Michael Sporn

Michael Sporn (April 23, 1946 – January 19, 2014) was an American animator who founded his New York City-based company, Michael Sporn Animation in 1980, and produced and directed numerous animated TV specials and short spots.

His adaptation of the children's book, The Man Who Walked Between the Towers (2005), won the Audience Choice Award for Best Short Film at the 2005 Heartland Film Festival and the award for Best Short Animation Made for Children at the 2006 Ottawa International Animation Festival. Sporn was earlier nominated for an Oscar in 1984 and an Emmy in 1988 for adaptations of two books by William Steig.

Sporn was born on April 23, 1946 in New York City, and had a sister Patricia (now Scherf). His father, William Sporn, abandoned the family when Michael was a toddler. His mother later remarried. His stepfather, Mario Rosco, wanted to legally adopt Michael. Although Michael considered Mario his father, he refused the adoption because he wanted his biological father to be able to find him. His mother and stepfather had three children together: Christine (now O'Neill), Jerry and John Rosco, his half-siblings. Sporn started drawing cartoons as a child.

He studied fine arts at the New York Institute of Technology. While serving in the United States Navy for five years, he studied animation and drawing by mail. Afterward, in 1972 he started work with animator John Hubley. Next he moved to London to work with Richard Williams. After returning to New York, Sporn founded his own independent studio in 1980, named Michael Sporn Animation.

Sporn produced and directed more than 30 half-hour specials for broadcast outlets HBO, PBS, Showtime and CBS. He created spots & shorts for Sesame Street, PBS stations such as WGBH, Scholastic, syndicated public service announcements such as those featuring Sport Billy and for UNICEF, and also music videos, documentary and film titles and inserts, commercial logos for Random House, industrial spots for companies like Goodyear.

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