William "Bill" Plympton is an American animator, cartoonist, and filmmaker best known for his Academy Award-nominated animated short films. Born on April 30, 1946 in Portland, Oregon, Plympton was a self-taught animator, beginning his career in the 1970s after taking a job at an animation company. He soon began creating his own shorts, and by the 1980s, he was producing and directing his own films.
Plympton's animation style is characterized by its distinctive visual simplicity and dark humor. His first short film, "How to Kiss," was nominated for an Academy Award in 1987, making him the first person to be nominated for an Oscar in animation for a self-made film. His other notable works include "Guard Dog," which won the Grand Prize at the Ottawa International Animation Festival in 2004, and "Adventures in Plymptoons," which won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival in 2006.
Plympton is also the creator of the "Plymptoons" series of comic strips, which features a variety of characters and stories. He has produced and directed several feature-length films, including "I Married a Strange Person," "Hair High," and "Idiots and Angels," which won the Special Jury Prize at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2008.
In addition to his animation work, Plympton has written and illustrated several books, including "The Sleazy Adventures of Mr. Toad" and "The Tune." He has also written and illustrated several graphic novels, including "Tango" and "Cheatin'," which were adapted into feature-length animated films.
Plympton has received numerous awards and honors throughout his career. In 2010, he was awarded the Winsor McCay Award by the International Animated Film Society, and in 2013 he was inducted into the Oregon Media Arts Hall of Fame. He has also been named a Guggenheim Fellow and a Rockefeller Fellow.
Today, Plympton continues to create and produce his own films, and he has also become an advocate for independent animators. He has spoken out in support of the medium's potential to tell stories that are not bound by commercial constraints, and he has been an outspoken advocate for the rights of independent animators and filmmakers.
