Genndy Tartakovsky
Genndy Tartakovsky (; born Gennady Borisovich Tartakovsky, Russian: Геннадий Борисович Тартаковский; January 17, 1970) is a Russian-American animator, director and producer. He is best known for creating the Cartoon Network animated television series Dexter's Laboratory, Samurai Jack and Star Wars: Clone Wars, and co-creating Sym-Bionic Titan. In 2011, Tartakovsky joined Sony Pictures Animation, where he directed his feature film debut, Hotel Transylvania, and its sequel, Hotel Transylvania 2.
Although his Russian name Геннадий is normally transliterated as Gennady or Gennadiy, he changed its spelling to Genndy after moving to the US.
Early life
Tartakovsky was born January 17, 1970, in Moscow, to Jewish parents. His father, Boris, worked as a dentist for government officials and the Soviet Union national ice hockey team. His mother, Miriam, was an assistant principal at a school. He also has a brother, Alexander, who is two years older and currently a computer consultant in Chicago. Before coming to the United States, his family first moved to Italy, where he lived next to a German family. There, Tartakovsky says he was first drawn to art, inspired by a neighbor's daughter. Tartakovsky later commented, "I remember, I was horrible at it. For the life of me, I couldn't draw a circle."