Walt Disney Biography

Walt Disney
Walt Disney
  • Born Dec. 5, 1901

Walter Elias Disney (/ˈdɪzni/; December 5, 1901 – December 15, 1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor, and film producer. He was a pioneer of the American animation industry who introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. Disney holds the record for most Academy Awards earned by an individual film producer, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations. He was presented with two Golden Globe Special Achievement Awards and an Emmy Award, among other honors. Several of his films are included in the National Film Registry by the Library of Congress.\n', '

Disney was born in Chicago and grew up in Missouri. He developed an early interest in drawing, starting work as a commercial illustrator at age 18. He moved to California in 1923 and set up the Disney Brothers Studio with his brother Roy. His first major success was the character Mickey Mouse, which he developed in 1928 with Ub Iwerks; he also provided the voice for his creation in the early years. As the studio grew, Disney became more adventurous, introducing synchronized sound, full-color three-strip Technicolor, feature-length cartoons, and technical developments in cameras. The results can be seen in features such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), Pinocchio (1940), Fantasia (1940), Dumbo (1941), and Bambi (1942), which all furthered the development of animated film. New animated and live-action films followed after World War II, including the critically successful Cinderella (1950) and Mary Poppins (1964), which received five Academy Awards.\n', '

In the 1950s, Disney expanded into the amusement park industry, opening Disneyland in 1955. To fund the project, he diversified into television programs such as Walt Disney\'s Disneyland and The Mickey Mouse Club; he was also involved in planning the 1959 Moscow Fair, the 1960 Winter Olympics, and the 1964 New York World\'s Fair. In 1965, Disney began development of Walt Disney World, the heart of which was to be a new type of city called the "Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow" (EPCOT). He was a heavy smoker throughout his life, and died of lung cancer in 1966 before either the park or the EPCOT project was completed.\n', '


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