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Faith Hubley | |
|---|---|
| Born | Faith Chestman (1924-09-16)September 16, 1924 New York City, U.S. |
| Died | December 7, 2001(2001-12-07) (aged 77) New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 1945–2001 |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 4 |
Faith Hubley (néeChestman; September 16, 1924 – December 7, 2001) was an Americananimator, known for her experimental work both in collaboration with her husbandJohn Hubley, and on her own following her husband's death.
Born to Sally and Irving Chestman,Russian-Jewish immigrants, she grew up with three siblings onManhattan's West Side during the 1920s and 1930s. She spoke little about her childhood and left home at age 15 to work in the theater. At 18, she moved toHollywood, starting as a messenger atColumbia Pictures.[1] She subsequently worked as a sound-effects and music editor, and then as a script clerk forRepublic Pictures. She was later a script supervisor for12 Angry Men and an editor forGo, Man, Go, with theHarlem Globetrotters.[citation needed] During most of this early period, she went by the name Faith Elliott, using the surname of her first husband, Melvin Elliott, a radio announcer onWQXR.[2][3]
The Hubleys jointly foundedStoryboard Studios as an independent animation studio, vowing to make one independent film a year. They collaborated on more than 20 short films, up until John's death during open-heart surgery in 1977. At that time they were working on theDoonesbury television cartoon,A Doonesbury Special. Faith Hubley, withGarry Trudeau andBill Littlejohn, completed the special despite the doubts ofNBC executives. The Hubleys won Oscars for their shorts:MoonbirdArchived 2013-10-19 at theWayback Machine (1959),The Hole (1962) andA Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass Double Feature (1966); they also received Oscar nominations forWindy Day,Of Men and Demons,Voyage to Next andA Doonesbury Special. Her many solo projects established her as a significant film creator in her own right. She began her first solo project,W.O.W. (Women of the World), after being diagnosed with breast cancer in 1975.[4]
Between 1976 and 2001, she completed 24 further solo animated films. Her films often featureabstract imagery andnon-linear stories; many draw on themes of mythology andindigenous art. She was also a painter, with her works being exhibited in galleries in Europe and the United States. Unlike conventional hand-drawn animation where a camera takes pictures ofpaintings on celluloid that are lit from above, she used a technique where drawings on paper were illuminated from below, giving the animation a special look.[5]
Faith Hubley taught at theYale School of Art in the 1990s.[6]
TheAcademy Film Archive preserved several of Faith Hubley's films, includingA Smattering of Spots,A Doonesbury Special, andThe Hole.[7]
Faith Hubley received honors from theCannes,Venice,London, andSan Francisco film festivals. She won fourteenCINE Golden Eagle awards, and received honorary doctorates from theUniversity of Chicago,Columbia College, andHofstra University. Her 1981 animated film"Enter Life" can be seen at theSmithsonian Institution'sNational Museum of Natural History, as part of the Early Life exhibit. In 1995, theNational Gallery of Art presented a retrospective program of her works.[citation needed]
To coincide with the unveiling of a historical marker for her husband,John Hubley, in his hometown ofMarinette, Wisconsin, Marinette's mayor Steve Genisot proclaimed May 20, 2023 "John and Faith Hubley Day" in Wisconsin. Though not a native of Wisconsin, Faith Hubley was recognized for being "unarguably [one] of the most important figures in the history ofindependent animation, and indeedindependent film".[8]
Faith Hubley died in 2001, age 77, inNew Haven, Connecticut, following a long battle withbreast cancer, 26 years after her initial diagnosis.[9][citation needed]
She marriedJohn Hubley in 1955. The couple raised four children: Mark Hubley (from Faith's first marriage), film editor Raymond (Ray) Hubley, animatorEmily Hubley, and musician/artistGeorgia Hubley. The voices of the couple's young children were featured in a number of their films.[citation needed][6]
Works
