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Fred Quimby
Fredquimby.jpg
Quimby in the studio in 1944
Born
Frederick Clinton Quimby

(1886-07-31)July 31, 1886
Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
Died September 16, 1965(1965-09-16) (aged 79)
Santa Monica, California, U.S.
Occupation Animation producer
Years active 1921–1955
Spouse(s)
Sue Quimby
​
​
(m. 1923; died 1954)​

Frederick Clinton Quimby (born July 31, 1886 – died September 16, 1965) was an American producer of animation and a journalist. He is most famous for producing the Tom and Jerry cartoon series. For his work on these cartoons, he won seven Academy Awards.

Quimby was a film executive at the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio. This studio was home to many talented animators like Tex Avery and the creators of Tom and Jerry, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera.

Fred Quimby's Life and Career

Fred Quimby was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He started his career as a journalist. In 1907, he managed a movie theater in Missoula, Montana.

Later, he worked for a film company called Pathé. He even became a member of their board of directors. In 1921, he left Pathé to become an independent producer.

Working at MGM

In 1924, Quimby was hired by Fox Film. Then, in 1927, he moved to MGM. At MGM, he was put in charge of the department that made short films.

In 1937, MGM gave him a new task: to create their very own animation department. This was a big step for the studio.

The Start of Tom and Jerry

In 1939, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera came to Quimby with an idea. They wanted to make a cartoon series about a cat and a mouse. At first, Quimby wasn't very interested in the idea.

However, he still approved their first cartoon, Puss Gets the Boot. This cartoon was a big success and was even nominated for an Academy Award. Because it was so popular, Quimby agreed to make Tom and Jerry an official cartoon series for MGM.

As the producer, Fred Quimby received many Academy Awards for the Tom and Jerry films. His name became very well known because it was shown prominently in the cartoon credits. He was given the main credit for approving and producing the Tom and Jerry series.

Retirement and Legacy

Fred Quimby retired from MGM in May 1955. After he left, William Hanna and Joseph Barbera took over his role. They became the co-heads of the studio and continued producing the Tom and Jerry shorts.

However, MGM decided that re-releasing old cartoons would make more money. So, the MGM cartoon division closed down in 1957. Later, in the 1960s, MGM hired other animators like Gene Deitch and Chuck Jones to make more Tom and Jerry cartoons.

Fred Quimby passed away from a heart attack in Santa Monica, California, on September 16, 1965. He was 79 years old. He was buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Glendale, California.

Winning Awards for Cartoons

Fred Quimby was involved in many cartoons that were nominated for or won Academy Awards. The Academy Awards are special prizes given for excellence in movies.

Here are some of the awards and nominations for cartoons he produced:

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Fred Quimby para niños

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