William Hanna was an animator.
William Denby `` Bill '' Hanna ( July 14 , 1910 -- March 22 , 2001 ) was an American animator , director , producer , voice actor , and cartoon artist , whose film and television cartoon characters entertained millions of people for much of the 20th century . After working odd jobs in the first months of the Depression , Hanna joined the Harman and Ising animation studio in 1930 . The two men began a collaboration that was at first best known for producing Tom and Jerry and live action/animated hybrid films . In 1957 , they co-founded Hanna-Barbera , which became the most successful television animation studio in the business , producing programs such as The Flintstones , The Huckleberry Hound Show , The Jetsons , Scooby-Doo , The Smurfs , and Yogi Bear .