Born Ubbe Ert Iwwerks in Kansas City, MO. While working at a Kansas City commercial art studio in 1919, he befriended a young fellow worker named Walt Disney. The following year they both quit their jobs and went into business for themselves. But the enterprise was not a success and several months later the two aspiring artists went to work for the Kansas City Film Ad Company. Disney, dynamic, ambitious, and business-oriented, soon left to pursue his dream of independent grandeur, while the hard-working Iwerks stayed behind to apply his technical genius to improving animation techniques. However, they were reunited in 1923 when Disney, now in Hollywood, sent for Iwerks to help him draw his fledgling cartoon series, "Alice in Cartoonland" (1923-26). He was present, and probably quite instrumental, in the creation of Mickey Mouse and received "drawn by" screen credit on the early Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphonies cartoons. In 1930, Iwerks was lured away from the Disney studios and started his own cartoon series, "Flip the Frog" (1931-33) and "Willie Whopper" (1933-34). But several years later he was back with Disney, where he supervised special effects on many of the studio's major productions. He developed and perfected many animation techniques, including the multiplane camera and an improved matte process for blending live action with animation which was used successfully in a number of films, notably in MARY POPPINS (1964). He also acted as special-effects advisor on a number of films produced outside the Disney organization, including Hitchcock's THE BIRDS (1963). He won Academy Awards in 1959 and 1965 for his technical contributions to motion pictures. His son, Don Iwerks, received the prestigious Gordon E. Sawyer Award, given in recognition of his lifetime of exceptional contributions to the science and technology of motion pictures. And his grand-daughter, Leslie Iwerks, was nominated for her 2006 documentary short, RECYCLED LIFE.  Special Effects 1954: 20,000 LEAGUES UNDER THE SEA - No nominations listed, but film credits John Hench, Ub Iwerks, Josh Meador & Ralph Hammeras.  Scientific or Technical (Class III) 1959: For the design of an improved optical printer for special effects and matte shots.  Nominated for Special Visual Effects 1963: THE BIRDS  Scientific or Technical (Class I) 1964: For the conception and perfection of techniques for Color Traveling Matte Composite Cinematography. (w. Petro Vlahos & Wadsworth E. Pohl) 1 nomination, 1 unnominated Award, 2 Scientific/Technical Awards