About Paul Julian
Lived 1914 – 1995 (aged 81). Paul Julian was an American actor, painter, background artist, layout artist, art director and production designer, known for The Road Runner.
Paul Hull Julian (June 25, 1914 – September 5, 1995) was an American background animator, sound effects artist and voice actor for Warner Bros. Cartoons. He worked on Looney Tunes short films, primarily on director Friz Freleng's Sylvester and Tweety Bird shorts.
During his time at Warner, Julian also provided the vocal effects of the Road Runner. His warm and tightly cropped urban scenes were also featured early in his career in the Bugs Bunny film Baseball Bugs (1946), and in the crime syndicate-themed Daffy Duck film Golden Yeggs (1950). Julian also created New Deal murals in California. Julian died in Van Nuys, California, at the age of 81.
Life and career
Julian was born on June 25, 1914, in Illinois. In October 1939, he landed a job in Los Angeles as layout and background artist at Leon Schlesinger's animation studio, "Termite Terrace". at the side of the school auditorium. Though faded, the murals are in decent shape. Julian used a technique called petrachrome that utilized 24 different colors of marble to complete the mural's four panels. The mural inside the Fullerton Post Office is in excellent condition.
Later, while working at Warner Bros. as a background artist, Julian provided the Road Runner's "Beep-Beep!" sound. These recordings are still in use in modern Looney Tunes media.
Julian directed the animated films Baby Boogie (1955) for UPA, and The Hangman (1964), which was produced by Les Goldman. The short garnered over 15 international film festival awards. He also was a background and production designer for Hanna-Barbera and for the 1978 anime fantasy Winds of Change, based on Ovid's Metamorphoses. Julian also had a long working relationship with Roger Corman providing artwork for many of his movies, including Dementia 13, directed by Francis Ford Coppola, and The Terror.
Julian was still working as an artist when he died in Van Nuys, California, in 1995.
Partial filmography Background artist That's Warner Bros.! FernGully: The Last Rainforest My Little Pony: The Movie Hare Trigger I Taw a Putty Tat Elmer's Candid Camera Elmer's Pet Rabbit
Actor Soup or Sonic - The Road Runner Fast and Furry-ous - The Road Runner Sugar and Spies - The Road Runner The Road Runner Show - The Road Runner Freeze Frame - The Road Runner Boulder Wham! - The Road Runner Chariots of Fur - The Road Runner (last cartoon produced in Paul Julian's lifetime) Coyote Falls - The Road Runner Fur of Flying - The Road Runner Rabid Rider - The Road Runner Flash in the Pain - The Road Runner Chaser on the Rocks - The Road Runner Hopalong Casualty - The Road Runner Going! Going! Gosh! - The Road Runner Ready, Set, Zoom! - The Road Runner Zoom and Bored - The Road Runner Hare-Breadth Hurry - Bugs Bunny imitating the Road Runner Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation - The Road Runner Space Jam - The Road Runner Looney Tunes: Back in Action - The Road Runner Bah, Humduck! A Looney Tunes Christmas - The Road Runner Space Jam: A New Legacy - The Road Runner Family Guy (S01E2: "I Never Met the Dead Man") - The Road Runner The Simpsons (S19E15: "Smoke on the Daughter") - Maggie Simpson imitating the Road Runner Seth MacFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy (episode: "Die Sweet Roadrunner, Die") - The Road Runner Bugs Bunny's Bustin' Out All Over - The Road Runner The Electric Company - The Road Runner Zip Zip Hooray! - The Road Runner Zipping Along - The Road Runner The Looney Tunes Show - The Road Runner New Looney Tunes - The Road Runner Looney Tunes Cartoons - The Road Runner Bugs Bunny Builders - The Road Runner Tiny Toons Looniversity - The Road Runner and Little Beeper Zig & Sharko (episode: "Run Sharko, Run!") - Zig imitating the Road Runner Coyote vs. Acme - The Road Runner
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Important facts
People in Paul Julian's life
Named in this biography and alive at the same time
Contemporaries
People whose lives overlapped Paul Julian's
Frequently asked questions
Who was Paul Julian?
American artist and illustrator (1914–1995)
When was Paul Julian born?
Paul Julian was born on 25 June 1914 in Illinois.
When did Paul Julian die?
Paul Julian died on 5 September 1995 in Van Nuys.
What was Paul Julian's occupation?
Paul Julian was an actor, painter, background artist, layout artist, art director and production designer.
What was Paul Julian known for?
Paul Julian was known for The Road Runner.
What nationality was Paul Julian?
Paul Julian was American.
Sources & further reading
· DBpedia: Paul Julian (artist)
Cite this page
APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Paul Julian. https://biography.guide/paul-julian/
MLA: "Paul Julian." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/paul-julian/.
Chicago: "Paul Julian." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/paul-julian/.
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