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Walter Elias Disney

Walter Elias Disney

Male 1901 - 1966  (65 years)   Has 44 ancestors and 11 descendants in this family tree.


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  • Name Walter Elias Disney 
    Christening Dec 1901  St. Pauls United Church of Christ, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Birth 5 Dec 1901  Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Male 
    Death 15 Dec 1966  Burbank, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Burial 17 Dec 1966  Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Headstones Submit Headstone Photo Submit Headstone Photo 
    Person ID I97071  mytree
    Last Modified 25 Feb 2024 

    Father Elias Charles Disney,   b. 6 Feb 1859, Bluevale, Morris-Turnberry, Huron, Ontario, Canada Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 13 Sep 1941, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 82 years) 
    Mother Flora Call,   b. 22 Apr 1868, Steuben, Huron, Ohio, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 26 Nov 1938, North Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 70 years) 
    Marriage 1 Jan 1888  Kismet, Lake, Florida, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F31031  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family Lillian Marie Bounds,   b. 15 Feb 1899, Spalding, Nez Perce, Idaho, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Dec 1997, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 98 years) 
    Marriage 13 Jul 1925  Lewiston, Nez Perce, Idaho, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Divorce 1939 
    Children 
     1. Son Disney,   b. 12 Apr 1927, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 12 Apr 1927, Brentwood, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 0 years)
    +2. Diane Marie Disney,   b. 18 Dec 1933, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 19 Nov 2013, Napa, Napa, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 79 years)
    +3. Sharon Mae Disney,   b. 31 Dec 1936, Whittier, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 16 Feb 1993, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, California, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 56 years)
    Family ID F31033  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 3 Dec 2025 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsChristening - Dec 1901 - St. Pauls United Church of Christ, Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 5 Dec 1901 - Chicago, Cook, Illinois, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 13 Jul 1925 - Lewiston, Nez Perce, Idaho, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 15 Dec 1966 - Burbank, Los Angeles, California, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - 17 Dec 1966 - Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale, Los Angeles, California, United States Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Photos
    Disney, Walter E b1901 - Portrait
    Disney, Walter E b1901 - Portrait
    Walt Disney with his nephew Charles Elias Disney in the WED Enterprises in Burbank, CA in 1965.

  • Notes 
    • Entertainment Magnate and Film Pioneer. Most remembered for creating Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, and a host of other cartoon characters. He has won 32 Oscars, more than any other person, for his extraordinary achievements in films. Born Walter Elias Disney, the son of Elias and Flora Disney in Chicago, Illinois. His father's ancestors had come to America from Kilkenny, Ireland, seeking to escape from religious persecution. His father was always seeking success in many occupations but always finding failure, and the Disney family was always poor. Walt found that he could escape his father's harsh discipline by drawing, and in 1917, when he was 16 years old, he lied about his age to join the American Red Cross Ambulance Corps. When he was mustered out at the end of World War I, he set up shop as a commercial artist in Kansas City, Missouri. There he discovered the world of animation, and Walt took to it. Moving to Los Angeles in 1923 to be with his more successful brother, Roy, Walt began drawing commercially, making a modest living by drawing for the Alice series of cartoons, about a live action girl who travels to the world of animated cartoon animals. In 1927, his first really successful commercial cartoon, featuring Oswald the Rabbit, became a success, but Walt lost the rights to the character when sued by his distributor. From then on, Walt insisted on owning the distribution rights to his creations. In 1928, Walt created Mickey Mouse. His third Mickey Mouse film, "Steamboat Willie," was the first cartoon to use synchronized sound and became an overnight success. Walt was the voice of Mickey for the first ten years of the cartoon. In 1934, Disney pioneered the first full length cartoon movie, "Snow White", and again, critics were overcome by the sheer popular response of the public to the movie. In 1950, he produced his first live-action film, "Treasure Island," and in 1955, he opened his first theme park, Disneyland. Prior to his death in 1966 in Los Angeles, California, of lung cancer, he began work on his latest theme park in Orlando, Florida: Walt Disney's World. His brother, Roy, the business genius behind the scenes, continued to run the company, and decades after Walt's death, the Disney empire is still financially strong and keeping to Walt's legacy. Shortly after Walt's death, the Disney Company executive board was shown a short film that Walt made just before his death, where he addressed each board member by name, telling him what he expected of him, and ending the film by saying "I'll be seeing you." Walt Disney was one of the few Americans to be honored with a US postage stamp issued less than two years after his death (the US Postal Service prefers to issue stamps at least ten years after a person has died; an exception is made for US presidents), when a 6 cent stamp was issued in September 1968 in his honor.