PEOPLE YOU SHOULD KNOW
OSAMU TEZUKA
(1928–1989)
On November 3, 1928, in the Japanese city of Osaka, Osamu Tezuka was born. As a boy, he grew up reading manga, a style of Japanese comics, and watching animated movies like Bambi. These films and comics inspired him to draw.
During World War II, Osamu’s home city of Osaka was bombed. The teen soon realized how precious life was. Although he had completed medical school, he chose to be an artist instead. But no one would have imagined that he would become one of the world’s greatest manga and anime artists, creating over 700 manga titles and over 60 anime.
MANGA IS A STYLE OF JAPANESE COMICS.
Osamu’s most famous work was Astro Boy. This comic tells the story of a robot boy named Astro. The robot’s ability to feel emotions and learn lessons, just like humans, invited people to talk about what robots and artificial intelligence could be capable of. Although it started as a manga, Osamu adapted Astro Boy into a hit anime that became Japan’s first animated TV series. Today, his work continues to inspire artists from around the world.
THEA VON HARBOU
(1888–1954)
In 1888, two days after Christmas, the von Harbous welcomed a daughter and named her Thea. She was born into a Bavarian family of minor nobility and showed excellent writing skills as a girl. Her career, however, would be marked with controversy.
Against her family’s wishes, she decided to become an actress and moved to Berlin. There, she began her writing career, and one of her works was adapted into a movie. Thea eventually married the film director, Fritz Lang, and they made nearly a dozen movies together. Their most famous film was called Metropolis.
Thea created the screenplay for this movie and wrote about a sinister female robot. This robot was one of the earliest examples of artificial intelligence in film. It would go on to influence famous movies like the Star Wars series and Blade Runner.
However, Thea’s career would be tarnished by her politics. During the 1930s, the Nazi Party rose to power in Germany. Thea was loyal to the Nazis and created films in support of the party. These films cast a dark shadow over her achievements. Thea passed away at 65, leaving behind a complicated legacy.