Roy Edward Disney
| Roy E. Disney KCSG |
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|---|---|
Disney on December 11, 2007
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| Born |
Roy Edward Disney January 10, 1930 Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Died | December 16, 2009 (aged 79) Newport Beach, California, U.S. |
| Cause of death | Stomach cancer |
| Resting place | Ashes scattered into Pacific Ocean |
| Residence | Los Angeles, California |
| Nationality | American |
| Education | Buckley School |
| Alma mater | Pomona College |
| Occupation | Vice Chairman, The Walt Disney Company Chairman, Walt Disney Feature Animation |
| Years active | 1954–2009 |
| Home town | Los Angeles, California |
| Net worth | US$1.2 billion (2006) |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse(s) |
Patricia Dailey (m. 1955; div. 2007) Leslie DeMeuse (m. 2008; his death 2009) |
| Children | 4, including Abigail Disney |
| Parent(s) |
Roy Oliver Disney Edna Francis |
| Relatives | See Disney family |
| Awards |
Annie Award (1993) Disney Legend Award (1998) Lifetime Achievement Award in Animation (2002) |
Roy Edward Disney, KCSG (January 10, 1930 – December 16, 2009) was a longtime senior executive for The Walt Disney Company, which his father, Roy Oliver Disney, and his uncle Walt Disney founded. At the time of his death he was a shareholder (more than 16 million shares or about 1%), and served as a consultant for the company and Director Emeritus for the Board of Directors. He is perhaps best known for organizing the ousting of two top Disney executives: first, Ron Miller in 1984, and then Michael Eisner in 2005.
As the last member of the Disney family to be actively involved in the company, Roy Disney was often compared to his uncle and father. In 2006, Forbes magazine estimated his personal fortune at about $1.2 billion.
Disney was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Edna (née Francis; 1890-1984) and Roy Oliver Disney (1893-1971), and nephew of Walt Disney. He graduated from Pomona College in 1951 and first began working for Walt Disney Productions as an assistant director and producer (True-Life Adventure). He continued until 1967 when he was elected to the Board of Directors of the company.
Roy Disney resigned as an executive from Walt Disney Productions in 1977 due to disagreements with corporate decisions then. As he claimed later, "I just felt creatively the company was not going anywhere interesting. It was very stifling." He retained a seat on the board of directors. His resignation from the board in 1984, which occurred in the midst of a corporate takeover battle, was the beginning of a series of developments that led to the replacement of company president and CEO Ronald William Miller (married to Walt's daughter Diane Marie Disney) by Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. While investors were attempting hostile takeovers of Disney with the intention of dismantling the company and selling off its assets, Roy organized a consortium of white knight investors to fend off the takeover attempts which led to Eisner and Wells being brought on. Roy soon returned to the company as vice-chairman of the board of directors and chairman of the animation department, later named Walt Disney Feature Animation.
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