Sunday, August 18, 2019
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Web Desk

'Who Framed Roger Rabbit', 'Pink Panther' animator Richard Williams dead at 86

By
Web Desk
|
Richard Williams passed away on Friday after suffering from cancer. Photo: CNN

Oscar-winning Canadian-British animator Richard Williams who worked on the hit films Who Framed Roger Rabbit? and Pink Panther has died. He was 86.

According to CNN, Williams passed away on Friday at his home in Bristol. His daughter Natasha Sutton Williams said her father had been suffering from cancer. He was animating and writing until 6pm on the day he died, she said.

"He really was an inspiration to everyone that met him," Williams' daughter said. "Whether they were animators, or from the top to the bottom of society."

Williams who was born in Toronto moved to the UK in the 1950s and received critical acclaim for his first film The Little Island. He also worked on the two Pink Panther films, The Return of the Pink Panther (1975) and The Pink Panther Strikes Again (1976). However, it was Williams work as animation director on Robert Zemeckis' 1988 comedy Who Framed Roger Rabbit? which cemented his name in the animation world.

The live-action/animated comedy starring Bob Hoskins was a critical and commercial hit, earning $330 million and becoming the first live-action/animation hybrid film to win multiple Academy Awards.

Throughout his career, Williams won three Oscars and three BAFTA Awards, including two for his work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit? He was also the author of a how-to book called The Animator’s Survival Kit.