Max Fleischer (July 19, 1883 – September 11, 1972) was an important Austrian-American pioneer in the development of the animated cartoon. He brought such characters as Betty Boop, Koko the Clown, Popeye, and Superman to the movie screen and was responsible for a number of technological innovations.
Brother of Dave Fleischer (I)
Father of Ruth Fleischer and Richard Fleischer
(1917) Awarded U.S. patent 1,242,674, "Method of Producing Moving Picture Cartoons," for the rotoscope, which allowed film footage of a live figure to be used as a guide for drawing an animated figure.
According to his son, Richard, by the time he had directed "20000 Leagues Under the Sea" (1954) for Disney, his father and Walt Disney had never met.
According to Max's book, "Noah's Shoes," (1944) he held fifteen patents then being used in the Motion Picture Industry.
Max produced some of the first war training films for the U.S. Army.
