# Keith Chatto

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{{Short description|Australian illustrator and cartoonist (1924–1992)}}
{{Use Australian English|date=June 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [:Template:Infobox writer/doc](/source/%3ATemplate%3AInfobox_writer%2Fdoc) -->
 |image        =
 |imagesize    = 150px |
 | name        = Keith Chatto
 | caption     =
 | pseudonym   =
 | birth_date  = {{birth year|1924}}
 | birth_place = [Kogarah, New South Wales](/source/Kogarah%2C_New_South_Wales), Australia
 | birth_name  = Ronald Keith Chatto
 | death_date  = {{death date and age|1992|10|22|1924|df=y}}
 | death_place =
 | occupation  = Cartoonist, writer, illustrator
 | period      =
 | genre       = Adventure, crime, westerns, [Pulp Fiction](/source/Pulp_magazine)
 | subject     =
 | movement    =
 | signature   =
 | website     =
}}
'''Ronald Keith Chatto''' (1924 – 22 October 1992) was an Australian comic book artist and writer. He was the first Australian illustrator to draw a full-length episode of ''[The Phantom](/source/The_Phantom)'' comic.<ref name="SMH">{{Cite news|url=http://www.comicstrips.com.au/comic-strips-articles/1992/11/1/a-talented-life-on-the-drawing-board/ |title=A talented life on the drawing board |publisher=[Sydney Morning Herald](/source/Sydney_Morning_Herald) |last=Kent |first=Simon |date=1 November 1992 |accessdate=19 November 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425080436/http://www.comicstrips.com.au/comic-strips-articles/1992/11/1/a-talented-life-on-the-drawing-board/ |archivedate=25 April 2012 }}</ref>

==Biography==
Keith Chatto was born at [Kogarah, New South Wales](/source/Kogarah%2C_New_South_Wales) in 1924,<ref name="Bonzer">{{Cite book|title=Bonzer: Australian Comics 1900s–1990s|last=Shiell|first=Annette|publisher=Eluga Media|place=[Redhill, South Australia](/source/Redhill%2C_South_Australia)|year=1998|page=115|isbn=1-876308-12-5}}</ref> the son of an accountancy clerk.<ref name="Ryan">{{Cite book|title=Panel by Panel – An Illustrated history of Australian Comics|author1=Ryan, John|pages=190–192|year=1979 |publisher=Cassell Australia |isbn=0726973769 }}</ref> Chatto was educated at Kogarah Primary School, Canterbury High School and [Sydney Grammar School](/source/Sydney_Grammar_School).<ref name="Bonzer"/><ref name="Ryan"/><ref name="DAAO">{{Cite web|url=http://www.daao.org.au/bio/ronald-keith-chatto/#artist_biography|title=Ronald Keith Chatto|publisher=Design & Art Australia Online|last=Kerr|first=Joan|year=1996|accessdate=19 October 2011}}</ref> His father, an accountant for ''Smith's Weekly'',<ref name="Ryan"/> showed his son's sketches to the art staff at the magazine, where he was invited by [Jim Russell](/source/Jim_Russell_(cartoonist)) to attend weekly art classes.<ref name="SMH"/><ref name="Bonzer"/><ref name="CBM">{{Cite web|url=http://www.collectingbooksandmagazines.com/chatto.html|title=Keith Chatto 1924–1992|publisher=Collecting Books & Magazines|last=Ray|first=Greg|year=2007|accessdate=18 October 2011}}</ref> On leaving school Chatto found work with the art department of [Greater Union Theatres](/source/Greater_Union)<ref name="Bonzer"/><ref name="Ryan"/><ref name="CBM"/><ref name="B&W">{{Cite web|url=http://members.iinet.net.au/~jez/keith/keith.html|title=Keith Chatto – Tribute|publisher=[The Black and White Artists Club](/source/Australian_Cartoonists'_Association)|accessdate=18 October 2011}}</ref> then drawing [aircraft recognition](/source/aircraft_recognition) charts for the Australian [Air Training Corps](/source/Australian_Air_Force_Cadets)<ref name="Ryan"/> before enlisting with the [RAAF](/source/Royal_Australian_Air_Force).<ref name="CBM"/>

