Frank Wells | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President ofThe Walt Disney Company | |
| In office 1984 (1984) – 1994 (1994) | |
| Preceded by | Ron W. Miller |
| Succeeded by | Michael Ovitz |
| COO of The Walt Disney Company | |
| In office 1984 (1984) – 1994 (1994) | |
| Preceded by | Ron W. Miller |
| Succeeded by | Sanford Litvack |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Franklin G. Wells (1932-03-04)March 4, 1932 Coronado, California, U.S. |
| Died | April 3, 1994(1994-04-03) (aged 62) Lamoille, Nevada, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Helicopter crash |
| Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park,Hollywood Hills,Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 2 |
| Alma mater | Pomona College University of Oxford Stanford Law School (LLB) |
| Occupation | President,The Walt Disney Company |
Franklin G. Wells (March 4, 1932 – April 3, 1994) was an American businessman who served as President andChief Operating Officer ofThe Walt Disney Company from 1984 until his death in 1994.[1]
Wells was born inCoronado, California and traced his ancestry back to theMayflower.[2] He attendedPomona College, which he left asPhi Beta Kappa in 1953.[3] Wells was a recipient of aRhodes Scholarship, through which he obtained aBA atOxford University.[1] He went into the army for two years as an infantry first lieutenant[3] and then graduated fromStanford Law School and became a lawyer.
Before his tenure with Disney, Wells had worked forWarner Bros. as its West Coastvice president in 1969, then in 1973 aspresident, and in 1977 asvice chairman until he left the company in 1982.
Disney directorsRoy E. Disney,Stanley Gold andSid Bass had ousted President and CEORon W. Miller in 1984. The Disney board then recruited Wells to become Disney's president and chief operating officer (1984–1994), along withMichael Eisner as chairman and CEO, andJeffrey Katzenberg as head ofWalt Disney Studios.[4] Wells was unique among the management troika in that he had the highest academic achievement. Although the number-two executive at Disney, Wells reported to the board of directors and not to Eisner.[2]
Wells was an avidalpinist and came close to achieving his goal of climbing theSeven Summits, the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Only Everest eluded him, as badweather had forced his party to descend when just 3,000 feet from thesummit.[5] His partner in the Seven Summits attempt,Dick Bass, an entrepreneur who developed theSnowbird ski resort inUtah, later made it up all seven peaks, the first man to do so. At theMatterhorn Bobsleds attraction atDisneyland, Wells' love of mountain climbing is honored with exploration equipment emblazoned with the words "Wells Expedition," which can be seen during the ride's downhill descent, as well as on awindow on Main Street USA honoring him.
Wells died in ahelicopter crash on April 3, 1994 while returning from aheliskiing trip in Nevada'sRuby Mountains.[6][7] Pilot Dave Walton androck climberBeverly Johnson were also killed in the crash.[8] He was a good friend ofClint Eastwood, who had been skiing with Wells that weekend. Eastwood left in his own helicopter just an hour before Wells' departure.[6] Because of poor weather in the area, the chartered Bell 206 helicopter carrying Wells had landed at a remote location about two and a half hours prior to the crash. While waiting for improved weather conditions, snow fell on the helicopter. During the subsequent takeoff and ascent, the engine lost power and the aircraft crashed on a 30-degree slope, followed by a rollover, during an attempted emergency landing. TheNational Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of the accident was "the ingestion of foreign material (snow) in the engine, which resulted in a flameout (loss of engine power)." Of the five persons on board, four were killed. The sole survivor wasMike Hoover.[9]
Wells was buried atForest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery. At the funeral, Eastwood sang a tribute ofThe Beatles' "Hey Jude", which Wells liked to sing on the slopes.[6]The Lion King, which came out the summer after Wells' death, includes a dedication right before theWalt Disney Pictures logo appears (though the 2003 Platinum Edition, the 2011 Diamond Edition and the 2017 Signature Edition have the dedication at the end of the credits). The building housing the Walt Disney Archives atWalt Disney Studios was also named in Wells' honor.
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Disney COO 1984–1994 | Succeeded by Sanford Litvack |
| Preceded by | Disney President 1984–1994 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
