Ralph Bakshi

Biography

Ralph Bakshi (born October 29, 1938) is a Palestinian-born American animator and filmmaker. In the 1970s, he established an alternative to mainstream animation through independent and adult-oriented productions. Between 1972 and 1992, he directed nine theatrically released feature films, five of which he wrote. He has been involved in numerous television projects as director, writer, producer and animator. Beginning his career at the Terrytoons television cartoon studio as a cel polisher, Bakshi was eventually promoted to director. He moved to the animation division of Paramount Pictures in 1967 and started his own studio, Bakshi Productions, in 1968. Through producer Steve Krantz, Bakshi made his debut feature film, Fritz the Cat, released in 1972. It was the first animated film to receive an X rating from the Motion Picture Association of America, and the most successful independent animated feature of all time. Over the next eleven years, Bakshi directed seven additional animated features. He is well known for his fantasy films, which include Wizards (1977), The Lord of the Rings (1978) and Fire and Ice (1983). In 1987, Bakshi returned to television work, producing the series …

Directed

1. The Lord of the Rings (1978) — Director
2. Cool World (1992) — Director
3. Fritz the Cat (1972) — Director
4. Fire and Ice (1983) — Director
5. Wizards (1977) — Director
6. Spider-Man (1967) — Director
7. Coonskin (1975) — Director
8. American Pop (1981) — Director
9. Heavy Traffic (1973) — Director
10. Hey Good Lookin' (1982) — Director
11. What a Cartoon! (1995) — Director
12. Cool and the Crazy (1994) — Director
13. Spicy City (1997) — Director
14. The Butter Battle Book (1989) — Director
15. Christmas in Tattertown (1988) — Director
16. Last Days of Coney Island (2015) — Director
17. American Playhouse (1982) — Director
18. Hound Town (1989) — Director
19. Malcom and Melvin (1997) — Director
20. This Ain't Bebop (1989) — Director
21. Rebel Highway (1994) — Director
22. The Fuz (1967) — Director
23. Scuba Duba Do (1966) — Director
24. The Opera Caper (1967) — Director
25. Babe, He Calls Me (1997) — Director
26. Marvin Digs (1967) — Director
27. Imagining America (1989) — Director
28. The Third Musketeer (1965) — Director
29. The Cigarette and the Weed (1981) — Director
30. Fancy Plants (1967) — Director
31. The Heat's Off (1967) — Director
32. Frozen Sparklers (1967) — Director
33. Gadmouse: The Apprentice Good Fairy (1965) — Director
34. Dress Reversal (1965) — Director
35. Don't Spill the Beans (1965) — Director
36. Dr. Ha-Ha (1966) — Director
37. Mini-Squirts (1967) — Director
38. Mouse Trek (1967) — Director
39. Baron Von Go-Go (1967) — Director
40. Traffic Trouble (1967) — Director

Also appeared in

1. Fritz the Cat (1972) — Narrator / Pig Cop #1 (voice)
2. Wizards (1977) — Fritz (voice, uncredited)
3. Coonskin (1975) — Cop With Megaphone (voice) (uncredited)
4. American Pop (1981) — Piano Player (voice)
5. Heavy Traffic (1973) — Various Characters (voice) (uncredited)
6. Ren & Stimpy Adult Party Cartoon (2003) — Ralph Bakshi (voice)
7. Spicy City (1997) — Connelly / Goldblum (voice)
8. Frazetta: Painting with Fire (2003) — Self
9. Malcom and Melvin (1997) — Super Hero
10. Babe, He Calls Me (1997) — Super Hero
11. Ren & Stimpy: The Lost Episodes (2003) — Ralph Bakshi (voice)
12. Adventures in Plymptoons! (2011) — Self
13. Forging Through the Darkness: The Ralph Bakshi Vision for 'The Lord of the Rings' (2010) — Himself
14. Breaking the Mold: The Re-Making of Mighty Mouse (2010) — Self
15. The Cigarette and the Weed (1981) — Cigarette / Weed (voice)
16. Midwest (2023)