Former magazine cartoonist who joined MGM in 1937 after an application to the Disney studios was unsuccessful. With fellow MGM employee William Hanna, Barbera earned a place in animation history by creating the ever-popular, ever-violent, but everlasting "Tom and Jerry" characters in 1940 and producing more than one hundred of the often delightful cat-and-mouse shorts over the next two decades, seven of which earned Oscars for Best Animated Short.Hanna and Barbera were appointed heads of the MGM cartoon department in 1955 and, when the department was cut two years later, left in order to set
Worked for Van Beuren Studio as writer of "Tom and Jerry" series (of no relation to later MGM cartoon)
1937
Signed with MGM as writer; teamed with William Hanna
1940
First venture with Hanna, "Puss Gets the Boot"; nominated for an Academy Award for Best (Cartoon) Short Subject
1955
With Hanna succeeded Fred Quimby as head of MGM cartoon department; MGM closed the division in 1957
1957
Teamed up with William Hanna to produce the series "The Ruff & Reddy Show," under the company name H-B Enterprises, soon changed to Hanna-Barbera Productions
