Biography
Richard Starzak, formerly known as Richard "Golly" Goleszowski, is an English animator.
Born in Suffolk in 1959 and raised in Ipswich, Starzak attended Northgate Grammar School. He earned a Fine Art degree with a specialization in animation from Exeter College of Art and Design. After exploring animation and DJ-ing, he joined Aardman Animations in 1983 as their first employee.
During his initial nine years at Aardman, Starzak contributed to various short films and promos such as "Morph," Peter Gabriel's "Sledgehammer," Pee-Wee's Playhouse in New York, and his own film Ident (1989), which introduced the character Rex. He also created two pilot films for Rex the Runt. His commercial work includes campaigns for Domestos Big Dom, Grolsch, Cadbury’s Creme Eggs, Weetos, Maltesers, and several European advertisements.
In 1992, Starzak left Aardman to work freelance. During this period, he served as Production Adviser for Oscar and Friends in New Zealand and wrote and directed 13 episodes of Rex the Runt for BBC2, earning the Carlton Award for International Animation at The Indies in 2000.
In 1999, he directed Robbie the Reindeer for the BBC Animation Unit. The project won 19 international awards, including a BAFTA. Following Robbie's success, Starzak spent two years on a project for Aardman’s feature film department and directed and wrote the second series of Rex the Runt. In 2002, he received the Award for Best TV Special for Robbie the Reindeer: Hooves of Fire at the 3rd International Festival of Animated Feature Films and TV Specials. Starting in 2003, he directed two series of Creature Comforts—26 episodes for ITV based on Nick Park's Academy Award-winning short film. The first series won 17 awards, and both series were BAFTA-nominated. The second series also featured a half-hour Christmas special. Between these series, he created Shaun the Sheep, writing and directing its pilot.
12 wins and 14 nominations
