Animator Bill Melendez died 2 September 2008. Born in José Cuauhtémoc Melendez in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, on 15 November 1916, he won six Emmy Awards and was nominated for 13 more. He was best known for his work on the Peanuts television specials and films. He was an animator and producer, and after Peanuts creator Charles M. Schulz’s death in 2000, he oversaw the animated characters.
Melendez drew all the time as a child. In 1928, his family moved to Arizona so the children could learn English, and then on to Los Angeles. Melendez had originally planned a life as an engineer, but with the coming of the Depression, he put those plans on hold. A friend persuaded him to show his drawings to the Walt Disney Company, which hired him in 1938. At Disney, he worked on Fantasia (1940), Pinocchio (1940), and many Mickey Mouse cartoons. It was Disney that called him Bill, telling him that his chosen name, Cuauhtémoc Melendez, was too wide for the credits.
Melendez left Disney in 1941 for Leon Schlesinger Productions, where he worked on Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and Porky Pig. He formed Bill Melendez Productions in 1964.
Melendez met Schulz in 1950, when they were brought together to create a commercial, and Schulz was impressed with Melendez’s imitation of his own drawing of the Peanuts characters. Melendez was involved with the animation of the characters from then on. He also provided the voices of Snoopy and Woodstock.
In addition to his myriad work with the Peanuts and other productions, he was an animator on Cool World (1992) and The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (1979).
His Emmy wins (as producer) were for: A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) for Outstanding Children’s Program; Yes, Virginia, There is a Santa Claus (1974) for Outstanding Children’s Program; You’re a Good Sport, Charlie Brown (1975) for Outstanding Children’s Program; Life is a Circus, Charlie Brown (1980) for Outstanding Animated Program; Garfield on the Town (1983) for Outstanding Animated Program; and Cathy (1987) for Outstanding Animated Program. In addition, his A Boy Named Charlie Brown (1969) was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Music, Original Song Score.
He is survived by his wife, Helen Huhn (they married in 1940), his son Steven (who is the president of Bill Melendez Productions), his son Rodrigo (a retired US Navy rear admiral), six grandchildren, and ten great-grandchildren.