Walt Disney (1901–1966) was an American entrepreneur, animator, voice actor, and film producer who became a global icon of popular culture. He holds the record for the most Academy Awards earned by an individual, having won 22 Oscars from 59 nominations.
Born in Chicago and raised in Missouri, Disney began his artistic career as a commercial illustrator in Kansas City. After the bankruptcy of his first studio, Laugh-O-Gram, he moved to Hollywood in 1923 with his brother Roy to found the Disney Brothers Studio. His first major success was with the “Alice Comedies,” followed by “Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.” After losing the rights to Oswald, Disney and ubiquitous animator Ub Iwerks created Mickey Mouse in 1928. Disney provided the original voice for Mickey.
Disney was a pioneer in integrating sound and color into animation. Steamboat Willie (1928) was the first cartoon with synchronized sound, and Flowers and Trees (1932) was the first to use full-color Technicolor. He revolutionized the industry again with the release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937), the first full-length traditionally animated feature film. This success funded the construction of his Burbank studio and launched the “Golden Age” of animation, producing classics like Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo, and Bambi.
Beyond animation, Disney expanded into live-action film, television, and theme parks. In 1955, he opened Disneyland in California, the first modern theme park. He also oversaw the development of new technologies, including the Multiplane Camera and Audio-Animatronics. Before his death from lung cancer in 1966, he was developing plans for the “Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow” (EPCOT) in Florida.
Active in others filds : Theme Park Design (Imagineering), Film Production, Television, Voice Acting, Urban Planning.
