They were married until Ross' death at the age of 88 on May 15, 1996, inLos Angeles, California, United States.[8]
Virgil Ross received the highest awards available in his profession: theMotion Picture Screen Cartoonists Golden Award (1984) and theWinsor McCay Award (1988). Four of the cartoons he had animated wonOscars:Tweetie Pie (1947),Speedy Gonzales (1955),Birds Anonymous (1957), andKnighty Knight Bugs (1958).[1][9][10][11][12][13]
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