Robert Joseph Walsh (December 4, 1947 – October 17, 2018) was an American film and television composer. He was a musical conductor and director at

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...

beginning in 1979, working with

Friz Freleng Isadore "Friz" Freleng (; August 21, 1905May 26, 1995), credited as I. Freleng early in his career, was an American animator, cartoonist, Film director, director, Film producer, producer, and composer known for his work at Warner Bros. Cartoons ...

on several ''

Looney Tunes ''Looney Tunes'' is an American media franchise produced and distributed by Warner Bros. The franchise began as a series of animated short films that originally ran from 1930 to 1969, alongside its spin-off series ''Merrie Melodies'', during t ...

'' projects in the early 1980s. He moved on to work with

Marvel Productions Marvel Productions Ltd., later known as New World Animation, was an American production company owned by the Fox Entertainment Group subsidiary of News Corporation which was founded in 1981 as the television and film studio subsidiary of the Mar ...

, where he worked on such programs as '' GI Joe: A Real American Hero'', ''

Transformers ''Transformers'' is a media franchise produced by American toy company Hasbro and Japanese toy company Tomy, Takara Tomy. It primarily follows the heroic Autobots and the villainous Decepticons, two Extraterrestrials in fiction, alien robot fac ...

'', '' Jem'' and ''

My Little Pony 'n Friends ''My Little Pony'' is an American animated series produced by Sunbow Entertainment, Sunbow Productions and Marvel Productions and animated by Toei Animation and AKOM based on the My Little Pony toys released by Hasbro. The series featured as the ...

''. His work on the

Jim Henson Company The Jim Henson Company, Inc., formerly known as Muppets, Inc., Henson Associates, Inc., and Jim Henson Productions, Inc. (commonly referred to as Henson), is an American entertainment company located in Los Angeles, California. The company is kn ...

and Marvel Productions cartoon series '' Muppet Babies'' - garnered him a 1986

Daytime Emmy Award The Daytime Emmy Awards, or Daytime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the New York-based National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NA ...

nomination for Outstanding Achievement in Music Direction and Composition. His career in TV and film saw him working with a varying array of creators like Freleng,

Jim Henson James Maury Henson (September 24, 1936 – May 16, 1990) was an American puppeteer, animator, actor, and filmmaker who achieved worldwide notability as the creator of the Muppets. Henson was also well known for creating ''Fraggle Rock'' ( ...

Stan Lee Stan Lee (born Stanley Martin Lieber ; December 28, 1922 – November 12, 2018) was an American comic book author, writer, editor, publisher, and producer. He rose through the ranks of a family-run business called Timely Comics which later bec ...

Lee Gunther Lee Gunther (May 30, 1935 – August 25, 1998) was a co-founder of Marvel Productions and a film editor (which, in animation parlance, means sound effects editor) on more than 85 animated shorts in all. Career Starting at Warner Bros. in the ...

Bert I. Gordon Bert Ira Gordon (September 24, 1922 – March 8, 2023) was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and visual effects artist. He is best known for screenwriting and producing and/or directing science fiction and horror B-movies such ...

and

Glen A. Larson Glen Albert Larson (January 3, 1937 – November 14, 2014) was an American television producer, writer, and composer. He created many series, including '' Alias Smith and Jones'', ''Battlestar Galactica'', '' Buck Rogers in the 25th Century'', ' ...

, as well as fellow conductor

Johnny Douglas John William Henry Tyler Douglas (3 September 1882 – 19 December 1930) was an English cricketer who was active in the early decades of the twentieth century. Douglas was an all-rounder who played for Essex County Cricket Club from 1901 to 1 ...

. Walsh was the founder and creator of The Hollywood Film Music Library record label, which he sold to FirstCom Music of Dallas, Texas in 1994; currently owned by

Universal Universal is the adjective for universe. Universal may also refer to: Companies * NBCUniversal, a media and entertainment company that is a subsidiary of Comcast ** Universal Animation Studios, an American Animation studio, and a subsidiary of N ...

. It has since become one of the most used and most successful music libraries in the world. In 1987 he was involved in the design of ScreenMusic Studios, located in Studio City, CA, where many cartoons (such as ''

Rugrats ''Rugrats'' is an American animated television series created by Arlene Klasky, Gábor Csupó, and Paul Germain for Nickelodeon. The series focuses on a group of toddlers, most prominently Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil, and their day-to-d ...

'', ''

Ren and Stimpy ''The Ren & Stimpy Show'', commonly referred to as simply ''Ren & Stimpy'', is an American animated comedy television series created by John Kricfalusi for Nickelodeon. The series follows the misadventures of Ren Höek, an emotionally unstab ...

