Brad Anderson 1924-2015

Brad Anderson, best known for his long-running syndicated feature MARMADUKE, died August 30, 2015. He was 91. There was no cause of death reported.

Brad sold his first cartoon to Flying Aces magazine when he was 15 years old. He graduated from Brocton High School in Brocton, New York, in 1941. After serving in the Navy during World War Two, he enrolled in Syracuse University. In 1951 he graduated with a BFA in Fine Arts, with a major in advertising.

He worked at a Utica, NY advertising agency, Ball and Grier, for a couple of years. But being a cartoonist was in his blood. Leaving the agency after a couple years, he focussed his attentions on magazine cartooning. In 1954, he achieved the dream of syndication. MARMADUKE, a daily panel, first appeared in 1954.

From the MARMADUKE Wikipedia page:

The strip was created by Anderson, with help from Phil Leeming (1955–1962) and later Dorothy Leeming (1963–1969), and (since August 2, 2004) Paul Anderson. The strip revolves around the Winslow family and their Great Dane, Marmaduke. The strip on Sundays also has a side feature called "Dog Gone Funny", in which one or more panels are devoted to dog anecdotes submitted by the fans. Anderson, who says he draws on Laurel and Hardy routines for his ideas,^[1] received the National Cartoonists Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award for the strip in 1978. Anderson died unexpectedly on August 30, 2015,^[2] leaving the long-term fate of the strip unknown; strips co-drawn with the help of his son, Paul Anderson, continue to be syndicated. 

Mr. Anderson also drew a comic strip titled GRANDMA'S BOY from 1954 to 1966.

In the 1980s, MARMADUKE was a Saturday morning cartoon, paired with HEATHCLIFF. In 2010 a MARMADUKE theatrical movie was released, with the voice of Owen Wilson as the title character.

Two years ago, Mr. Anderson received the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Cartoonists Society.

Brad Anderson was a prolific gag cartoonist. Here are a few of his many gag cartoons from the 1950s and 60s:

Related:

Brad Anderson obituary