Gordon Bressack, RIP

Some of Mr. Bressack's "Pinky and the Brain" handiwork.

Animation writer Gordon Bressack passed on today. Born in New York, for thirty-plus years he worked as a writer, director and producer in Los Angeles. On the west coast he also wrote plays and live-action, and performed on various Los Angeles stages as an actor.

But it's in animation that Gordon Bressack left the biggest footprint. With his longtime writing partner, Charles Howell IV, he was part of the young and dynamic Warner Bros. Animation crew that shaped Tiny Toon Adventures, Animaniacs, and Pinky and the Brain when Warners' animation division was partnering with Stephen Speilburg and re-establishing itself as a viable cartoon production unit. He won three Emmys for his work.

Mr. Bressack was passionate about writers and their place in the animation universe, and wasn't afraid to communicate it. Even when he was slowed by illness, he continued to write and create. He leaves three children and one grandchild.