'' and ''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' (''TMNT'') is an American media franchise created by comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), D ...

'') were recorded over the years. He sold the studio to SENJU Pharmaceutical in 1990; today it operates as

Studiopolis Studiopolis, Inc. is an American post-production studio located in Studio City, Los Angeles. It specializes in voiceover recording and dubbing for cartoon, anime, and video game projects. They were formerly known as Screenmusic Studios and then ...

. He was also a founder and featured partner of Screenmusic Studios. In the latter years of his career he was a regular collaborator with film director

Ulli Lommel Ulli Lommel (21 December 1944 – 2 December 2017) was a German Film actor, actor and Film director, director, noted for his many collaborations with Rainer Werner Fassbinder and his association with the New German Cinema movement. Lommel spent ...

. On October 17, 2018, Walsh died at the age of 70.

Selected filmography

* ''

Necromancy Necromancy () is the practice of Magic (paranormal), magic involving communication with the Death, dead by Evocation, summoning their spirits as Ghost, apparitions or Vision (spirituality), visions for the purpose of divination; imparting the ...

'' (1973) * ''Bugs Bunny: All American Hero'' (1981) * ''

The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie ''The Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie'' (credited onscreen as ''Friz Freleng's Looney Looney Looney Bugs Bunny Movie'') is a 1981 American animated comedy package film with a compilation of classic ''Looney Tunes''/''Merrie Melodies'' Warn ...

'' (1981) * '' Blood Song'' (1982) * '' Bugs Bunny's 3rd Movie: 1001 Rabbit Tales'' (1982) * ''

Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island ''Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island'' (also known as ''Daffy Duck's Movie: Fantastic Island'') is a 1983 American animated anthology film directed by Friz Freleng and Phil Monroe with a compilation of classic Warner Bros. cartoon shorts and ...

'' (1983) * '' Muppet Babies'' (1984-1989, 84 episodes) * ''Return of the Dinosaurs'' (1984) * ''

Pink Panther and Sons ''Pink Panther and Sons'' is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and Mirisch-Geoffrey-DePatie-Freleng. The series was originally broadcast on NBC from 1984 to 1985 and moved to ABC in 1986. Friz Freleng ...

'' (1984-1985, 26 episodes) * '' GI Joe: A Real American Hero'' (1985-1986, 85 episodes) * ''

'' (1985-1987, 93 episodes) * '' Jem'' (1985-1988, 65 episodes) * ''

'' (1986-1987, 65 episodes) * ''

Inhumanoids ''Inhumanoids'' is the title of an animated series and the name of a Hasbro toy property that were both released in 1986. In the tradition of other Hasbro properties such as ''Transformers (toy line), Transformers'', and ''G.I. Joe'', the show w ...

'' (1986, 13 episodes) * ''

Defenders of the Earth ''Defenders of the Earth'' is an American animated television series produced in 1986, featuring characters from three comic strips distributed by King Features Syndicate—Flash Gordon, The Phantom, Mandrake the Magician, and Mandrake's assistan ...

'' (1986-1987, 65 episodes) * '' My Little Pony: The Movie'' * ''GI Joe: Operation Dragonfire'' (1989, 5 episode miniseries) * ''

Leprechaun A leprechaun () is a diminutive supernatural being in Irish folklore, classed by some as a type of solitary fairy. They are usually depicted as little bearded men, wearing a coat and hat, who partake in mischief. In later times, they have bee ...

'' (1993) * '' Fever Lake'' (1996) * ''The Darwin Conspiracy'' (1999) * '' Zombie Nation'' (2005) * ''Zodiac Killer'' (2005) * ''B.T.K. Killer'' (2005) * ''

Green River Killer Gary Leon Ridgway (born February 18, 1949), known as the Green River Killer or the Green River Strangler, is an American serial killer who was convicted of murdering forty-nine women between 1982 and 1998 in the northwestern United States. At ...

'' (2005) * ''

The Raven "The Raven" is a narrative poem by American writer Edgar Allan Poe. First published in January 1845, the poem is often noted for its musicality, stylized language and supernatural atmosphere. It tells of a distraught lover who is paid a visit ...

'' (2006) * '' The Tomb'' (2007) * '' D.C. Sniper'' (2009) * '' House on the Hill'' (2012) * ''Mondo Americana'' (2015) * ''Queen of Rio'' (2018, final film credit)

References

External links

*
Screenmusic International, official home page

Robert J. Walsh remembrance article
{{DEFAULTSORT:Walsh, Robert J. 1947 births 2018 deaths American male film score composers Varèse Sarabande Records artists 20th-century composers 21st-century composers