Bill Lignante obit

VALE Bill Lignante

 

He was not on the list.

Fan and friend of Bill Lignante, William Higgins, has confirmed that Bill Lignante passed away on the 27th February 2018, about three weeks before his 92nd birthday.

While his Sunday reign was short lived most fans would be aware of his work, if only because of the infamous 1962 Sunday story: Queen Samaris XII. Bill sensationally drew the ears and eyes on his Phantom in the story, which remains the only time The Phantom's eyes in particular have been depicted in the newspaper strip.

Undfortunately some nasty untruthful rumours started in Australia surrounding the story, namely that Bill was actually sacked from the newspaper strip by Lee Falk and King Features as a result

The rumour was first published in a Mallon Diary and has been quoted several times, including in Frew comics

It is worth noting that if King Features had an issue with the eyes and ears they could have done what Frew did and edited the panels, as they had their own artist and editorial team on staff back in the 1960's .

Born in Brooklyn, New York in March 1925, Lignante was in the Navy and studied art at Pratt Institute. He first drew The Phantom when he completed a strip left unfinished after the death of Wilson McCoy in 1961. He then drew the Sunday strip from August, 1961 to May 1962. He did The Phantom comic book (interior art) for Gold Key Comics, from issue 1–18; continuing the book for King Comics, through issue 28 and he also contributed to Charlton Comics, when they published Phantom issues 30-74 (although Jim Aparo did most art, as Lignante was in courtrooms by then). He had a 16-year career as an animator (layout artist) for Hanna-Barbera.

Of his many illustration assignments, Lignante wrote, "None of these compare to the instant art of the courtroom. No roughs, research, conferences, assistants, editors and no time. What you see, you draw, so that the world can see it too." In the 26 years he spent as a courtroom artist for ABC Network News, he illustrated 60 trials, including those of Sirhan Sirhan, Charles Manson and Patty Hearst.

Living in Carlsbad, California with his wife, former actress Alma Carroll, Lignante often traveled during three decades to deliver his "Trials of a Courtroom Artist" lecture. His daughter Russelle, her husband Robert and their children are Long Island residents.

 

Animation Department

Heathcliff (1980)

Heathcliff

6.5

TV Series

layout artist (as William Lignante, 1980)

1980–1984

 

ABC Weekend Specials (1977)

ABC Weekend Specials

7.7

TV Series

layout artist (as William Lignante)

1980

1 episode

 

Plastic Man (1979)

Plastic Man

6.3

TV Series

layout artist (1979-1981)

1979

 

Adam West, Norman Alden, Jack Angel, Michael Rye, William Callaway, Danny Dark, Shannon Farnon, Casey Kasem, and Ted Knight in Super Friends (1973)

Super Friends

7.2

TV Series

layout artist

1978

16 episodes

 

Dynomutt Dog Wonder (1976)

Dynomutt Dog Wonder

6.6

TV Series

layout artist

1976–1977

20 episodes

 

Scooby's Laff-A Lympics (1977)

Scooby's Laff-A Lympics

7.3

TV Series

layout artist (1977-1979)

1977–1979

 

Jabberjaw (1976)

Jabberjaw

6.0

TV Series

layout artist

1976

16 episodes

 

The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour (1976)

The Scooby-Doo/Dynomutt Hour

7.6

TV Series

layout artist

1976

16 episodes

 

The Great Grape Ape Show (1975)

The Great Grape Ape Show

6.9

TV Series

layout artist (1977)

1975

 

Devlin (1974)

Devlin

7.2

TV Series

layout artist

1974

16 episodes

 

Butch Cassidy (1973)

Butch Cassidy

7.1

TV Series

layout artist

1973

13 episodes

 

Nicole Jaffe, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Heather North, and Frank Welker in The New Scooby-Doo Movies (1972)

The New Scooby-Doo Movies

7.6

TV Series

layout artist

1972

16 episodes

 

Stefanianna Christopherson, Nicole Jaffe, Casey Kasem, Don Messick, Heather North, and Frank Welker in Scooby Doo, Where Are You! (1969)

Scooby Doo, Where Are You!

7.9

TV Series

layout artist

1969–1970

17 episodes

 

Casey Kasem and Olan Soule in The Adventures of Batman (1968)

The Adventures of Batman

7.2

TV Series

layout artist

1968

3 episodes

 

Tim Matheson, Danny Bravo, Don Messick, and Mike Road in Jonny Quest (1964)

Jonny Quest

7.9

TV Series

layout artist

1965

1 episode