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Tag Archives: Births

August 12

Posted on August 12, 2015 by disneydetail

August 12, 1919 – Supervisor of the Paint Lab and Disney Legend Dodie Roberts is Born

Dodie Roberts

“I love puzzles, and mixing paint was like putting together a puzzle. It was fascinating to create colors and to get them exact.”

On August 12, 1919, Dodie Roberts was born in Plainview, Nebraska. After attending college in Delaware, Roberts moved to Southern California in 1939, and was invited to visit the burgeoning Disney Studios. In October of that year, Roberts gained employment at the Studio as a runner for the Ink and Paint Department. Soon after, she was promoted, being given the choice position of creating new colors for the staff. The work was challenging and exact, as many proprietary colors were created in the lab for use in animated features; only the Supervisor of the department was allowed to know the ingredients in the paints, as there was fear that other studios could swipe the formula. In 1972, Roberts became the Supervisor of the Paint Lab, overseeing eight staff members and more than 500 shades of color. One of her responsibilities was making sure that the right paints were selected, down to the gradations of single colors to match the lighting and mood in any particular scene. In 1984, Roberts retired after 45 years with Disney. A shade of purple was developed in her honor, named Dodie 6. She, along with fellow employee Al Jones, worked to found the Disney Golden Ears Retirement Club in the same year for former employees. In 2000, she was honored as a Disney Legend. In 2008, Roberts passed away at the age of 88.

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August 8

Posted on August 8, 2015 by disneydetail

August 8, 1907 – Publisher and Disney Legend Angel Angelopoulos is Born

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“There were no strong copyright rules in Greece, at the time, like there were in France or England. Angel fought very hard to protect Disney and its characters.” – Fellow Disney Legend Armand Bigle

On August 8, 1907, Alkaios “Angel” Angelopoulos was born in Patra, Greece. After studying law and political science Athens University, he moved to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to practice law, and wound up becoming a reporter for the International News Services (INS), reporting on major events such as the Italo-Ethopian War and the Spanish Civil War. He continued to report for the INS during World War II, where he served in the Greek Resistance forces against the Germans. In 1950, Angelopoulos switched gears, this time working as a representative of intellectual properties, creating the company Educational Materials Enterprises S.A. Disney became one his many clients in 1953, with which he worked with much enthusiasm. He created the first Greek Disney magazine, entitled Mickey Mouse Weekly, and worked to manufacture Greek Disney merchandise. His zeal did not go unnoticed, and he was then asked to head up other developing markets, including those in Yugoslavia and Egypt. Angelopoulos was also instrumental in fighting the sale of pirated Disney merchandise in Greece, allowing Disney licensees to thrive. Known for his love of learning, he assisted Roy O. Disney in completing Walt’s dream of building the California Institute of the Arts, which was finally founded in 1970. Angelopoulos continued to work with intellectual properties into his 80s, and passed away in 1990 at the age of 82. He was honored as a Disney Legend in 1997.

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July 23

Posted on July 23, 2015 by disneydetail

July 23, 1911 – Background Artist and Disney Legend Al Dempster

Al Dempster

On July 23, 1911, Albert Taylor Dempster was born in Atlantic City, New Jersey. In 1939, after studying at the Art Center School in Los Angeles, he joined the Disney Studios as a layout trainee. After joining the background department, Dempster made significant contributions to the backgrounds of several animated feature films, including Fantasia, Make Mine Music, and Victory Through Air Power. He left the studios in 1945, but returned in 1952 to work on more animated features. What Dempster is most known for, however, is his work on the Disney Golden Books. Having loved to illustrate books, Dempster contributed his talents to reinterpreting the familiar Disney stories through new innovative and whimsical art. His most beloved piece was the book for Alice in Wonderland, which is widely regarded as a masterpiece in the Little Golden Books collection. In 1973, Dempster retired from the Disney Studios, and passed away in the Los Osos home at the age of 89 in 2001. In 2006, he was honored as a Disney Legend for his artistic credits.

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July 17

Posted on July 17, 2015 by disneydetail

July 17, 1912 – Radio and Television Personality, and Disney Legend Art Linkletter is Born

Art Linkletter

“Things work out best for the people who make the best of the way things work out.”

