Diane Disney Miller | |
---|---|
Born |
Diane Marie Disney December 18, 1933 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
Died | November 19, 2013 Napa, California, U.S. |
(aged 79)
Resting place | Forest Lawn Memorial Park, Glendale |
Spouse(s) | Ron W. Miller (m. 1954) |
Children | 7 |
Parent(s) |
Walt Disney Lillian Bounds Disney |
Signature | |
Diane Disney Miller (December 18, 1933 – November 19, 2013) was the oldest and only biological child of Walt Disney and his wife Lillian Bounds Disney.
Miller published a series of eight pieces for the Saturday Evening Post in 1956 titled "My Dad, Walt Disney", co-written with Pete Martin. In 1957 she published the book The Story of Walt Disney. After her husband was removed from his executive position at Walt Disney Productions in 1984, Miller began to limit her involvement with the company.
Miller was instrumental in pushing ahead with the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. The project was initiated with a $50 million gift from her mother in 1988, but was stalled for a time due to cost negotiations. Miller ensured the original design by Frank Gehry went ahead, and the hall finally opened in 2004.
Miller was present at the Disneyland 50th birthday celebration on July 17, 2005, where she read her father's original dedication of the theme park from 50 years prior. She was directly involved in organizing development of The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco, which opened in October 2009.
When she was 20 years old, Disney and then-USC Trojans football player Ron Miller were introduced on a blind date. After a period of dating, the couple were married in a small church wedding on May 9, 1954. Their first child, Christopher, was born in December of the same year. The couple would go on to have six more children: Joanna (b. 1956), Tamara (later Scheer; b. 1957), Jennifer (later Miller-Goff; b. 1960), Walter Elias Disney Miller (b. 1961), Ronald (b. 1963), and Patrick (b. 1967).
Five months after their wedding, Miller's husband was drafted into the U.S. Army. Following his army service, Miller played a season as tight end with the Los Angeles Rams.