Leonard Starr was born on October 28, 1925, and passed away on June 30, 2015, leaving behind a career that spanned from the Golden Age of comics into the 21st century. He is best remembered as the creator of the sophisticated newspaper strip *On Stage* (later collected as *Leonard Starr's Mary Perkins on Stage*), a beautifully rendered drama about the life of a model and actress. He also took on the monumental task of reviving the classic strip *Little Orphan Annie* after Harold Gray's death. Starr began his career in comic books in the mid-1940s, working as an artist, inker, and letterer on titles like *Airboy Comics* and *My Greatest Adventure*. His clean, expressive linework and strong storytelling made him a sought-after collaborator, and he later worked with writer/artist Stan Drake on the mystery series *Kelly Green*. Over a long and active career, Starr was credited on more than 140 issues, contributing to adventure, humor, and dramatic strips. His work on *On Stage* earned him a Reuben Award for Best Newspaper Strip from the National Cartoonists Society in 1960. Starr’s legacy is that of a consummate draftsman and storyteller who brought a cinematic, character-driven sensibility to both comic books and newspaper strips.
