Tom Ray

For other people named Tom Ray, seeTom Ray (disambiguation).

Thomas Archer Ray(August 2, 1919 – April 6, 2010) was an Americananimator.

Career

Ray was born inWilliams, Arizona.He began work atWarner Bros. Cartoonsin 1937, working underTex Averyfor six months. He applied for a job at MGM and was hired. According to him, he got paid $18 a week, 6 times the money he got paid at the Warner Bros studio. After enlisting in March 1941, he was stationed at Fort MacArthur, and he rode on the same bus asJimmy Stewart.He later worked at John Sutherland Productions, getting his first screen credit there withDestination Earthin 1956. In 1958, he returned to Warner Bros. and became a master animator in theRobert McKimsonunit. After a brief stay in theFriz Frelengunit, he was assigned to work with theChuck Jonesunit, where he co-directedAdventures of the Road-Runnerand severalBugs Bunny Showepisodes. He followed Jones toMetro-Goldwyn-Mayerin 1963; there, he directed twoTom and Jerrycompilation shorts,Matinee Mousein 1966 andShutter Bugged Catin 1967.

His later credits include animation onPink Panthershorts,Ralph Bakshi’sHeavy TrafficandCoonskin,Chuck Jones TV specials, numerousFilmationandHanna-Barberaseries,Tiny Toon AdventuresandAnimaniacs.Ray directed many episodes of various series including theSunbow Productionsanimated series based onHasbroproperties and was also the director for episodes ofFilm Roman'sGarfield and Friends.

After his retirement from the Los Angeles animation business in 1998, Ray founded his own animation studio, Tomstone Animation, first located inEast Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.Ray moved his studio toVirginia Beach, Virginiajust before he died in Virginia on April 6, 2010 aged 90.

Ray's sister, Brenda Ellen Ray, continues to live in Atlanta, Georgia. Ray's son, Thomas G. "Greg" Ray, and daughter, Donna Mouliot, followed him into the animation business.

External links

• Tom RayatIMDb
• Tomstone Animation Studios
• Tom Ray Filmography