On July 17, 1912, Arthur Gordon Linkletter was born as Gordon Arthur Kelly in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, Canada. Abandoned at only a few weeks old, he was adopted by Mary and Fulton Linkletter. At age five, his family moved to San Diego, California, and after graduating from San Diego High School, he rode the trains and did odd jobs around the country. He would then attend San Diego State University, earning a bachelor’s degree in teaching, but would end up working as a radio announcer. This humble beginning in radio led to a full-fledged career in announcing, including the shows People Are Funny (which became a television program in 1954), Art Linkletter’s House Party, and Kids Say the Darndest Things. A friend of Walt’s, Linkletter offered his services to host the live broadcast of the opening of Disneyland in 1955, as well as those of his friends Ronald Reagan and Bob Cummings. On the park’s 50th anniversary, Linkletter opened the celebrations for the “Happiest Homecoming on Earth.” Known for his work ethic, good nature, and philanthropy, he was awarded with several honorary degrees throughout his life, as well as a National Humanities Medal and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. In 2005, for his work in promoting Disneyland, Linkletter was awarded as a Disney Legend. In 2010, Linkletter passed away in his Los Angeles home at the age of 97.

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July 8

Posted on July 8, 2015 by disneydetail

July 8, 1909 – Publisher and Disney Legend Mario Gentilini is Born

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“Mario [Gentilini] was a great pioneer in the comic field.” – Roy E. Disney

On July 8, 1909, Mario Gentilini was born inLuzzara, Italy. After studying art at the Accademia di Brera, he garnered a reputation as a figurative painter, and also taught high school until 1936. He was offered a temporary position at Arnoldo Mondadori Editore, a well-known publishing firm. It was there that Gentilini learned of Topolino magazine, which published the translated version of the popular Mickey Mouse comics. Gentilini’s position became full-time at the firm, and he started working as a retouch artist for the magazine before becoming its editor nine years later. Gentilini was instrumental in giving Italian artists to tell their own stories featuring the Disney characters; he also created the monthly magazine I Classici di Walt Disney in 1958, which featured the best stories from Topolino. His new magazine was published in seven languages, selling an average of two million copies per issue. He also created Manuale dell Giovani Marmotte, a Disney-themed manual for the Italian boy scouts. Gertilini retired from the publishing firm in 1980, and passed away in 1988. In 1997, he was inducted as a Disney Legend for his work in international Disney publishing.

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June 12

Posted on June 12, 2015 by disneydetail

June 12, 1922 – Performer and Disney Legend Fulton Burley is Born

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“Whenever I mention Fulton to anybody who knew him, they immediately smile every time.” – D23 Writer Scott Wolf

On June 12, 1922, Fulton Burley was born. Raised in Canada, Burley loved to sing at an early age, performing for weddings and on the radio. He studied law and music at the Wayne State University in Detroit, Michigan, but dropped his law studies to pursue a career in entertainment. Burley was able to secure a contract with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and appeared in supporting roles in several films. In 1943 he landed a role in the Diamond Horseshoe Review after a telephone audition, and continued to tour with several musical productions, honing his skills in music and comedy. In 1962, after receiving a call from friend (and eventual fellow Disney Legend) Wally Boag, Burley came to work at the Golden Horseshoe Review at Disneyland. While there, he not only gained popularity with the show, but recorded the voice for Michael in the Enchanted Tiki Room attraction. In 1987, Burley retired from Disney, but came back in 1997 to help rerecord the lines for the updated version of the Enchanted Tiki Room alongside Boag and Thurl Ravenscroft. He was honored as a Disney Legend in 1995. In 2007, Burley passed away from heart failure at the age of 84.

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May 24

Posted on May 24, 2015 by disneydetail

May 24, 1918 – Investor, Producer, and Disney Legend Jack Wrather is Born

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“My father had the notion that business should be fun. He had more fun with the Disneyland Hotel than with any other investment.” – Chris Wrather

On May 24, 1918, John Devereaux Wrather was born in Amarillo, Texas. A millionaire through his work in the oil industry, as well as through the expansion of his father’s company Wrather Petroleum Company, he headed to Hollywood after serving as a Marine during World War II. Wrather became a successful producer for several studios, diversifying his company into other entertainment mediums, including music and television. In 1954, Wrather reached a deal with Walt Disney to build a hotel near the Disneyland Park, which would become the Disneyland Hotel. The hotel broke ground mid-March of 1955, and was completed six-and-a-half months later. The hotel was groundbreaking as a new mix of entertainment and lodging, and continued to grow with the changing landscape of Orange County. Wrather’s contribution to the Disney Park set the standard for other Disney hotels. Wrather passed away in 1984 at the age of 66. He was honored as a Disney Legend in 2011.

