Roy O. Disney | |
|---|---|
 Disney in 1965 | |
| Born | Roy Oliver Disney (1893-06-24)June 24, 1893 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1971(1971-12-20) (aged 78) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Burial place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Hollywood Hills |
| Occupation | Entrepreneur |
| Years active | 1923–1971 |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse | |
| Relatives | Disney family |
| Military career | |
| Branch | United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1917–1919 |
| Battles / wars | World War I |
Roy Oliver Disney (/ˈdɪzni/DIZ-nee;[1] June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971)[2] was an American entrepreneur. He co-founded with his younger brotherWalt what is nowthe Walt Disney Company in October of 1923. Disney also served as the company's firstchief executive officer and was the father ofRoy E. Disney.
Disney was born toIrish-CanadianElias Charles Disney and English-German-American Flora Call Disney inChicago, Illinois, on June 24, 1893. The family moved toMarceline, Missouri, and toKansas City in 1911.
On July 1, 1911, Elias purchased a newspaper delivery route forThe Kansas City Star. It extended from 27th Street to the 31st Street and from Prospect Avenue to Indiana Avenue. Roy and his brother Walt worked as newspaper delivery boys.[3] The family delivered the morning newspaper,The Kansas City Times, to approximately 700 customers andThe Kansas City Star to more than 600. The number of customers served increased with time.[4]
Disney graduated from the Manual Training High School of Kansas City in 1912. He left the paper delivery route and worked on a farm in the summer. He was then employed as abank clerk along with brother Raymond Arnold Disney at theFirst National Bank of Kansas City.[4]
Disney served in theUnited States Navy from 1917 to 1919.[4] His military career was cut short by a contraction oftuberculosis during his service and Disney was honorably discharged from military duty.
While convalescing from a recurrence of tuberculosis at theSawtelle Veterans Home in Los Angeles in October of 1923, his brother Walt came to visit late at night to ask for his help in establishing a cartoon studio. After Walt explained that he had secured a deal with New York distributorMargaret Winkler, Disney agreed and left the hospital the next morning—never again having a relapse of tuberculosis.[5]
Together Roy and Walt founded the Disney Brothers Studio in October of 1923.[5] UnlikeMax andDave Fleischer of rivalFleischer Studios, Roy was not a co-producer. However, Roy was an equal partner in all facets of the production company. While Walt led the creative side, Roy guided the business side and finances.[3]
Roy became the company's firstchief executive officer (CEO) in 1929, although the official title was not given to him until 1966. He also shared the role of chairman of the board with Walt from 1945 and succeeded Walt in the position of president around this time as well. He held the position until 1968 when he handed it toDonn Tatum. In 1960, Walt dropped the chairman title so he could focus more on the creative aspects of the company. Following Walt's death on December 15, 1966, from lung cancer, Roy postponed his retirement to oversee the construction of what was then known as Disney World.[6] Five years after Walt's death, Roy was able to open the resort at a cost of $400 million without having additional debt.[7] He later named itWalt Disney World as a tribute to his brother.
Roy was married to Edna Francis from April 1925 until his death. Roy met Edna in Kansas City, Missouri when she worked atThe Kansas City Times along with close friend Meredith A. Boyington, and she introduced Meredith to Raymond Arnold Disney, who was an older brother to Roy O. Disney. Raymond and Meredith were married and were lifetime close friends to Edna and Roy; they had two sons, Charles Elias Disney and Daniel H. Disney.[8] Roy and Edna's sonRoy Edward Disney was born on January 10, 1930.[9]
Roy E. Disney later was vice chairman ofthe Walt Disney Company. Throughout his life, Roy O. Disney rejected the publicity and fame that came with being Walt's brother. Roy's nephew Charles Elias Disney chose to name his son Charles Roy Disney in Roy's honor.[10] Roy remained a member of theFreemasons for decades before he resigned his membership.[5]
After the opening of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971, Roy finally retired, but soon after he died from astroke at the age of 78 on December 20, 1971, five years after his younger brother Walt died. He is interred inForest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) next to his wife Edna in Los Angeles.[11]
One of theWalt Disney World Railroad locomotives was named after Roy. On June 6, 2002, his son Roy E. Disney rededicated this locomotive in his father's honor.[12] In September 2016, the locomotive took part in its centennial celebration hosted by the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society.[13][14]
One of the threeHong Kong Disneyland Railroad locomotives is also named after Roy, where each locomotive is named after a pastWalt Disney Company president.[15]
The Roy O. Disney Concert Hall, the primary performance space for theHerb Alpert School of Music at theCalifornia Institute of the Arts (of which Disney was a benefactor), is named after him.
Sharing the Magic, a statue of Disney seated on a park bench besideMinnie Mouse, was dedicated in October of 1999 as a companion piece to thePartners statue of Walt andMickey Mouse.[16][17] The statue is located in the Town Square of Main Street, U.S.A., at the Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort.[18] A duplicate ofSharing the Magic is located outside theTeam Disney building at Disney's corporate headquarters inBurbank, California—dedicated in 2003. A second copy is at theWorld Bazaar section ofTokyo Disneyland.[16] The Roy O. Disney Suite is located on the top floor of theHong Kong Disneyland Hotel.
In 2014, Roy O. Disney was portrayed in the feature filmWalt Before Mickey byJon Heder.
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by First CEO | CEO of The Walt Disney Company position created–1971 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | President of The Walt Disney Company 1945–1968 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by position vacant | Chairman of The Walt Disney Company 1964–1971 | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
