Ralph Bakshi
October 29 1938

Biography from Leonard Maltin's Movie Encyclopedia:

Two-fisted animation director and filmmaker who was raised on the streets of Brooklyn and brought that street sensibility to his best films. A talented cartoonist, he was hired by the Terrytoons studio at the age of 18 as a paint opaquer, gradually became an animator, and in his early 20s was a fullfledged director, piloting episodes of such made-for-TV cartoons as "Deputy Dawg" and last-gasp theatrical shorts like James Hound. In 1966 he was appointed supervising director of the studio and created an imaginative TV series, "The Mighty Heroes." Shortly thereafter, he left to run Paramount's New York-based cartoon studio, which was still producing animated shorts for theatrical release. Before the year was out, however, the company's new owner, Gulf + Western, decided to shut down the operation. Bakshi and producer Steve Krantz then put together a low-budget feature film, Fritz the Cat (1972). Touted as "the first X-rated animated cartoon," it made waves as well as money; sexy, violent, topical, satirical, it was a groundbreaking effort, and immediately established Bakshi as a major talent. Heavy Traffic (1973) was even more impressive: an explosive, violent, semiautobiographical street saga. Bakshi's third feature, Coonskin (1975), an ofteningenious satire of Song of the South proved too controversial, however, and was shelved by Paramount after igniting a firestorm of protest at its first showings. Bakshi then turned to the safer territory of science fiction for Wizards (1977) and attempted to film at least part of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings (1978), but animation fans were distressed to see that he had rotoscoped (traced) the animated movements from live-action figures. The energy and originality of his earlier work were missing. Bakshi's career moved in fits and starts after that, with box-office failures impeding some of his more ambitious plans. He spent most of his time painting, then resurfaced in 1987 as producer of a new Mighty Mouse series for TV, returning to his Terrytoons roots but with a hip new slant; the actual directing of the show was left to his protégé John Kricfalusi. (The two also made an animated music video for Mick Jagger, "Harlem Shuffle.") Having blended animation and live-action before, Bakshi revived the idea for 1992's Cool World his first feature film in many years, but the result was poorly conceived and executed. Young moviegoers lured by the titillation of its sexy female star (voiced and acted in the "live" sequences by Kim Basinger) probably had no idea that Bakshi had gone much further-much more successfully-20 years earlier. Other films include American Pop (1981), Hey, Good Lookin' (1982), Fire and Ice (1983).


Director

1. Babe, He Calls Me (1997)
2. Malcom and Melvin (1997)
3. "Spicy City" (1997) TV Series
4. Cool and the Crazy (1994) (TV)
5. Cool World (1992)
6. Imaging America (1989) (TV) (episode "This Ain't Bebop")
7. "Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures" (1987) TV Series
8. Fire and Ice (1983)
9. Hey Good Lookin' (1982)
10. American Pop (1981)
11. Lord of the Rings, The (1978)
... aka J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings (1978) (USA: complete title)
12. Wizards (1977)
13. Coonskin (1975)
... aka Bustin' Out (1975) (UK: LD title)
... aka Streetfight (1975)
14. Heavy Traffic (1973)
15. Fritz the Cat (1972)
16. Martin Luther King, Jr. (1971)
17. Big Freeze, The (1971)
18. Duster, The (1971)
19. Enlarger, The (1971)
20. Shocker, The (1970)
21. Proton Pulsator, The (1970)
22. Drifter, The (1970)
23. Ghost Monster, The (1970)
24. Toy Man, The (1969)
25. Frog, The (1969)
26. Stretcher, The (1969)
27. Fuz, The (1968)
28. Mouse Trek (1968)
29. Mini Squirts, The (1968)
30. Baron Von Go-Go (1967)
31. Judo Kudos (1967)
32. Loops and Swoops (1967)
33. Abominable Mountaineers, The (1967)
34. Frozen Sparklers (1967)
35. Bugged by a Bug (1967)
36. Marvin Digs (1967)
37. Fancy Plants (1967)
38. Mr. Winlucky (1967)
39. Traffic Trouble (1967)
40. All Teed Off (1967)
41. Dr. Rhinestone's Theory (1967)
42. Which Is Witch? (1967)
43. "Spider-Man" (1967) TV Series
... aka "Amazing Spider-Man, The" (1967) (UK: video box title)
44. Give Me Liberty (1967)
45. Voodoo Spell, A (1967)
46. It's for the Birds (1967)
47. Heat's Off, The (1967)
48. Famous Skyscraper, The (1966)
49. Dreamnapping (1966)
50. "Mighty Heroes, The" (1966) TV Series
51. Rain Drain, The (1966)
52. Monster Master, The (1966)
53. Scuba Duba Do (1966)
54. Dr. Ha Ha (1966)
55. Third Musketeer, The (1965)
56. Dress Reversal (1965)
57. Don't Spill the Beans (1965)
58. Gadmouse the Apprentice Good Fairy (1965)
59. "Matty's Funday Funnies" (1959) TV Series
... aka "Beany and Cecil" (1962) (USA: new title)
... aka "Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil" (1962) (USA: new title)
60. "Deputy Dawg" (1959) TV Series


Writer

1. Babe, He Calls Me (1997)
2. Malcom and Melvin (1997)
3. Cool and the Crazy (1994) (TV) (written by)
4. "Tattertown" (1987) TV Series (writer)
5. "Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures" (1987) TV Series (story direction)
6. Fire and Ice (1983)
7. Hey Good Lookin' (1982)
8. Wizards (1977)
9. Coonskin (1975)
... aka Bustin' Out (1975) (UK: LD title)
... aka Streetfight (1975)
10. Heavy Traffic (1973)
11. Fritz the Cat (1972)
12. "Spider-Man" (1967) TV Series (writer)
... aka "Amazing Spider-Man, The" (1967) (UK: video box title)
13. "Matty's Funday Funnies" (1959) TV Series (writer)
... aka "Beany and Cecil" (1962) (USA: new title)
... aka "Matty's Funnies with Beany and Cecil" (1962) (USA: new title)
14. "Deputy Dawg" (1959) TV Series (writer) (uncredited)


Producer

1. "Spicy City" (1997) TV Series (executive producer)
2. "Tattertown" (1987) TV Series (producer)
3. "Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures" (1987) TV Series (producer)
4. Fire and Ice (1983) (producer)
5. Hey Good Lookin' (1982) (producer)
6. American Pop (1981) (producer)
7. Wizards (1977) (producer)
8. "Spider-Man" (1967) TV Series (producer)
... aka "Amazing Spider-Man, The" (1967) (UK: video box title)


Miscellaneous Crew

1. Cannonball Run II (1984) (animator)
2. Dr. Ha Ha (1966) (animator)
3. "Hector Heathcote Show, The" (1963) TV Series (animator)
4. House of Hashimoto (1960) (animator)


Art Department

1. "Mighty Mouse, the New Adventures" (1987) TV Series (storyboard artist)


Notable TV Guest Appearances

1. "Spicy City" (1997) playing "Stevie" (voice) in episode: "Mano's Hands" (episode # 1.2) 18 July 1997
2. "Spicy City" (1997) playing "Connelly and Goldblum" (voice) in episode: "Love is a Download" (episode # 1.1) 11 July 1997