Max Fleischer

Max Fleischer, actually Maximilian Fleischer, ( born July 19, 1883 in Kraków, Austria - Hungary, † September 11, 1972 in Los Angeles, USA) was an American cartoonist and cartoon producer of Austrian origin and Jewish descent. In his studio created among other things the series Betty Boop, Popeye the sailor and Koko the Clown, which he dominated the market in the 1930s up to Walt Disney's success.

Life and work

Max Fleischer was born as the second son of the tailor Wilhelm ( William) Fleischer and his wife Amalia. 1887 the family emigrated to New York. He attended courses in art and design at the Art Students League, Cooper Union and the Mechanics and Tradesmen 's School. In 1905 he married his childhood sweetheart Essie gold.

Fleischer and his younger brother Dave (* July 14, 1894, † June 25, 1979 ) founded the successful 1921 Fleischer Studios, which were known for their animated works. In the course of their work they developed the rotoscope - a device with which one could project moving images frame by frame on a drafting table and so the production of animated films simplified. In 1917 he received a patent. In 1924, Max and Dave Fleischer produced the first filmmakers dubbed animated films with sound and came to Disney so that four years earlier, as it was until 1928 to follow suit with Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie. Fleischer still retained until 1942 when his Austrian citizenship, then the Second World War forced him to change his nationality.

Max Fleischer died on September 11, 1972 in Woodland Hills in Los Angeles. Fleischer's son, Richard, became a successful film director in Hollywood.