Born in Nogales, AZ on Jan. 5, 1903, John (“Jack”) Hannah grew up in California. Upon settling in Los Angeles, he studied at Otis and Chouinard schools. He joined the Disney Studios in 1933 and retired 26 years later.

 

While at Disney he directed more than 100 Donald Duck cartoons. He won an Academy Award for his film The Old Mill and was nominated for eight others. He developed the School of Character Animation at the California Institute of the Arts. In 1992 he was awarded the Disney Legends Award.

 

When not working as an animator, he painted landscapes of southern California, mostly with palette knife. Hannah died in Burbank, CA on June 11, 1994. Exhibition: Glendale AA, Greek Theater, 1959; Snow Gallery (LA), 1969.