Gordon A. Sheehan

Born in Mechanicville, New York, he was the seventh of eight children of Patrick and Anna (Hammond) Holland, who were Irish immigrants from county Limerick.[2][3]  After the death of his mother at the age of five, he went to live with a family by the name of Sheehan, whose surname he assumed, although, he was never legally adopted by them.

Sheehan was a 1928 graduate of Mechanicville High School,[4] and received his artistic education at Pratt Institute, graduating in 1932.[5]

Sheehan began his career at Fleischer Studio in 1933,[1] eventually joining Willard Bowsky’s unit in 1936, where he worked animating features such as Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman.[6]   

Sheehan formed his own studio in 1944 that largely produced animated governmental and educational films, along with cartoons inspired by the work of Rube Goldberg.[1]

Later he was the head of animation at Sound Masters, Inc.[7] and Coronet Films.[1]

After his retirement, Sheehan was an animation professor at Columbia College Chicago,[1] where he taught and inspired notable animator Genndy Tartakovsky.  Tartakovsky recalled, “my first [animation] teacher was Gordon Sheehan, he was 90 years old.  He was an old Popeye animator, and he was about this high. And I fell in love.  I knew that I couldn’t [not] do this for a living, cause he still drew, like, that old Fleischer style in circles, and he was amazing and very inspiring, and I realized I couldn’t not do it.”[8]

Sheehan received a lifetime achievement award from the International Animation Association (Midwest Chapter) and the Official Popeye Fan Club.[1]