Following his demobilisation in 1946 he had his first comic strip published, ''Destiny Scott'', in the mid-week children's section of the ''[Sydney Morning Herald](/source/Sydney_Morning_Herald)''<ref name="SMH"/><ref name="Bonzer"/><ref name="Ryan"/><ref name="DAAO"/><ref name="CBM"/><ref name="B&W"/> on 26 June 1946.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1301&dat=19460626&id=jedjAAAAIBAJ&sjid=x5MDAAAAIBAJ&pg=5656,7247163|title=New Australian Comic Strips in the 'Herald'|publisher=[Sydney Morning Herald](/source/Sydney_Morning_Herald)|date=26 June 1946|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> Also, in 1947, Chatto produced two comic strips for a nudist magazine, ''The Australian Sunbather'', which was published by Ashworth Publications.<ref name="CBM"/> When '' Destiny Scott'' ended he contributed to the All-Australian Comics group on ''Bunny Allen'',<ref name="SMH"/><ref name="Collector">{{Cite book|title=Comics in Australia & New Zealand: The Collections, The Collectors, The Creators |author1=Burrow, Tony|author2=Stone, Grant|publisher=Haworth Press|page=38|year=1994|isbn=978-1-56024-664-0}}</ref> ''The Glamour Girl'' and ''The Buccaneer''.<ref name="Ryan"/><ref name="CBM"/>{{Quote|He had an eye for a good line and a very good talent at drawing women. Some of his strips, like ''Glamour Girl'' and ''Wanda Dare'', were good examples of his art. I don't mean to say he was a 'perv', or anything like that, but he captured women well.|[Jim Russell](/source/Jim_Russell_(cartoonist))<ref name="SMH"/>}}In 1949 Chatto created ''The Lone Wolf'' for Atlas Publications,<ref name="Bonzer"/><ref name="Ryan"/><ref name="DAAO"/><ref name="Lobo">{{Cite web|url=https://comicsdownunder.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html |title=El Lobo – The Man from Nowhere | publisher=Comicsdownunder.com | last=Patrick |first=Kevin|date=19 April 2008|accessdate=19 October 2011}}</ref> which was later drawn by [Yaroslav Horak](/source/Yaroslav_Horak),<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ausreprints.com/content/articles/?apg=713|title=Atlas|publisher=AusReprints|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> and in 1954 created ''Steven Carlisle'' for Larry Cleland Publishing Company.<ref name="Ryan"/><ref name="CBM"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.ausreprints.com/content/main/?series=3637|title=Steven Carlisle Illustrated Adventures|publisher=AusReprints|accessdate=13 December 2011}}</ref> By 1955 Chatto branched out to other forms of commercial art including magazine illustrations, [record](/source/LP_record) sleeves and cover illustrations for [pulp fiction](/source/pulp_magazines) novels, where in the 1950s he was produced upwards of six covers a week.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.library.otago.ac.nz/exhibitions/pulp_fiction/image41.html|title=Cabinet 13: Science Fiction & Fantasy|publisher=[Otago University](/source/Otago_University)|work=The Pulp Fiction Exhibition – Special Collections|accessdate=12 December 2012|archive-date=6 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120506183149/http://www.library.otago.ac.nz/exhibitions/pulp_fiction/image41.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Pulp">{{Cite book|title=Pulp: A Collector's Book on Australian Pulp Fiction Covers|author1=Johnson-Woods, Toni|publisher=[National Library of Australia](/source/National_Library_of_Australia) |year=2004|isbn=978-0-642-10766-4}}</ref> He also worked on ''The Twilight Ranger''<ref name="Twilight">{{Cite web|url=https://comicsdownunder.blogspot.com/2008/04/comics-of-airwaves-twilight-ranger.html|title=Comics of the Airwaves: The Twilight Ranger|publisher=Comicsdownunder.com|last=Patrick|first=Kevin|date=19 April 2008|accessdate=19 October 2011}}</ref> and ''El Lobo''<ref name="Lobo"/> at [Cleveland Publishing](/source/Cleveland_Publishing).<ref name="Collector"/>{{Quote|I began working exclusively for Cleveland Publishing Company, at first illustrating and designing pocket book covers. At one period about this time, I was producing an average of six full colour covers each and every week for various publishers. [Jack Atkins] commissioned me to illustrate a radio serial written by Michael Noonan, called ''The Twilight Ranger''. I had to adapt for the comic book Michael's scripts and illustrate them.|Keith Chatto<ref name="Twilight"/>}} With the introduction of television Chatto left the comic book industry to become a freelance film producer<ref name="DAAO"/><ref name="B&W"/><ref name="Pulp"/> and [cine](/source/cine) [cameraman](/source/cameraman).<ref>{{Cite book|title=Australian Films|publisher=[National Library of Australia](/source/National_Library_of_Australia)|work=Film Division|year=1969}}</ref> He continued to work in the comics field on a part-time basis drawing comic book covers for Page Publications and a series of ''[Skippy](/source/Skippy_the_Bush_Kangaroo)'' comics<ref name="Bonzer"/><ref name="B&W"/> in 1967.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.grandpacifictours.com/news.asp?id=377&category=418|title=Skippy, Australia's most famous kangaroo|publisher=Grand Pacific Tours|last=Morris|first=Frank|accessdate=19 October 2011|archive-date=25 April 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120425081858/http://www.grandpacifictours.com/news.asp?id=377&category=418|url-status=dead}}</ref> Unfortunately the comic book was produced after the television series had peaked in popularity.<ref name="Bonzer"/> In mid 1977 he began drawing the Sunday version of ''[Air Hawk and the Flying Doctors](/source/Air_Hawk_and_the_Flying_Doctors)'',<ref name="Bonzer"/><ref name="DAAO"/> having previously ghosted the strip for a short period in 1972.

In 1990 saw the publication of the first Australian-written and drawn full-length [Phantom](/source/The_Phantom) story, ''Rumble in the Jungle'', with Chatto providing the illustrations<ref name="Pulp"/><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mirroroftheworld.com.au/imagination/pop_culture/comics/phantom.php |title=The Phantom No. 951A |work=Mirror of the World |publisher=[State Library of Victoria](/source/State_Library_of_Victoria) |accessdate=19 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110822044956/http://www.mirroroftheworld.com.au/imagination/pop_culture/comics/phantom.php |archivedate=22 August 2011 }}</ref><ref name="ComicDb">{{Cite web|url=http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator_chron.php?ID=21577|title=Keith Chatto – Chronological Listing|publisher=ComicBookDatabase|accessdate=13 December 2011|archive-date=3 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303220854/http://www.comicbookdb.com/creator_chron.php?ID=21577|url-status=dead}}</ref> and Jim Shepherd the storyline.<ref name="Frew">{{Cite web|url=http://www.deepwoods.org/frew1.html|title=The Phantom in Australia|last=Shedden|first=Brian|date=7 August 1999|accessdate=12 December 2011}}</ref> Chatto followed this by illustrating two more Phantom stories, ''Return of the Singh Brotherhood''<ref name="ComicDb"/> and ''The Kings Cross Connection'' in 1992,<ref name="B&W"/> again collaborations with Shepherd.

Chatto died of cancer on 22 October 1992<ref name="Bonzer"/> at the age of 67.<ref name="CBM"/><ref name="B&W"/>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
* {{cite book|title=Comics in Australia and New Zealand: The Collections, the Collectors, the Creators|author=Toby Burrows, Grant Stone|publisher=Haworth Press|year=1994|isbn=1-56024-664-2}}
* {{cite book|title=Panel By Panel: an Illustrated History of Australian Comics|author=John Ryan|publisher=Cassell|year=1979|isbn=0-7269-7376-9}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Chatto, Keith}}
Category:Australian comic strip cartoonists
Category:Australian comics artists
Category:Pulp fiction artists
Category:People from Newcastle, New South Wales
Category:1924 births
Category:1992 deaths
Category:Australian comics writers
Category:Royal Australian Air Force personnel of World War II
Category:20th-century Australian illustrators
Category:Australian album-cover and concert-poster artists
Category:Australian magazine illustrators
Category:Australian advertising artists and illustrators

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Keith Chatto](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Chatto) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keith_Chatto?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.