Roy O. Disney
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| Roy O. Disney | |
|---|---|
| Born | Roy Oliver Disney June 24, 1893 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | December 20, 1971 (aged 78) Burbank, California, U.S. |
| Occupation | Chief executive officer |
| Spouse(s) | Edna Francis (m. 1925–1971) |
| Children | Roy E. Disney (1930-2009) |
| Parents | Elias Disney Flora Call Disney |
| Relatives | Walt Disney (brother) |
Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971) was, with his younger brother Walt Disney, the co-founder of what is now The Walt Disney Company. After Walt died, Roy became the chairman of the company. Roy served as the company's chief executive officer (CEO) (1929–1971) – though title name was not given until 1968 – president (1945–1971), and chairman (1966–1971).
Roy was born to Irish-Canadian Elias Disney and German-American Flora Call Disney in Chicago, Illinois. He was married to Edna Francis (1890-1984)[1] from April 1925 until his death; their only child[2] was Roy Edward Disney, who was born on January 10, 1930. Roy and his brother Walt ordered and built kit homes from Pacific Ready Cut Homes (a Los Angeles company) and in 1928, they built their homes side-by-side on Lyric Avenue. Their homes were slightly customized and enlarged, and do not exactly match the original homes featured in the Pacific Ready Cut Homes catalogs.
While Walt was the creative man, Roy was the one who made sure the company was financially stable; Roy and Walt both founded Disney Studios as brothers, but Walt would buy out most of Roy's share in 1929 and, unlike Max and Dave Fleischer of rival Fleischer Studios, was not a producer.
After Walt Disney's death in 1966, Roy postponed his retirement to oversee construction of what was then known as Disney World, and later renamed it Walt Disney World as a tribute to his brother. After Walt Disney World opened in October 1971, Roy Disney retired. He had complained of a "spot" over one of his eyes and was scheduled to visit his optometrist for a new eyeglass prescription. He was discovered in a dazed condition, collapsed, next to his bed by family members; he had died from a stroke. He was supposed to visit Disneyland with his grandchildren that day. His interment was located in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.
[edit] Tributes
A statue of Roy O. Disney seated on a park bench beside Minnie Mouse is located in the Town Square section of Main Street, U.S.A. at the Magic Kingdom theme park in Florida. A duplicate is located outside the Team Disney building at Disney's corporate headquarters in Burbank, California. Roy O. Disney was the father of Roy E. Disney, who died in December 2009.
[edit] References
[edit] External links
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Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Roy O. Disney |
- Roy O. Disney at the Internet Movie Database
- Roy and Walt and Disneyland and Pacific Ready-cut Homes
| Business positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by First CEO |
Disney CEOs 1945–1971 |
Succeeded by Donn Tatum |
| Preceded by Walt Disney |
Disney Presidents 1966–1968 |
Succeeded by Donn Tatum |
| Preceded by Walt Disney |
Disney Chairmen 1964–1971 |
Succeeded by Donn Tatum |
