Leland Maurice Mendelson was an American animation producer and the executive producer of the many Peanuts animated specials.
13 Facts About Lee Mendelson
2.
Lee Mendelson was born in San Francisco and grew up in San Mateo graduating from San Mateo High School.
3.
Lee Mendelson graduated from Stanford University in 1954 with a degree in English.
4.
Lee Mendelson was lieutenant in the Air Force for three years.
5.
Lee Mendelson then worked several years for his father, a vegetable grower and shipper.
6.
The documentary was the first in a series on the history of the city, San Francisco Pageant, for which Lee Mendelson won a Peabody Award.
7.
Lee Mendelson left KPIX in 1963 to form his own production company.
8.
Shortly after the documentary aired, Lee Mendelson came across a Peanuts comic strip that revolved around Charlie Brown's baseball team.
9.
Lee Mendelson was, and he immediately contacted Schulz in regards to using the Peanuts characters.
10.
Lee Mendelson hired jazz composer Vince Guaraldi after hearing Cast Your Fate to the Wind, a Guaraldi-composed song while driving across the Golden Gate Bridge.
11.
In 1968, Lee Mendelson produced the documentary Travels with Charley, based upon the book by John Steinbeck.
12.
Lee Mendelson Productions has produced over 100 television and film productions, winning 12 Emmys and 4 Peabodys as well as numerous Grammy, Emmy, and Oscar nominations.
13.
Lee Mendelson died on December 25,2019, from lung cancer, leaving a wife, Ploenta and four children including Lynda.