Leon Schlesinger

Leon Schlesinger ( SHLESS-in-jər; May 20, 1884 – December 25, 1949) was an American film producer and businessman who founded Leon Schlesinger Productions, later known as Warner Bros. Cartoons, a prolific producer of animated short films during the Golden Age of American animation. Schlesinger was a distant relative of the Warner brothers and was closely associated with Warner Bros. Pictures throughout his career.

As head of his own studio, Schlesinger produced the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons from 1933, when Schlesinger took over production from his subcontractors, Harman and Ising, until 1944, when Warners acquired the studio.