George Pal
George Pal (born György Pál Marczincsak; February 1, 1908 – May 2, 1980) was a Hungarian animator and film producer, principally associated with the science fiction genre. He became an American citizen after emigrating from Europe.
He was nominated for Academy Awards (in the category Best short subjects, Cartoon) for seven consecutive years (1942–1948) and received an honorary award in 1944. This makes him the second most nominated Hungarian exile (together with William S. Darling and Ernest Laszlo) after Miklós Rózsa.
Early life and career
He was born in Cegléd, Austria–Hungary, the son of György Pál Marczincsak Sr. and his wife Maria. He graduated from the Budapest Academy of Arts in 1928 (aged 20). From 1928 to 1931, he made films for Hunnia Films of Budapest, Hungary.
At the age of 23 in 1931 he married Elisabeth "Zsoka" Grandjean, and moving to Berlin, founded Trickfilm-Studio Gmbh Pal und Wittke, with UFA Studios as its main customer from 1931 to 1933. During this time, he patented the Pal-Doll technique (known as Puppetoons in the USA).