The Disney family are an American family that gained prominence when brothers Roy and

Walt Walt is a masculine given name, generally a short form of Walter (name), Walter, and occasionally a surname. Notable people with the name include: People Given name * Walt Anderson (American football) (born 1952), American football official * Walt ...

began creating films through the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, today known as

mass media Mass media include the diverse arrays of media that reach a large audience via mass communication. Broadcast media transmit information electronically via media such as films, radio, recorded music, or television. Digital media comprises b ...

and

entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and Interest (emotion), interest of an audience or gives pleasure and delight. It can be an idea or a task, but it is more likely to be one of the activities or events that have deve ...

conglomerate

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

. The Disney family's influence on American culture grew with successful feature films such as ''Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'' in 1937 and the opening of the

Disneyland Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...

Amusement park An amusement park is a park that features various attractions, such as rides and games, and events for entertainment purposes. A theme park is a type of amusement park that bases its structures and attractions around a central theme, often fea ...

in 1955. Other Disney family members have been involved in the management and administration of the Disney company, filmmaking, and philanthropy.

Background

The family name, originally ''d'Isigny ("from Isigny")'', is of Norman French derivation, coming from the town of Isigny-sur-Mer. The Disneys, among others who took names from the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; ; ) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and locals of West Francia. The Norse settlements in West Franc ...

, settled in England and gave their name to Norton Disney in Lincolnshire. Some of the family moved to

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

around the 11th century.

Elias Disney

Elias Charles Disney (1859–1941) was born in the rural village of Bluevale,

Province of Canada The Province of Canada (or the United Province of Canada or the United Canadas) was a British colony in British North America from 1841 to 1867. Its formation reflected recommendations made by John Lambton, 1st Earl of Durham, in the Report ...

(now

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Canada), to Irish

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...

immigrants Kepple Elias Disney (1832–1891) and Mary Richardson (1838–1909). Both parents had emigrated from

to Canada as children, accompanying their parents. Disney married Flora Call (1868–1938) on January 1, 1888, in Kismet, Lake County, Florida. The couple had five children: *Herbert Arthur Disney, mail carrier (December 8, 1888 – January 29, 1961, aged 72) *Raymond Arnold Disney, insurance salesman (December 30, 1890 – May 24, 1989, aged 98) * Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971, aged 78) * Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966, aged 65) *Ruth Flora (née Disney) Beecher, stenographer, WDHM benefactor, and musician (December 6, 1903 – April 7, 1995, aged 91)

Roy Disney family

Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971) was an American businessman and co-founder of

. Roy was married to Edna Francis from April 1925 until his death. Roy's nephew Charles Elias Disney chose to name his son Charles Roy Disney in Roy's honor. Their son, Roy Edward Disney (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009), was a longtime senior executive for

the Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

and the last member of the Disney family to be actively involved in the company. Disney was often compared to his uncle and father. He had two sons (one, Tim Disney, a documentary film producer), and two daughters; his daughter Abigail Disney is a documentary filmmaker.

Walt Disney family

Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, writer, voice actor and film producer who cofounded Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. He received 59 Academy Award nominations, including 22 awards: both totals are records. He married Lillian Bounds in 1925. They had two daughters, bearing Diane (December 18, 1933 – November 19, 2013) and after, reportedly, suffering several miscarriages, adopting Sharon (in December 1936, born six weeks previously – February 16, 1993). Diane married Ronald William Miller, who became president of Walt Disney Productions in 1980 and CEO in 1983, before being ousted by Roy E. Disney. Sharon, who became an actress, had three children from two marriages, to Robert Brown and later, to William Lund, and died, of complications of breast cancer, February 16, 1993.

Legacy

In 2001, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, housing a collection of memorabilia from the Disney family, many of which were donated by the family of Ruth Flora Disney Beecher, Walt's sister, opened, in the restored Santa Fe Railway Depot in

Marceline, Missouri Marceline is a city in Chariton County, Missouri, Chariton and Linn County, Missouri, Linn counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. The population was 2,123 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History In 1887, the Chicago, Santa Fe, an ...

. In 2009, the Walt Disney Family Museum, designed by Disney's daughter Diane and her son (Walt's grandson) Walter E. D. Miller, opened in the Presidio of San Francisco. The museum was established to promote and inspire creativity and innovation and celebrate and study the life of Walt Disney.

References

{{Reflist

External links

at Walt Disney Family Museum
The Disney Family Photo Album
at Walt Disney Family Museum
Walt's Children
at Walt Disney Family Museum
Diane Disney Miller
at Walt Disney Family Museum History American families of English ancestry American families of Irish ancestry American families of French ancestry American families of German ancestry Business families of the United States