Robert Herman Givens was an American animator and character designer, responsible for the creation of Bugs Bunny.
14 Facts About Bob Givens
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Bob Givens was the leading character designer for Leon Schlesinger, creating over 25 successful characters for both Leon Schlesinger Productions and later Warner Bros.
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Bob Givens worked for numerous animation studios during his career, including Walt Disney Animation Studios, Warner Bros.
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Bob Givens's family moved to southern California, hoping the climate would improve the poor health of his father, who was a horse breeder and rancher.
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Bob Givens attended Alhambra High School, graduating in 1936 and Chouinard Art Institute, California Institute of the Arts.
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Bob Givens worked as a freelance artist in his senior year of high school before joining the Walt Disney Studio in 1937 on the recommendation of school classmate and Disney staffer Hardie Gramatky.
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Bob Givens, therefore, created the first official design for the rabbit, now named Bugs Bunny.
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Bob Givens' design was refined by fellow animator Robert McKimson two years later.
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Bob Givens' initial spell at the studio ended when he was drafted during World War II; his last cartoon for the studio before leaving was The Draft Horse.
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Unlike many of his co-workers, Bob Givens did not rejoin the Warner Bros.
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Bob Givens returned for one last spell at Warner Bros.
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Bob Givens continued his Looney Tunes association by working at the Warner Bros.
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Bob Givens then had spells at Filmation and Film Roman.
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Bob Givens died of respiratory failure, on December 14,2017, at Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, California, at the age of 99.