Seymour Kneitel
, 1908 - 1964
Seymour Kneitel was a famous American animator and producer. Due to the sudden death of his father, he had to work while still in high school. Kneitel worked after school at Bray Productions, the company responsible for serial animation featuring the character of Colonel Heeza Liar. After graduation, he worked as animator at L. F. Cornwell, and finally for six months at Metro-Golden-Mayer, before joining a newly developing company, successor to Bray Productions - Fleisher Studios - named first Inkwell Studios and "Out of the Inkwell" Studios and run by the Fleischer brothers, Dave and Max. There, he could finally become a proper animator, being in charge of such series as "Betty Boop" or "Popeye the Sailor". Kneitel was married to Ruth Fleisher, daughter of Max Fleisher, the co-founder of Fleisher Studios. Kneitel worked there with interruptions caused by health problems from 1928 to 1942, when Fleisher brothers resigned and Kneitel, Sam Buchwald and Isidore Sparber reorganized the studio and called it Famous Studios, The new studio functioned until 1956, when Paramount Pictures took it over as Paramount Cartoon Studios. Kneitel became its production director. His filmography includes many Popeye short as well as Caspar the Friendly Ghost’s shorts. He died of a heart attack in 1964, three years later Paramount closed its Cartoon Studios.
Sources:
Ray Pointer, The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer: American Animation Pioneer, Jefferson, NC: McFarland, 2017, 137–138.
Cartoons.fandom.com (accessed: August 9, 2021).
Seymourkneitel.blogspot (accessed: August 9, 2021).
Bettyboop.fandom.com (accessed: August 9, 2021).
Bio prepared by Anna Mik, University of Warsaw, anna.m.mik@gmail.com
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