Virgil Ross

Born 1907-08-08 · Endicott, New York, USA

Died 1996-05-17

Virgil Ross' introduction to cartooning was in high school, where he took a class in that art form. His early work was done for Charles B. Mintz (later Screen Gems), Ub Iwerks studio, and then on to Walter Lantz, where he began animation work. In 1935, he moved on to work for Leon Schlesinger at Warner Bros. where he spent about 30 years, first under Tex Avery's supervision, until 1942, then for Bob Clampett, and finally with Friz Freleng. His résumé also includes time spent with such firms as Filmation (where he worked on the early '70s Star Trek: The Animated Series), Hanna-Barbera, and Marvel Comics. In 1979 he animated Woody Woodpecker for a special scene at the 51st Academy Awards. Of the very many characters Ross animated, he is most closely associated with Bugs Bunny, but he also did a great deal of work involving Daffy Duck, Yosemite Sam, Tweety, and many others, including Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote.