Walt Disney

Walter Elias “Walt” Disney (born in Chicago, Illinois, December 5, 1901, died December 15, 1966) is the pioneer of animated films. In 1928 he co-created and voiced the character of Mickey Mouse. At his Walt Disney Company, he produced classics like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), Bambi (1942), Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951), Peter Pan (1953), Lady and the Tramp (1955), Sleeping Beauty (1959), One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and the live-action musical Mary Poppins (1964) starring Julie Andrews. He conceived and built Disneyland; the theme park opened in 1955.

Read Ready for My deMille: Profiles in Excellence – Walt Disney, 1953.

He received three special awards at the Golden Globes, in 1948 for Bambi “Furthering the Influence of the Screen”, in 1954 for The Living Desert “Best Nature Study Film of 1953”, in 1956 a Trailblazer Award for American storytelling.  And in 1953 the Cecil B. deMille “For Outstanding Contributions to the World of Entertainment.”