Bruno Bianchi (c. 1955 – December 2, 2011) was a French cartoonist and animator. Bianchi, who co-created the 1980s animated television series, Inspector Gadget,[1][2] worked extensively as an artist, film and television director, and screenwriter for animated productions, including the series, Rainbow Brite, Heathcliff and its spinoff film, Heathcliff: The Movie in 1986.[1][3]
In 1981-82, while working at the DIC Entertainment animation studio, Bianchi co-created the animated television series Inspector Gadget together with Andy Heyward and DiC's founder Jean Chalopin. Bianchi also served as main character designer and supervising director on the show, which ran for two seasons and went on to become one of the most iconic series created by DiC.
Bianchi worked as a producer, artist, animator, television and film director, and writer for numerous other DiC Entertainment, Saban Entertainment and S.I.P. Animation productions from the 1980s until the early 2000s. His credits include Heathcliff, Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors, M.A.S.K., Rainbow Brite, Iznogoud, W.I.T.C.H., Diplodos, Beverly Hills Teens, Princess Sissi and Gadget and the Gadgetinis (a spinoff of Inspector Gadget). [3]
In 2008, Bianchi founded his own studio, named Ginkgo Animation, following the closure of S.I.P. International.[3]
Biachi died on December 2, 2011, at the age of 56.[3] He was buried in Père Lachaise Cemetery in Paris on December 6, 2011.[3][2]