Michael Maltese

Michael Maltese (February 6, 1908 – February 22, 1981) was an American story man for classic animated cartoon shorts. He is best known for working in the 1950s on a series of Merrie Melodies cartoons with director Chuck Jones, notably "What's Opera, Doc?" which is widely regarded by industry professionals as the best animated short of all time. He wrote for a total of 1,027 cartoons during his tenure at Warner Bros. Cartoons. The son of Italian immigrants, Maltese graduated from the National Academy of Design. He married Florence Sass in April 1936; writer Warren Foster served as Best Man. The couple moved to Los Angeles, where their first and only child, Brenda, was born on February 20, 1938.