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April 26

Posted on April 26, 2015 by disneydetail

April 26, 1916 – Artist and Illustrator Eyvind Earle is Born

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“Eyvind had done something that Walt loved on Lady and the Tramp: Walt wanted Eyvind to paint one background where when you saw that small American town, you wanted to live there forever. But if you looked up to the horizon, you saw adventure, and you wanted to get out of town.” – Animation historian John Culhane

On April 26, 1916, artist and illustrator Eyvind Earle was born in New York. As a child, his family moved to California, and at one point, his parents divorced. As a child, Earle suffered from polio, which killed his brother and paralyzed part of his face. At one point, Earle’s father gave him a command: every day, paint a picture and read fifty pages of a book. His father took him on a tour of Europe for three years, though the experience was less than ideal, as his father was a difficult man who beat his son. After three years, he headed back to his mother back in California. Although he didn’t want to paint anymore, he discovered he actually had a talent for it, and continued to do so during the Great Depression. In 1951, Earle was hired as an assistant background painter at the Disney Studios, with his first assignment being The Little House. He continued to work on animated features and short films, notably Melody and Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom with Ward Kimball. When working on Sleeping Beauty, he worked on all the key backgrounds for the film, with many of the animators praising his work and sneaking up to see his paint in his office. To this day, Earle’s backgrounds have been praised for providing an unforgettable look to the film. In 1966, Earle left Disney and returned to painting full time. He was honored with a Winsor McCay Award in 1998 for a lifetime of achievement in the art of animation. He passed away in 2001.

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April 21

Posted on April 21, 2015 by disneydetail

April 21, 1920 – Animator, Artist, and Disney Legend Bob Moore is Born

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On April 21, 1920, Bob Moore was born in Los Angeles, California. Moore had been exposed to Disney from an early age, when his father worked with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra as a violinist; the group was hired to play music for the earliest Mickey Mouse short films. In 1940, after attending the Chouinard Art Institute, Moore was hired at the Disney Studios as an apprentice animator, working on such films as Dumbo and The Three Caballeros. He continued to work on special projects as the country entered World War II, until he was drafted into the Navy, working on training films. After the war ended, he returned to the studio, working as a story man for animated shorts and package feature films. In 1951, Moore was asked to head up the art department for publicity, and ran it for three years as a one-man show. His success in the department led to a promotion to the creative director of marketing, designing movie posters, cards, and logos. In 1968, Moore designed the commemorative Walt Disney postage stamp. In 1983, Moore retired from the Disney Studios after working there for 43 years. Moore is also memorialized with his own color of Disney paint: Moore Red. He was inducted as a Disney Legend in 1996. In 2001, Moore passed away at the age of 81.

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March 30

Posted on March 30, 2015 by disneydetail

March 30, 1913 – Animator, Imagineer, Member of the Nine Old Men, and Disney Legend Marc Davis is Born

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“When I then came to the studio and met Marc Davis…he was the total opposite of Cruella de Vil in figure, but the sense of taste, that was a guy who really savored life, and you can see it in his animation.” – Animator Glen Keane

On March 30, 1913, Marc Fraser Davis was born in Bakersfield, California. After moving around several times due to his father’s job in oil fields, Davis enrolled in the Kansas City Art Institute after high school, which was followed by enrollments in the California School of Fine Arts and the Otis Art Institute. In 1935, Davis was hired by Disney as an apprentice for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. He soon rose through the animator ranks, working as a story sketch and character designer for Bambi and Victory Through Air Power. He continued to work on Disney animated features as a character designer, and is particularly known for creating the looks for Tinker Bell from Peter Pan, Alice from Alice in Wonderland, and Cruella de Vil from 101 Dalmatians, among others. Davis was also an animator for several key short films, including Duck Pimples and Toot, Whistle, Plunk and Boom. In the mid-50s, Davis began working for Walt Disney Imagineering, working as one of the original Imagineers on such attractions as it’s a small world, Pirates of the Caribbean, and The Haunted Mansion. His wife and fellow Disney Legend Alice also worked with Disney park attractions, creating costumes for the audio-animatronic characters. In 1978, Davis retired after 43 years at Disney, but continued to work in a consulting role. He and Alice continued to support the California Institute of the Arts. In 1989, Davis was honored with the other Nine Old Men as Disney Legends. In 2000, Davis passed away at the age of 86.

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