LOS ANGELES, March 22 -- Cartoonist Walter Lantz, who created Woody Woodpecker, died Tuesday of heart failure at St. John's Hospital in Burbank, Calif. He was 93.
Lantz, a pioneer of animation, created Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, Andy Panda and a long lineup of familiar cartoon characters.
Lantz played an important role in the development of animated film almost since the art's inception.
The New York native first started drawing newspaper comics in 1914 and had been involved in the production of animated cartoons since he was 16 years old. He had a 57-year contract with Universal Studios where he introduced his most famed character, Woody Woodpecker, in 1940.
He began his career in New York producing cartoons for William Randolph Hearst and the John R. Bray Studios for 10 years.
He moved to Hollywood in 1927 and soon found work in the story department of the Mack Sennett and Hal Roach Studios. He was later hired by Universal Studios to start an animated cartoon department where he produced Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons.
Lantz' first big hit came in 1937 when he created Andy Panda, but the most famous of his cartoon characters, Woody Woodpecker, was introduced in 1940. Woody was so well received by theatre audiences that he became a star in his very first cartoon, and he has been a famous Hollywood star all over the world.
In 1941, Lantz married actress Grace Stafford, who later became the voice of the famous woodpecker. The couple traveled all over the world as good will ambassadors for Lantz's animated cartoons. In 1969, they were sent to the South Pacific to visit wounded soldiers who had fought in Vietnam.
Lantz spent most of his time making oil paintings which featured Woody and other cartoon characters. He also published the book 'The Walter Lantz Story.'
He received an Academy Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1979, the Annie Award (the animation industry's equivalent of the Oscar) and a Golden Globe.
He also was honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
His Woody Woodpecker balloon is usually among the highlights of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade in New York.
'We have suffered the loss of both a great talent and a wonderful friend,' said Lew Wasserman, MCA Inc. chairman. 'However, his legacy will remain with all of us for generations to come.'
