American cartoonist, creator of “Dennis the Menace.” Formerly a freelance gag writer, he sold his first cartoon in 1942 and his first “Dennis” in 1950. Within two years, Dennis was syndicated in 15 papers and by 1953, that number of papers had leaped to 243. In 1977, Dennis was seen in 750 papers in 48 countries, bringing in a six-figure income for Ketcham. By 2000, the cartoon was seen in more than 1,000 newspapers.
When Hank was 12, his mom died. While still in his teens, he followed a natural talent and joined the animation department of Universal, 1938 and Disney the following year. His career was interrupted by service in the U.S. Navy 1942-1945.
Ketcham married Alice on 7/13/1942 and their son Dennis was born in June of the following year. He was widowed in 1958 when Alice died of a drug overdose. He made a second marriage, to Jo Anne Stevens in 1959, and they moved to Geneva, Switzerland for 18 years. Dennis, his first inspiration for his strips, remained in the U.S. for his education and became increasingly estranged from his dad. In 1970, Ketcham divorced and made a third marriage, to Rolande Praeport on 6/09/1970; a daughter was born in 1974 and a second son on 3/14/1977, his 57th birthday. They relocated in California in 1977.
In 1999, Ketcham, 79, had chemotherapy for prostate cancer. He worked about an hour a day overseeing the work of two “Dennis” cartoonists who keep his ideas rolling along. His major focus by then was on serious painting, including portraits of famous artists and jazz musicians. He and Rolande lived in Pebble Beach, California, where his passion is golf. Ketchum died at home of heart disease and cancer on 6/01/2001.
Link to Wikipedia biography