At the peak of his fame, Jay Ward (1920-1989) was always being pestered with requests for his biography. But he felt that his life had been so relatively uneventful-for the man behind Rocky and Bullwinkle, one of the most groundbreaking and eccentric shows on television-that no one would be interested. To make up for it, he and co-producer Bill Scott created a fictional executive producer, Ponsonby Britt, O.B.E., with a bio to match the impressive name.

Yet Ward's own life was complex and interesting enough for the man who was responsible for the first animated cartoons made specifically for television. He also produced the best television animation in almost four decades and helped create a number of characters that have become a permanent part of the American landscape.

From the beginning, his life was different from most. He was born J (no period, he was to...