Name: Fredrick Bean "Tex" Avery

Birthdate: February 26, 1908

Birthplace: Taylor, Texas

Tex was interested in animation from an early age. He started drawing comic strips in high school, and spent a summer studying art at the Chicago Art Institute. Avery moved to California in the early thirties and entered the animation field as a painter for Walter Lantz. Under Lantz, he learned the entire animation process and soon became a storyboard artist. In 1935, Tex went to work at Warner Bros. where he created Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, and created the personality of Bugs Bunny. He was with Warner from 1935-1941. During this time, he created animation that was a far cry from all the Disney imitators out there. Unlike Disney, Tex Avery's cartoons had their own personality. A disagreement with Leon Schlesinger led Tex to quit Warner in early 1941.

Later that year, Tex was hired by MGM producer Fred Quimby. With new creative freedom, Tex created some of the best cartoons the world has ever seen. Tex did not concentrate on creating lasting characters, but on slapstick gags and humorous situations. Of all his characters, Droopy is the most popular.

In 1954, Tex left MGM right before the studio stopped making theatrical shorts. He re-joined Walter Lantz to make only four cartoons, and making popular the Chilly Willy character. He then joined the world of TV commercials where the Raid bug spray ads and Frito Bandito where among his creations.

Tex Avery died in August, 1980. He left behind a legacy of timeless cartoons that will entertain and influence young cartoonists for years to come.

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