Roy O. Disney

Roy O. Disney
Roy Disney in 1965
Born	Roy Oliver Disney June 24, 1893(1893-06-24) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Died	December 20, 1971(1971-12-20) (aged 78) Burbank, California, U.S. Interred: Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, California, U.S.
Occupation	Entertainment industry executive
Years active	1923–1971
Political party	Republican
Religion	Christian (Congregationalist)
Spouse	Edna Francis (1925–1971)
Children	Roy E. Disney (1930-2009)
Parents	Elias Disney Flora Call Disney
Relatives	Herbert Arthur Disney (brother) Raymond Arnold Disney (brother) Walter Elias Disney (brother) Ruth Flora Disney (sister)

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.

Early life

Roy was born to Irish-Canadian Elias Disney and German-American Flora Call Disney in Chicago, Illinois. Roy served in the US Navy from 1917–19; a year later his brother Walt tried joining the US Army, only being refused due to being under age. Roy was later discharged from military duty after suffering an injury, and became a banker in Los Angeles. In 1923, Walt moved to Hollywood, joining Roy, together founding the Disney Bros Studio. Roy and Walt ordered and built kit houses 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.

Walt Disney Productions

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, Roy was not a co-producer.

Roy became the company's first CEO in 1929, although the official title was not given until 1968. He also shared the role of Chairman of the Board with Walt from 1945. Walt however dropped the Chairman title in 1960 so he could focus more on the creative aspects of the company. 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. During the final weeks of Walt's life, Roy was given a series of instructions in how to continue the growth of the company for the next 5 years, and explained in detail plans for Walt Disney World. Roy became the president of Walt Disney Productions on December 15, 1966, and remained so until 1968.

Personal life

Roy was married to Edna Francis, born January 16, 1890, death December 18, 1984, from April 1925 until his death; their only child Roy Edward Disney, was born on January 10, 1930. Throughout his life, Roy rejected the publicity and fame that came with being Walt's brother. He was extremely camera shy, and a passive individual resulting in few public photos being in existence.

Death

After Walt Disney World opened in October 1971, Roy Disney finally retired. In early December of that year, he 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 died from a stroke. His interment was located in Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery.

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. There is a third statue at the Tokyo Disneyland theme park. Roy O. Disney was the father of Roy E. Disney, who died on December 16, 2009. There is a Roy O. Disney Suite on the top floor of the Hong Kong Disneyland Hotel. The suite is one of the two largest suites of the hotel.

See also

• Roy E. Disney

External links

• Roy O. Disney at the Internet Movie Database
• Roy and Walt and Disneyland and Pacific Ready-cut Homes

Business positions
Preceded by First CEO	CEO of The Walt Disney Company 1929–1971	Succeeded by Donn Tatum
Preceded by Walt Disney	Disney President 1966–1968	Succeeded by Donn Tatum
Preceded by Walt Disney	Disney Chairman 1945–1971	Succeeded by Donn Tatum