FRELENG, FRIZ

born Aug. 21, 1906, Kansas City, Mo., U.S. died May 26, 1995, Los Angeles, Calif. original name Isadore Freleng, also called I. Freleng American animator of motion pictures noted for having produced and directed more than 300 cartoons, primarily for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies film series at Warner Brothers. Freleng joined Warner Brothers as head animator in 1930, after working for Armour Packing and, briefly, for United Film Ad Service, Walt Disney, and another animation company. He became a full-time director in 1933, mastering the synchronization of movement with music for the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series. For the series, which was originally designed to market the studio's music portfolio, he created or redesigned the characters known as Porky Pig, Yosemite Sam, Sylvester the Cat, and Tweety Pie (a canary). He won four Academy Awards for his cartoons at Warner Brothers. He also created the Pink Panther and won his fifth Academy Award for The Pink Phink (1964), the original of that series. In 1963 he cofounded DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, for which he directed television and theatrical films.