Ernie Bushmiller
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Ernest Paul "Ernie" Bushmiller, Jr. (1905 - 1982) was a U.S. cartoonist. His most significant achievement was creating the popular daily comic strip Nancy.
He was born in the Bronx on August 23, 1905 of immigrant parents. His father was also an artist. Bushmiller quit school at 14 to work as a copy boy at the New York World newspaper. At night, he took art classes at the National Academy of Design.
In 1925, cartoonist Larry Whittington, creator of the comic strip Fritzi Ritz left to produce another strip, Mazie the Model. Bushmiller then took over Fritzi Ritz, ghostwriting it, before eventually taking over officially. Bushmiller's name would not appear on the strip until May of 1926.
Bushmiller married Abby Bohnet in 1930. They had no children.
Bushmiller worked briefly for film comedian Harold Lloyd in 1931, writing gags for the film, Movie Crazy.
In the early thirties, Bushmiller also created the comic strip Phil Fumble.
In 1933, Bushmiller introduced the character of Nancy, Fritzi's niece, to the strip. The character proved popular, and her appearances became more frequent and Aunt Fritzi's less frequent, so much so that the strip was renamed Nancy in 1938.
Bushmiller was one of the founding members of the National Cartoonists Society.
In 1979, Bushmiller was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, but continued to produce the strip with the help of assistants Will Johnson and Al Plastino.
On August 15, 1982, Bushmiller died of a heart attack.