Biography
Isadore "Friz" Freleng (1906–1995), sometimes credited as I. Freleng, was an American animator, cartoonist, director, and producer best known for his work on the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies series of cartoons from Warner Bros. He introduced and/or developed several of the studio's biggest stars, including Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Tweety Bird, Sylvester the cat, Yosemite Sam (to whom he was said to bear more than a passing resemblance) and Speedy Gonzales. The senior director at Warners' Termite Terrace studio, Freleng directed more cartoons than any other director in the studio (a total of 266), and is also the most honored of the Warner directors, having won four Academy Awards. After Warners shut down the animation studio in 1963, Freleng and business partner David H. DePatie founded DePatie-Freleng Enterprises, which produced cartoons (notably The Pink Panther Show), feature film title sequences, and Saturday morning cartoons through the early 1980s. The nickname "Friz" came from his friend Hugh Harman, who initially nicknamed him "Congressman Frizby" after a fictional senator that was in articles in the Los Angeles Examiner. Over time this shortened to "Friz".
Directed
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Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales (1982) — Director
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The Looney, Looney, Looney Bugs Bunny Movie (1981) — Director
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Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (1988) — Director
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Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island (1983) — Director
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Speedy Gonzales (1955) — Director
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Bugs Bunny's Looney Christmas Tales (1979) — Director
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Baseball Bugs (1946) — Director
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Knighty Knight Bugs (1958) — Director
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Little Red Riding Rabbit (1944) — Director
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The Pink Phink (1964) — Director
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You Ought to Be in Pictures (1940) — Director
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Tweetie Pie (1947) — Director
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Birds Anonymous (1957) — Director
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Looney Tunes Super Stars Bugs Bunny: Hare Extraordinaire (2010) — Director
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Buccaneer Bunny (1948) — Director
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Rhapsody Rabbit (1946) — Director
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Bugs Bunny Rides Again (1948) — Director
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Bugs and Thugs (1954) — Director
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High Diving Hare (1949) — Director
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Three Little Bops (1957) — Director
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Big House Bunny (1950) — Director
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Yankee Doodle Daffy (1943) — Director
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Pigs in a Polka (1943) — Director
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Slick Hare (1947) — Director
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The Wabbit Who Came to Supper (1942) — Director
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Hyde and Hare (1955) — Director
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Dough for the Do-Do (1949) — Director
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14 Carrot Rabbit (1952) — Director
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Gift Wrapped (1952) — Director
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Show Biz Bugs (1957) — Director
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The Last Hungry Cat (1961) — Director
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Canned Feud (1951) — Director
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All a Bir-r-r-d (1950) — Director
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Ballot Box Bunny (1951) — Director
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Bunker Hill Bunny (1950) — Director
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A Star Is Bored (1956) — Director
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Back Alley Oproar (1948) — Director
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Hyde and Go Tweet (1960) — Director
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Canary Row (1950) — Director
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Daffy - The Commando (1943) — Director
Also appeared in
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Gremlins (1984) — Citizen (uncredited)
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Bugs Bunny Superstar (1976) — Himself
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Looney Tunes 50th Anniversary (1986) — Self
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Roger Rabbit and the Secrets of Toon Town (1988) — Self
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Happy Birthday, Bugs! 50 Looney Years (1990) — Self
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Camera Three — Self
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The Magical World of Chuck Jones (1992) — Self
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Irreverent Imagination: The Golden Age of the Looney Tunes (2003) — Himself
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That's All Folks! Tales from Termite Terrace (2014) — Himself (archive footage)
- Goodbye, Warner Bros., Hello DePatie-Freleng (2016) — Himself (voice)
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Friz on Film (2006) — Himself
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King-Size Comedy: Tex Avery and the Looney Tunes Revolution (2012) — Self (archive footage)