Les Clark

Les Clark
Born Leslie James Clark
(1907-11-17)November 17, 1907
Ogden, Utah, U.S.
Died September 12, 1979(1979-09-12) (aged 71)
Santa Barbara, California, U.S.
Occupation Animator
Known for One of Disney's Nine Old Men
Spouse(s) Miriam Lauritzen (m. ?; div. 1952)
Georgia Vester (m. 1967)
Children 2

Leslie James "Les" Clark (November 17, 1907 – September 12, 1979) was the first of Disney's Nine Old Men. Joining Disney in 1927, he was the only one to work on the origins of Mickey Mouse with Ub Iwerks.

Early life

Les Clark was born in Ogden, Utah in 1907, the eldest of 12 children to James Clark, a carpenter,[1] and Lute Wadsworth.[2] By 1910, the family lived in Salt Lake City[1] and by 1920, they lived in Twin Falls, Idaho.[3] By 1930, they lived in Los Angeles,[4] where he attended Venice High School. During high school, he worked a summer job at an ice cream shop near Walt Disney Studios in Hollywood. Walt and Roy Disney were frequent patrons at the shop, and Walt had once complimented Les on his lettering job of the menus. Eventually, Les got the courage to ask Walt for a job. He recalled Walt's reply:

...[Walt said] 'Bring some of your drawings in and let's see what they look like.' So, I copied some cartoons and showed them to Walt. He said I had a good line, and why don't I come to work on Monday.[5]

Les reported to the studio the Monday after he graduated high school for a temporary position.[6]

He and his wife, Miriam, had a son, Richard,[7] and a daughter, Miriam.

Career at Disney Studio

Les started work at the studio first as a camera operator and doing ink and paint on the animations. He moved on to work under the guidance of Ub Iwerks. During the development of the character Mickey Mouse, Clark was promoted to the position of 'inbetweener' where he worked on a scene for the upcoming Steamboat Willie. Les was then promoted to Animator and was tasked with the iconic scene The Skeleton Dance in Silly Symphony. After Ub Iwerks left Disney, Clark was given the position as lead animator on Mickey Mouse. He continued honing his craft, attending art classes while working at the studio. As he improved, he was given the task of animating The Seven Dwarfs in the upcoming film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, in particular, the scene where Snow White dances with each of the seven dwarfs. He would go on to animate the iconic Disney characters Pinocchio, Cinderella, Alice and Tinkerbell.[6]

Animation Style

Les Clark was known in his style of animating for timing his animation to musical scores as well as his ability to convey emotion in his work.[6]

Death

Les Clark died of cancer in Santa Barbara, CA on September 12, 1979.

Filmography

Year Title Credits Characters
1937Snow White and the Seven DwarfsAnimator
1940PinocchioAnimator
FantasiaAnimator - Segments "The Nutcracker Suite" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"
1941DumboAnimator
1943Saludos Amigos (Short)Animator
1945The Three CaballerosAnimator
1946Make Mine MusicAnimator
Song of the SouthDirecting Animator
1947Fun and Fancy FreeDirecting Animator
1948You Were Meant for MeChoreographer
Melody TimeDirecting Animator
1949So Dear to My HeartAnimator
1950CinderellaDirecting Animator
1951Plutopia (Short)Animator
Alice in WonderlandDirecting Animator
1952The Little House (Short)Animator
1953Peter PanDirecting Animator
Ben and Me (Short)Animator
1954Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV Series)Special Effects - 1 Episode
1955Lady and the TrampDirecting Animator
1956 - 1958Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV Series)Animator - 3 Episodes
1958Paul Bunyan[8]Director
1959Sleeping BeautySequence Director
Donald in Mathmagic LandSequence Director
1961One Hundred and One DalmatiansCharacter Animator
Donald and the Wheel (Short)Animator
1961 - 1970Walt Disney's Wonderful World of ColorDirector - 3 Episodes / Sequence Director and 1 Episode
1962A Symposium on Popular Songs (Short)Animator
1964The Restless Sea (TV Movie Documentary) Director
1965Freewayphobia #1 (Short)Director
Steel and America (Short) Director
Donald's Fire Survival Plan (Short)Director
Goofy's Freeway Troubles (Short)Director
1967Family Planning (Short)Director
1968Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color (TV Series)Globe Effects - 1 Episode / Friends of Mickey Mouse - 1 Episode
The Mickey Mouse Anniversary ShowAnimator
1969Physical Fitness and Good Health (Short) Director
The Social Side of Health (Short)Director
The Project (Short)Director
The Game (Short)Director
The Fight (Short)Director
Steps Towards Maturity and Health (Short)Director
1970New Girl (Short)Director
Lunch Money (Short)Director
1973VD Attack Plan (Short)Director
I'm No Fool with Electricity (Short)Director
1974Man, Monsters and Mysteries (Short)Director
1980Mickey Mouse Disco (Short)Animator(archive footage)
1984DTV: Rock, Rhythm & Blues (Video)Animator(archive footage)
DTV: Pop & Rock (Video)Animator(archive footage)
DTV: Golden Oldies (Short)Animator(archive footage)
2000Fantasia 2000Animator - Segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice"(archive footage)

References

  1. 1 2 1910 United States Federal Census
  2. ↑ Utah, Birth Certificates, 1903-1911
  3. ↑ 1920 United States Federal Census
  4. ↑ 1930 United States Federal Census
  5. ↑ https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/les-clark/
  6. 1 2 3 http://www.waltdisney.com/tags/les-clark
  7. ↑ 1940 United States Federal Census
  8. ↑ Wolfe, Jennifer (2012-12-31). "Animator Lee Hartman Dies at 82". Animation World Network. Retrieved 2013-01-06.
  • Canemaker, John. (2001). Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation. New York, NY: Disney Editions. ISBN 0-7868-6496-6
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