Pat Sullivan

• Born: 1887 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
• Died: 1933
• Occupation: Director
• Active: '20s
• Major Genres: Comedy
• Career Highlights: Feline Follies, Comicalamities, Futuritzy
• First Major Screen Credit: Feline Follies (1919)

Biography

Cartoonist/animator Pat Sullivan is best remembered for creating the mischievous Felix the Cat. A native of Australia, Sullivan came to the U.S. and began drawing newspaper comic strips in 1914. Felix was the most popular so in the early '20s, he began animating the crafty cat's exploits for films with the help of innovative animators Otto Messmer and John King. Felix cartoons were especially popular in Europe. Much Felix the Cat merchandise was sold during the '20s. A doll of Felix was the lucky mascot of the New York Yankees in 1922. Charles Lindbergh carried a Felix the Cat doll with him on his first transatlantic flight. It was a Felix doll that became the subject of the first experimental television broadcast in 1928. Sullivan's son, Pat Sullivan Jr., headed Felix the Cat Creations, Inc., a company that produced Felix television cartoons and oversaw merchandizing products for the wily feline character. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide