Walt Disney is a name that echoes in almost everyone’s ears. He was a successful animator, entrepreneur, and film producer who founded the Disney Brothers cartoon studio. His co-founder and brother Roy O. Disney handled the business aspect.
Walt Disney left behind his wife, two daughters, and 10 grandchildren when he died of lung cancer in 1966. Roy O. had only one son, Roy E., who later became a senior executive of the company. Roy E. had four children – Susan, Roy P., Tim, and Abigail.
Family Heritage
Although the Disney clan raised their children traditionally and simply, their inheritance has been nothing short of simple. In 1960, the Disney brothers owned 20% of the company, but today the family only holds a 3% stake. But at a $130 billion valuation, that would leave the family with a $3.9 billion investment in the company. And this does not include other assumptions, investments, and ventures.
Some grandchildren became notorious, such as one granddaughter who lived quite an ostentatious life, blowing up a $5,000-a-night suite at the Royal Palms Apartment Homes in Las Vegas. Two other grandsons sued each other over their shares, each arguing that the other was mentally incompetent.
On the other hand, Roy O. One of her granddaughters felt embarrassed by her family’s wealth and said that she had developed a “problem of excess” about the people who earned their money. She has said she would ban private jets if she could, and she was one of 18 wealthy Americans to solicit endorsements from presidential candidates in June 2019.
Roy E. He was the only heir who joined the business, and it is reported that although the original two brothers were close, the family never got along.
Disney family history
The Disney family name was originally “d’Isigny” (“from Isigny”), which is of Norman French origin, coming from the town of Isigny-sur-Mer in Normandy. Disney, along with others who took names from Norman, settled in England and gave their name to Norton Disney in Lincolnshire. Some families migrated to Ireland in about the 11th century.
Elias Disney (1859–1941) was born in the rural Canadian village of Bluevale (now Ontario, Canada), the child of Irish Protestant immigrants Keppel Elias Disney (1832–1891) and Mary Richardson (1838–1909). Both parents came to Canada from Ireland in childhood, with their parents.
Disney married Flora Call in 1888. They tied the knot on New Year’s Day in Kismet, Florida.
. The couple had five children:
- Herbert Arthur Disney was the eldest brother of Walt Disney. Born in 1888, he spent a significant portion of his life working as a mail carrier. He passed away in 1961 at the age of 72. Raymond Arnold Disney, insurance salesman (December 30, 1890 – May 24, 1989, aged 98)
- Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971, at the age of 78)
- Walter Elias Disney (December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966, at the age of 65)
- Ruth Flora (née Disney) Beecher, stenographer, WDHM donor and musician (December 6, 1903 – April 7, 1995, aged 91)
The Roy Disney Family
Roy Oliver Disney was a co-founder of The Walt Disney Company, known for his business acumen and financial expertise. He married Edna Francis in 1925, and their union lasted until he died in 1971. Roy’s nephew Charles Elias Disney named his son Charles Roy Disney in Roy’s honor.
His son, Roy Edward Disney (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009), was a longtime senior executive of The Walt Disney Company and the last member of the family to be actively involved in the company. Disney was often compared to his uncle and father. They had two sons (one, Tim Disney, a documentary filmmaker) 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 founded the Disney Brothers studio with his brother Roy. He received 59 Academy Award nominations, of which 22 were awards: both total records.
He married Lillian Bounds in 1925. They had two daughters, Dion (December 18, 1933 – November 19, 2013), and later, reportedly, after several falling outs, adopted Sharon (born six weeks early in December 1936 – February 16, 1993).
Dion married Ronald William Miller, who became chairman of Walt Disney Productions in 1980 and CEO in 1983 but was ousted by Roy E. Disney.
Sharon, who became an actress, had three children from two marriages, first to Robert Brown and later to William Lund, and died of complications from breast cancer on February 16, 1993.
Heritage and Controversies
The Walt Disney Hometown Museum opened in 2001 in the restored Santa Fe Railway Depot in Marceline, Missouri. This museum showcases Walt Disney’s early life and the influences that shaped his career.
The Walt Disney Family Museum opened in 2009 in the Presidio of San Francisco. This museum is dedicated to Walt Disney’s life, legacy, and the impact of The Walt Disney Company. It offers a comprehensive look at Disney’s work, from his early days in animation to his later ventures in theme parks and entertainment.
The Disney family’s wealth is not exactly known, but the company’s value has been estimated at approximately $130 billion. Walt Disney’s grandson Roy P. once said that the family owned less than 3% of the company. Still, this would bring his fortune to approximately $3.9 billion (not including any investments other than Disney holdings).
