Animation mogul. Born to William John and Avice Joyce (Denby) Hanna in Melrose, New Mexico.  He was the third of seven children and the only boy.  In 1922, while living in Watts, he joined Scouting. He attended Compton High School from 1925 through 1928, where he played the saxophone in a dance band. His passion for music carried over into his career; he helped write songs for his cartoons, including the theme for The Flintstones. William better known as Bill became an Eagle Scout as a youth and remained active in Scouting throughout his life. As an adult, he served as a Scoutmaster and was recognized by the Boy Scouts of America with their Distinguished Eagle Scout Award in 1985. On August 7, 1936, Bill married Violet Blanch Wogatzke, and they had a marriage lasting 64 years and they had two children, David William and Bonnie Jean. In 1937, both Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera joined the team of cartoonists at MGM studios in Hollywood, where they were paired up to work on a little cartoon about a cat and mouse duo called Tom and Jerry. Bill and Joe went on to create over 100 Tom and Jerry cartoons and continued on as a drawing/producing team for the rest of their careers. They won seven Oscars from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences for their cartoons between 1943 and 1952.  Hanna and Barbera had their first television program, The Ruff & Reddy Show, which debuted in 1957. But they found even greater success with their next few projects, The Huckleberry Hound Show and Yogi Bear.  In 1960, Hanna-Barbera Studios broke new ground, creating the first prime time animated series, The Flintstones. Set in the Stone Age, it followed the misadventures of Fred Flintstone (voiced by Alan Reed), his wife Wilma (Jean Vander Pyl), and their friends, Barney and Betty Rubble (Mel Blanc and Bea Benaderet). The show was a big success, reaching the top 20 in its first season. It proved that adults could enjoy cartoons as well as children and opened the door for such future shows as The Simpsons. The Flinstones has remained popular over the years and have spawned countless television specials and several feature films. After tackling the past, Hanna and Barbera jumped to the future with The Jetsons in 1962. In the late 1960s, Hanna and Barbera scored another big hit with Scooby Doo, Where Are You? Later they also produced the critically acclaimed Charlotte’s Web (1973). Some of their later projects included Josie and the Pussycats in Outer Space and The Smurfs. In all, the pair is believed to have produced more than 3,000 half-hour shows and 150 television series, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was nominated for several Emmy Awards and won several Emmys, including one for Outstanding Achievement in Children’s Programming in 1973 for Last of the Curlews: The ABC Afterschool Special. The Academy of Television Arts and Sciences gave Hanna and Barbera the prestigious Governors Award in 1988. He left an indelible mark, producing the shows that many generations have grown up watching. (bio by: Shock)  Family links:  Spouse:  Violet Blanch Wogatzke Hanna (1913 – 2014)