Gene Deitch Dead: ‘Tom & Jerry’ Cartoon Director Dies at 95

Award-winning animator and director, Gene Deitch, died on August 16, at the age of 95. He died unexpectedly on Thursday night in his apartment in Prague, Czech Republic, according to CTK.

Deitch’s cause of death has not been confirmed. He is survived by his wife, Zdenka Najmanová, and his three sons from his first marriage.

Deitch, whose full name was Eugene Merril Deitch, was born on August 8, 1924, in Chicago, Illinois, to his mother Ruth Delson Deitch and his father Joseph Deitch. They moved to California in 1929, and in 1942, he graduated from Los Angeles High School.

Deitch started an apprenticeship at United Productions of America in 1955, and after he became the creative director for the animation studio Terrytoons. During his time with the studio, he created Gaston Le Crayon, Tom Terrific, Sidney the Elephant and Clint Clobber.

He was fired from Terrytoons in 1958, and he proceeded to open up his own studio, Gene Deitch Associates, Inc. In 1959, Deitch arrived in Prague with the intention of only staying a short while. However, he met his future second wife, Najmanová, and he decided to stay in the city.

Deitch Is Known for Multiple Cartoons, Including Tom & Jerry

According to his official IMDB page, he started working in the film industry in the 1940s. He performed a variety of roles during a career that spanned over five decades.

He is best known for creating and directing the animated cartoons Munro, Tom Terrific and Nudnik. Munro, which is about a young boy getting drafted into the United States Army, won an Oscar in 1961 for the Best Short Subject, Cartoons.

He is also known for directing over a dozen episodes of the animated series Tom and Jerry. Deitch also worked as the supervising director for 28 episodes of another classic TV series, Popeye the Sailor.

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