Ed Maclachlan, recognized as “one of our greatest living cartoonists,” has passed away. He was 84 years old.
Ed was born in 1940 in Humberton, Leicestershire. According to Lambiek Comiclopedia, he studied art at Leicester College of Art (now DeMontfort University) from 1957-1961. His first published cartoons were in the college publication Lucifer. He began submitting cartoons to Punch magazine in 1961 and quickly became a regular.
Between 1966 and 1970, he worked as a political cartoonist for The Sunday Mirror. He became a house cartoonist with the satirical magazine Private Eye in 1967. According to Lambiek, his most famous cartoon was created to celebrate Private Eye’s tenth anniversary. The cartoon depicting a giant hedgehog squashing cars in an act of revenge.
In addition to gag cartoons, Ed was an illustrator for children and adult books, did work for advertising, published calendars, and authored several books. A complete list of his work can be found on his website.
Awards:
- Illustrative Cartoonist of the Year (1980) – The Cartoonist’s Club of Great Britain
- Advertising Cartoonist of the Year (1981) – The Cartoonist’s Club of Great Britain
- Gag Cartoonist of the Year (1982) – The Cartoon Art Trust
- Gag Cartoonist of the Year (1997) – The Cartoon Art Trust
- Lifetime Achievement Award (2011) – The Cartoon Art Trust
- Honorary doctorate (2016) – University of Leicester
Below are video of his commencement speech receiving his honorary degree and an interview he did with Private Eye magazine.