Cartoonist. He was the creator of the pantomime comic strip "Ferd'nand". He began drawing the character and cartoon strip in 1937, in his native Denmark. Because it had no captions or dialogue as language barriers, it was soon circulated internationally. He later drew his strip in the United States, where he emigrated after World War II, and became a naturalized American citizen in 1954. His comic strip, whose main character is a silent, round-headed middle-aged husband named Ferd'nand, is published in newspapers around the world. He signed his work with the name "Mik". The 1976 World Encyclopedia of Comics remarks: "Ferd'nand is a strip of universal appeal, combining European and American ideas in a calm, quietly humorous family strip … Mikkelsen has a knack for evoking smiles with the little things of life". In late 1970, he turned his strip over to an assistant, a veteran cartoonist who continued drawing 'Ferd'nand' with the same delightful style and humor. The comic strip Ferd'nand is still published worldwide today, and enjoyed by millions. Before creating Ferd'nand, Mikkelsen was an animated cartoonist for films from 1933 to 1935 and chief animator for Anglia Films of London in 1935 and 1936, according to the 1977-1978 edition of "Who's Who in America." He also created a comic strip based on Nordic myths that ran in Danish weeklies between 1940 and 1945. The cartoonist lived in Hemet, California, for 33 years before his death there.
Cartoonist. He was the creator of the pantomime comic strip "Ferd'nand". He began drawing the character and cartoon strip in 1937, in his native Denmark. Because it had no captions or dialogue as language barriers, it was soon circulated internationally. He later drew his strip in the United States, where he emigrated after World War II, and became a naturalized American citizen in 1954. His comic strip, whose main character is a silent, round-headed middle-aged husband named Ferd'nand, is published in newspapers around the world. He signed his work with the name "Mik". The 1976 World Encyclopedia of Comics remarks: "Ferd'nand is a strip of universal appeal, combining European and American ideas in a calm, quietly humorous family strip … Mikkelsen has a knack for evoking smiles with the little things of life". In late 1970, he turned his strip over to an assistant, a veteran cartoonist who continued drawing 'Ferd'nand' with the same delightful style and humor. The comic strip Ferd'nand is still published worldwide today, and enjoyed by millions. Before creating Ferd'nand, Mikkelsen was an animated cartoonist for films from 1933 to 1935 and chief animator for Anglia Films of London in 1935 and 1936, according to the 1977-1978 edition of "Who's Who in America." He also created a comic strip based on Nordic myths that ran in Danish weeklies between 1940 and 1945. The cartoonist lived in Hemet, California, for 33 years before his death there.
Bio by: Dan Tripp
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