Billy Greene(1968-2001)
- Animation Department
- Director
- Actor
Billy Greene, an award-winning filmmaker, animator and percussionist
was born in New York City and raised in Burlington, Vermont. Billy's
artistic activity reflected his child-like innocence, subtle humor and
off-handed modesty. He excelled in stop-motion animation, translating
his acute observation of movement and character into the telling
gestures of the beings he brought to life. He had a genius for getting
miraculous effects from the simplest means. Humorous touches and subtle
shadings of mood and atmosphere characterized his animating work, which
was becoming increasingly influential among his peers. Billy's
independently produced short animated film, "Thought Bubble" features a
harmonica playing homeless man as its main character and premiered at
the 2001 Sundance Film Festivals in Park City, Utah where attendess
praised its poetic qualities. The film then showed regularly in film
festivals world-wide, notably at France's Annency International
Animation Festival and the New York Film Festival. Billy began his
professional career with 181 Productions in New York City, which
specialized in children's programming, and he gained further expertise
animating commercials for Clayart Trickfilm Studio in Frankfurt,
Germany. For several years he worked in Portland, Oregon as a senior
animator on _"PJ's, The" (1999)_, Will Vinton Studio's nationally-syndicated
animated television series which was the brainchild of Eddie Murphy. He
had then returned to the Bay Area to animate for "Phantom
Investigators", a Wholesome Products production for Warner Brothers
television. In addition to his film-making skills, he was a passionate
and dedicated percussionist, among his numerous musical projects was
the San Francisco band "Poltroon". Billy had a remarkably sunny and
generous personality. Throughout his life he was a loving soul and the
light of his parents', and many other people's lives. His
perceptiveness, gentleness and unique sense of humor will live forever
in his art works and in the hearts of those who were privileged to know
him.