View source for Michael Lah

{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2021}}
{{Short description|American animator (1912–1995)}}
'''Michael Richard Lah''' (September 1, 1912 – October 13, 1995) was an American [[animator]] of [[Slovenia|Slovene]] origin. He is best remembered for his work at the [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio]], primarily as a member of [[Tex Avery]]'s animation unit. He first worked on Tom and Jerry shorts before going to work on Droopy/Tex Avery shorts. 

== Early life and career ==
Lah was born in [[Illinois]]. He worked briefly at [[Walt Disney Pictures|Walt Disney Studios]] before joining MGM in the late 1930s. His first work at MGM was in the [[Harman-Ising]] unit, working on the final [[Happy Harmonies]] cartoon, ''The Little Bantamweight'' in 1938. He then joined Tex Avery's unit as lead animator, where he remained until the studio closed in 1957, directing a handful of cartoons with [[Preston Blair]] in the late 1940s before becoming a full-time director in 1953 after Avery left the studio, and Michael Lah and Tex Avery both co-directed some shorts before Avery's departure.

After he left MGM, he briefly rejoined Hanna-Barbera at their television cartoon studio as an animator on ''[[The Huckleberry Hound Show]]'' and various other shows, then joined Quartet Films, a commercial animation studio that created television commercials for [[Kelloggs]] and [[Green Giant]] Foods. Some characters that Lah designed include Tony the Tiger, the Jolly Green Giant, Snap, Crackle and Pop, the Hamm's Beer Bear, and the Baltimore Orioles. <ref>[http://www.animationarchive.org/2005/10/media-mike-lah-and-quartet-films.html ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive: Media: Mike Lah and Quartet Films<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061104061811/http://www.animationarchive.org/2005/10/media-mike-lah-and-quartet-films.html |date=November 4, 2006 }}</ref>

He was an active member of [[ASIFA-Hollywood]], serving on the board for several years. In 1984, Lah received the [[Winsor McCay Award]] for his lifetime of work in the animation field.

== Personal life and death ==
He was married to Alberta Wogatzke, the twin sister of Violet Wogatzke ([[William Hanna]]'s wife).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://yowpyowp.blogspot.com/2015/03/lah-land.html|title = Yowp: Lah Land|date = March 11, 2015}}</ref> Lah died on October 13, 1995, in [[Los Angeles]], [[California]].

== References ==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
*{{IMDb name|id=0481499|name=Michael Lah}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061104061811/http://www.animationarchive.org/2005/10/media-mike-lah-and-quartet-films.html Michael Lah animation sketches from ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive]
{{Winsor McCay Award 1980s}}
{{Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Cartoons}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lah, Michael}}
[[Category:1912 births]]
[[Category:1995 deaths]]
[[Category:American animated film directors]]
[[Category:Hanna-Barbera people]]
[[Category:Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer cartoon studio people]]
[[Category:American people of Slovenian descent]]


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