Trivia

Though never credited, Hanna provided most of the screams and yelps of Thomas "Tom" Cat in the "Tom and Jerry" cartoons.

He began his animation career as a 20-year-old working for Hugh Harman and Rudolph Ising. Like many animation legends, his first job in animation was washing cells.

Longtime partner of Joseph Barbera.

Despite his long-time partnership and friendship with Joseph Barbera, Hanna rarely socialized with him out of their work environment. They had different tastes in recreational activities, and hang out in different social circles.

Lost his first job as a construction engineer as a result of the Great Depression.

Inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame with his creative partner Joseph Barbera (1994).

Before entering animation, he had a strong background in music. He claimed that this aided in his mastery of animation timing and direction.

First employed in the animation business by Leon Schlesinger, head of Pacific Art and Title. In 1930, signed by Harman-Ising (creators of Looney Tunes and Merry Melodies) as story writer, lyricist and composer. Teamed up with Joseph Barbera at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer in 1937. Co-founded and co-chaired Hanna-Barbera Productions, best known for 'Tom & Jerry', 'The Flintstones' and 'The Jetsons'.

William Hanna joined the Scouts in 1922, and became an Eagle Scout as a youth. 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.

Hanna's The Huckleberry Hound Show (1958) was the first animated television series to win an Emmy Award.

Hanna's Tom and Jerry series won seven Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film. The awarded films were "The Yankee Doodle Mouse" (1943), "Mouse Trouble" (1944), "Quiet Please!" (1945), "The Cat Concerto" (1946), "The Little Orphan" (1948), "The Two Mouseketeers" (1951), and "Johann Mouse" (1952). The film series holds the record as the most awarded character-based theatrical animated series.

Television animation had lower production budgets than theatrical animation. Hanna helped in the development of limited animation techniques as a cost-effective measure.

He and Joseph Barbera were awarded a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for Television at 6753 Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

When Hanna and Joseph Barbera founded their own animation studio (Hanna-Barbera Productions), they argued about whose name would be first in the company name. The final decision was based on a coin toss, and Hanna won.

Following his death, he was interred at Ascension Cemetery in Lake Forest, California. He passed away on March 22, 2001, less than four months away from what would have been his 91st birthday on July 14.