Laverne Harding

Who was Laverne Harding?

Laverne Harding was an American animator.

Harding, who worked for the Walter Lantz studio for much of her half-century career in animation, is among the earliest woman animators.

By 1932, Harding had settled in Los Angeles and was a student at the Chouinard Art Institute. Working for the Lantz studio from 1934 until 1960, Harding was particularly noted for her work on Woody Woodpecker cartoons; she designed the version of the character that was in use from 1950 to 1999. After leaving Lantz, she animated for Hanna-Barbera cartoons such as Yogi Bear. She later worked for DePatie-Freleng Enterprises on Pink Panther cartoons, and was briefly employed at Warner Bros. and Filmation as well.

Harding was a native of the state of Louisiana.