March 14: Cartoonist of the Day

Born on this day in 1920 in Seattle, Washington, as a young man this cartoonist began his career at the Walter Lantz Studio in 1938. After 14 months he took a job at Disney, where he learned to draw characters in action situations from every angle. He worked on Pinocchio, Bambi and Fantasia. In awe of his famous boss, he stated: "Once when Walt and I rode alone in the elevator, I remember that by the time I thought of a clever opening line ... we had reached the top floor!"
During World War II he left Disney to join the U.S. Naval Reserve as a photographer's mate third class. After the war he worked as a freelance cartoonist. By 1951 he had created his own character/comic strip which appeared in newspapers all across the country. The successful character later starred in his own live-action television series and ultimately a string of feature films.
Who was this cartoonist?

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