Ed Catmull
Computer-graphics pioneer and co-founder of Pixar
- Age
- 81 yrs
- Birthday in 145 days
- Works listed
- 3
- Short film, Software
- Honours
- 3
- Most recent 2019
- Profile views
- 2
- 0 followers
Ed Catmull is an American computer scientist who co-founded Pixar Animation Studios and served as president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. His graphics research, including texture mapping, made computer-animated films possible, and he shared the 2019 Turing Award with Pat Hanrahan.
Biography
Utah
Catmull grew up in Utah dreaming of becoming a Disney animator. He studied physics and computer science at the University of Utah, where he earned his PhD in 1974. There he made one of the first computer-animated films, of his own hand, and developed texture mapping and the z-buffer.
Lucasfilm
After running the computer graphics lab at the New York Institute of Technology, he joined George Lucas’s Lucasfilm in 1979 to lead its computer division, which created effects for Star Trek II.
Pixar
In 1986 Steve Jobs bought the division, which became Pixar, with Catmull as co-founder and president. Pixar developed the RenderMan software and in 1995 released Toy Story, the first fully computer-animated feature film.
Disney and Creativity, Inc.
After Disney bought Pixar in 2006, Catmull also led Walt Disney Animation Studios, which made Frozen. He described Pixar’s culture in his book Creativity, Inc. (2014). He retired in 2019, the year he won the Turing Award.
Timeline
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1945
Born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States
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1974
PhD from the University of Utah
-
1979
Joins Lucasfilm
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1986
Pixar founded with Steve Jobs’s backing
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1995
Toy Story released
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2006
Disney acquires Pixar
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2014
Creativity, Inc.
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2019
Retires; Turing Award
Notable works
-
1972
A Computer Animated Hand Short film
With Fred Parke.
-
1988
RenderMan Software
Pixar team.
-
2014
Creativity, Inc. Book
With Amy Wallace.
Awards and honours
-
IEEE John von Neumann Medal
2006
-
Academy Award of Merit
2009 · Gordon E. Sawyer Award and other Academy honours.
-
Turing Award
2019
Did you know?
-
1
His 1972 animated hand appears in the 1976 film Futureworld.
-
2
He wanted to be a Disney animator as a child and later ran Disney Animation.
-
3
Every Pixar film has been rendered with RenderMan.
Connections
Frequently asked
Who is Ed Catmull?
Ed Catmull is an American computer scientist who co-founded Pixar Animation Studios and served as president of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. His graphics research, including texture mapping, made computer-animated films possible, and he shared the 2019 Turing Award with Pat Hanrahan.
How old is Ed Catmull?
Ed Catmull is 81 years old, born on 31 March 1945 in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States.
Where is Ed Catmull from?
Ed Catmull was born in Parkersburg, West Virginia, United States.
What is Ed Catmull known for?
Ed Catmull is best known for Co-founding Pixar; texture mapping; RenderMan; Toy Story; Turing Award 2019.
What awards has Ed Catmull received?
Notable honours include IEEE John von Neumann Medal (2006), Academy Award of Merit (2009), Turing Award (2019).
References
- Edwin Catmull — Wikipedia. Wikipedia. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Edwin Catmull — Britannica. Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Edwin Catmull — IMDb. IMDb. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
- Edwin Catmull (Q93161) — structured data. Wikidata. Retrieved 4 November 2026.
Includes material from the Wikipedia article “Edwin Catmull”, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. That text is available under the same licence. Learn more
External links
About this profile
- Researched by the TrackFame editorial team; reviewed by Sanjay Sokal under our editorial policy
- First published 4 November 2026
- Last updated
Cite this page
“Ed Catmull.” TrackFame, last updated 5 November 2026. https://trackfame.com/person/ed-catmull
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