Ben Washam

Career Washam worked at Warner Bros. Cartoons from at least 1936 until 1963, mainly under the direction of Chuck Jones. First working as an inbetweener, he quickly rose up the ranks to animator. From 1944 to 1945, he worked at UPA for the films Hell-Bent for Election and Brotherhood of Man. Through the later 1940s and almost all of the 1950s, he was one of Jones' master animators. He also animated for Abe Levitow and Ken Harris during their brief directorial stints in 1959. In the early 1960s, he worked on animated commercials and made-for-television cartoons, animating at Warner's for Jones only in a few one-off shorts. After Jones was fired from Warner Bros., Washam animated for Philbert, which was the last cartoon project before Warner's closed the studio. By the end of 1963, Washam had rejoined Jones at MGM. Washam also directed a few Tom and Jerry cartoons for release in 1967. He also designed the original Big Boy mascot for Bob's Big Boy; Washam and owner Bob Wian had once worked together as fry-cooks.

From the fall of 1967 Washam taught animation at no charge to eager, young students in weekly classes conducted at his Laurel Canyon home in Los Angeles. He explained that "animation has been good to me and I want to give something back." Many of Ben Washam's students from the late 1970s—which included Ren and Stimpy layout artist Eddie Fitzgerald—would lead the 2D Silver Age animation revival during the 1990s. Washam was known for his ability to explain animation mechanics as pertinent, useful methods, articulating and communicating the principles.

Washam served two separate terms as cartoonists' union president, including President of the Screen Animators Guild in 1948–49. Jones credited Washam with the "thanks for the sour persimmons, cousin" line in Duck Amuck.

Honors and awards Annie Award: Winsor McCay Award (1985) whom he met at Warner Bros. in 1951 (Jean also had various stints working for Walt Disney Productions, Hanna-Barbera Productions, and Shamus Culhane's studio, among others) and married three years later. They had a son named Trevor, who shoed horses for a living, and he notably shoed the horses of actors Sylvester Stallone and William Shatner.

Washam died on March 28, 1984, eleven days after his 69th birthday. He was cremated.