Rusty Mills

Russell P. "Rusty" Mills (c. December 16, 1962 – December 7, 2012) was an American animator, director and producer. A Primetime Emmy winner, Mills was best known for his work with Warner Bros. Animation, including Animaniacs, Tiny Toon Adventures, and Pinky and the Brain.¹² Mills was a five time Emmy winner, receiving one Primetime Emmy and four Daytime Emmy awards.¹²

Mills, a native of Winston-Salem, North Carolina, graduated from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts high school in 1980.² He then completed his studies at California Institute of the Arts in Los Angeles after high school.¹² He worked as a freelance animator following college before joining Warner Bros. Animation, where he worked for approximately ten years.² His production credits with Warner Bros. included Tiny Toon Adventures and Animaniacs, which he worked on directly with Steven Spielberg one of the show's producers.²

In 1996, Mills won a Primetime Emmy Award for his work on "A Pinky and the Brain Christmas," a Christmas episode of the animated television series, Pinky and the Brain, which aired in December 1995.¹ Mills had directed that particular holiday episode of the series. During his career, Mills also won four Daytime Emmys and received eight Emmy nominations.¹

Mills' additional television animated credits included Garfield's Thanksgiving in 1989, Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Batman: Mystery of the Batwoman, Pink Panther and Pals, and The Replacements.¹ His last credited work was for the 2011 animated television special, A Very Pink Christmas, with the Pink Panther.¹

Mills died from colon cancer on December 7, 2012, at the age of 49.²³⁴⁵ He is survived by his wife, Andrea; son, Evan; his mother, Janet Mills; and sister, Linda Hough.¹