- Born
- Died
- Birth nameRichard Edmund Williams
- The son of commercial artists, Richard Williams studied at the Ontario College of Art and first worked in animation for Disney Studios in Burbank. His tenure there had a strong influence on his later work but proved somewhat stifling to his own creative flair. In 1955, aged 22, Williams moved to England and joined fellow Canadian George Dunning's company T.V. Cartoons Ltd., working primarily on television commercials. At the same time, Williams created his first animated short feature, The Little Island (1958), which won him the 1959 BAFTA Award for Best Animated Film. Though a critical success it received a mixed response at the box office. Consequently, his next venture was aimed at the mainstream market. Love Me, Love Me, Love Me (1962) turned out to be a commercial success and generated enough revenue for Williams to set up his own animation studio. In addition to producing commercials, Williams went on to create memorable title sequences for motion pictures, including What's New Pussycat (1965), The Liquidator (1965), The Spy with a Cold Nose (1966), The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976). He also produced several animated features, notably A Christmas Carol (1971) and The Thief and the Cobbler (1993). The latter project underwent numerous rewrites and re-edits and took 31 years to complete. In 1995, it was eventually released by Miramax in the U.S. as Arabian Knight.
Possibly the high point of his career was as animation director on Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988), for which Williams won two Academy Awards: one for Best Visual Effects and the other for animation direction and (CGI) creation of cartoon characters. An occasional voice-over actor, he also provided the voice for the Tex Avery character Droopy Dog. In 2001, Williams published a text book, entitled The Animator's Survival Kit: A Manual of Methods, Principles, and Formulas for Classical, Computer, Games, Stop Motion, and Internet Animators.
- IMDb mini biography by: I.S.Mowis
- SpousesMargaret French(January 17, 1976 - ?) (divorced, 2 children)Lois Catherine Steuart(1966 - 1976) (divorced, 2 children)Stephanie 'Tep' Ashforth(1953 - 1956) (divorced)Imogen Sutton(? - August 16, 2019) (his death, 2 children)
- Children
- The use of 3-D perspective movement in animation. i.e. the crane-down shot in A Christmas Carol, the staircase chase in Raggedy Ann & Andy, most of Who Framed Roger Rabbit and The Thief and the Cobbler
- Designed the famous logo from The Graduate (1967) depicting Dustin Hoffman beneath Anne Bancroft's leg.
- Was already earning a living as a commercial artist at age 16.
- Spent two years in Spain painting and playing the trumpet in a jazz band.
- Both of his parents were illustrators. His mother Kathleen "Kay" Bell (19th May 1909-1998) remarried and he was adopted by his stepfather Kenneth D C Williams (1910-2003).
- Moved to London, England at age 22.
- We all have about 16 personalities going; if we're lucky, one cohesive one.
- When in doubt, draw the client... or the client's wife... or girlfriend... or boyfriend.
- [on working on Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure (1977)] The lesson I learned was the Golden Rule: 'Whoever has the gold makes the rules.'
- [To Tom Sito] Sometimes the only thing that is as satisfying as doing the best work you can do, is to create an atmosphere where others can do the best work they can possibly do.
- On animation: It's a craft, isn't it? A proper craft. And craft can be an art.
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