Tom and Jerry director Gene Deitch dies at 95 in Prague Born on August 8 in 1924, in Chicago, Deitch arrived in Prague in 1959 intending to stay for 10 days, but fell in love with his future wife, Zdenka, and stayed in the Czechoslovakian capital.
Gene Deitch, an American Oscar-winning illustrator, animator, film director, and producer. In 2004, he received the Winsor McCay Award for his lifelong contribution to animation.
His Czech publisher, Petr Himmel, told The Associated Press Deitch died unexpectedly during the night from Thursday to Friday in his apartment in Prague’s Little Quarter neighborhood. No further details were given.
Deitch’s movie Munro won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film in 1960. He was also nominated for the same award twice in 1964 for Here’s Nudnik and How to Avoid Friendship.
Deitch is survived by his wife and by three sons from his first marriage, all of whom are cartoonists and illustrators.
