Paul Smith (animator)
{{Short description|American animator and director}}
{{Infobox person
| name = Paul Smith
| image =
| caption =
| birth_name = Paul J. Smith
| birth_date = {{birth date|1906|3|15|mf=y}}
| birth_place = Nahma Township, MI
| death_date = {{death date and age|1980|11|17|1906|3|15}}
| death_place = Van Nuys, California, U.S.
| height =
| othername =
| yearsactive =
| employer = Walt Disney Studio (1926-1928)
Winkler Pictures (1928-1930)
Harman-Ising (1930-1933)
Leon Schlesinger Productions (1933-1940)
Walter Lantz Productions (1940-1946, 1950-1972)
United Productions of America (1946-1950)
| spouse = {{marriage|Mildred Mankameyer|1940}}
| children = 1
| relatives = Frank Smith (brother), Hank Smith (brother), Charles Martin Smith (nephew)
| homepage =
| awards =
}}
Paul J. Smith (March 15, 1906 – November 17, 1980) was an American animator and director.
Biography
Smith began as a cel painter for Walt Disney Animation in August 1926, then moved up to an animator when he remembered he did not work behind a curtain, but a back room. On May 5, 1928, when all the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoons for Charles Mintz were completed, Smith left the payroll, moving to Screen Gems.{{Cite book|title=Hollywood cartoons : American animation in its golden age|last=Barrier|first=Michael|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=1999|pages=49}} Smith worked for Walter Lantz Productions for much of his career, as well as working at Warner Bros. Cartoons.
By 1953, Smith was promoted to director after the Lantz studio was able to build up enough staff for a second unit, eventually becoming the lead director of the Woody Woodpecker shorts along with Don Patterson, Alex Lovy, Jack Hannah and Sid Marcus. Smith's direction is often regarded as "meat and potatoes", as he didn't innovate his style beyond the traditional string of gags. By the late 1960s, Smith became the sole director of the Lantz studio's output: the cartoon series Woody Woodpecker, Chilly Willy, and The Beary Family. Smith stayed with Lantz until the studio was closed in 1972.
Smith died in Van Nuys, California on November 17, 1980. He was the brother of animators Frank Smith and Hank Smith and the uncle of actor and film director Charles Martin Smith.[https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0006761/ imdb.com]
References
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External links
- {{IMDb name|id=0006761|name=Paul J. Smith}}
- [https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/a-paul-j-smith-scrapbook/ A Paul J. Smith Scrapbook]
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Category:American animated film directors
Category:Warner Bros. Cartoons people
Category:Walter Lantz Productions people
Category:Walt Disney Animation Studios people
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