Original: William Denby '' Bill '' Hanna ( July 14 , 1910 -- March 22 , 2001 ) was an American animator , director , producer , television director , television producer , and cartoon artist , whose movie and television cartoon characters entertained millions of fans worldwide for much of the 20th century .
Simplified: William Denby '' Bill '' Hanna ( July 14 , 1910 & ndash ; March 22 , 2001 ) was an American animator , director , producer , cartoon artist , and co-founder with Joseph Barbera of Hanna-Barbera .