Roy O. Disney

Camera Department

Popular As Roy Oliver Disney

Birthday June 24, 1893

Birth Sign Cancer

Birthplace Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

DEATH DATE 1971-12-20, Burbank, California, U.S. (78 years old)

Nationality United States

#5553 Most Popular

1893

Roy Oliver Disney (June 24, 1893 – December 20, 1971) was an American businessman who co-founded The Walt Disney Company with his younger brother Walt Disney.

He also served as the company's first CEO and was the father of Roy E. Disney.

Disney was born to Irish-Canadian Elias Charles Disney and English-German-American Flora Call Disney in Chicago, Illinois.

1911

The family moved to Marceline, Missouri and to Kansas City in 1911.

On July 1, 1911, Elias purchased a newspaper delivery route for The Kansas City Star.

1912

Disney graduated from the Manual Training High School of Kansas City in 1912.

He left the paper delivery route and worked on a farm in the summer.

He was then employed as a bank clerk along with brother Raymond Arnold Disney at the First National Bank of Kansas City.

1917

Disney served in the United States Navy from 1917 to 1919.

Roy contracted tuberculosis and was therefore discharged from military duty.

1923

He forsook his banking career and hospital bed and in 1923, brother Walt joined Roy in Hollywood and the two planned the start of Disney Brothers Studio.

1925

Roy was married to Edna Francis from April 1925 until his death.

Roy met Edna Francis in Kansas City, Missouri when she worked at The Kansas City Times along with close friend Meredith A. Boyington, and she introduced Meredith to Raymond Arnold Disney, who was an older brother to Roy O. Disney.

Raymond and Meredith were married, and were lifetime close friends to Edna and Roy; they had two sons, Charles Elias Disney and Daniel H. Disney.

1927

It extended from 27th Street to the 31st Street, and from Prospect Avenue to Indiana Avenue.

Roy and his brother, Walt worked as newspaper delivery-boys.

The family delivered the morning newspaper, The Kansas City Times, to approximately 700 customers, and The Kansas City Star to more than 600.

The number of customers served increased with time.

1928

The brothers ordered kit houses from Los Angeles-based Pacific Ready Cut Homes and, in 1928, built their homes adjacently on Lyric Avenue in the Los Feliz neighborhood.

While Walt led the creative side, Roy guided the business side and finances.

1929

Together Roy and Walt founded Disney Studios as brothers, but Walt later bought out most of Roy's share in 1929 so, unlike Max and Dave Fleischer of rival Fleischer Studios, Roy was not a co-producer.

However, Roy was an equal partner in all facets of the production company.

Disney became the company's first CEO in 1929, although the official title was not given to him until 1966.

1930

Roy and Edna's son Roy Edward Disney was born on January 10, 1930.

Roy Edward Disney later was vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company.

Throughout his life, Roy Oliver Disney rejected the publicity and fame that came with being Walt's brother.

Roy's nephew Charles Elias Disney chose to name his son Charles Roy Disney in Roy's honor.

Roy remained a member of the Freemasons for decades before he resigned his membership.

1945

He also shared the role of chairman of the board with Walt from 1945 and succeeded Walt in the position of President around this time as well.

1960

In 1960, Walt dropped the chairman title so he could focus more on the creative aspects of the company.

1966

Following Walt's death on December 15, 1966, from lung cancer, Roy postponed his retirement to oversee the construction of what was then known as Disney World.

Five years after Walt's death, Roy was able to open the resort at a cost of $400 million without having additional debt.

He later renamed it Walt Disney World as a tribute to his brother.

1968

He held the position until 1968 when he handed it to Donn Tatum.

1971

After the opening of Walt Disney World on October 1, 1971, Roy finally retired but soon after he died from a stroke, at the age of 78, on December 20, 1971, five days after the fifth anniversary of his younger brother's death.

He is interred in Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills) next to his wife, Edna née Francis, in Los Angeles.

One of the Walt Disney World Railroad locomotives was named after Roy.

2002

On June 6, 2002, his son Roy E. Disney rededicated this locomotive in his father's honor.

2016

In September 2016, the locomotive took part in its centennial celebration hosted by the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society.

One of the three Hong Kong Disneyland Railroad locomotives is also named after Roy, where each locomotive is named after a past Walt Disney Company president.