| Name | Walter Elias Disney |
| Born | December 5, 1901 |
| Died | December 15, 1966 |
| Was Born In | Chicago, Illinois |
| Spouses | Lillian Bounds (m. 1925–1966) |
| Children | Diane Disney Miller, Sharon Mae Disney (adopted) |
| Occupation | Animator, film producer, entrepreneur, voice actor |
| Known For | Creating Mickey Mouse, Disneyland, pioneering animated films, establishing Walt Disney Productions |
| Awards | Multiple Academy Awards (including honorary), Emmy Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Presidential Medal of Freedom |
| Famous Quotes | “All our dreams can come true, if we have the courage to pursue them.” “The way to get started is to quit talking and begin doing.” “If you can dream it, you can do it.” “Laughter is timeless, imagination has no age, dreams are forever.” |
Walt Disney – Life milestones
| Year | Age | Event |
| 1901 | 0 | Born in Chicago to Elias and Flora Disney. |
| 1906 | 5 | Moved to Marceline, MO; developed interest in drawing. |
| 1910 | 9 | Family sold the farm due to poor health. |
| 1911 | 10 | Moved to Kansas City, MO; delivered newspapers, discovered vaudeville and movies. |
| 1917 | 16 | Moved to Chicago; attended McKinley High School and Chicago Academy of Fine Arts. |
| 1918 | 17 | Joined American Ambulance Corps, served in France. |
| 1919 | 18 | Returned to US, moved to Kansas City, started at Pesmen-Rubin Commercial Art Studio. |
| 1920 | 19 | Met Ub Iwerks, formed Iwerks-Disney Commercial Artists; joined Kansas City Film Ad Company, discovered animation. |
| 1922 | 21 | Incorporated Laugh-O-gram Films, Inc. |
| 1923 | 22 | Laugh-O-gram went bankrupt; moved to Hollywood, established Disney Brothers Studio. |
| 1924 | 23 | Hired animators, focused on story development; Lillian Bounds started as inker. |
| 1925 | 24 | Married Lillian Bounds. |
| 1926 | 25 | Studio renamed Walt Disney Studios, moved to Hyperion Avenue. |
| 1927 | 26 | Contracted for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit series; abandoned character. |
| 1928 | 27 | Created Mickey Mouse; produced Steamboat Willie, synchronized sound and animation. |
| 1929 | 28 | Launched “Silly Symphonies.” |
| 1930 | 29 | Licensed Mickey-related merchandising. |
| 1931 | 30 | Mickey Mouse Club membership passed 1 million; suffered a nervous breakdown. |
| 1932 | 31 | Acquired exclusive use of three-strip Technicolor; hired teachers for studio classes. |
| 1933 | 32 | Released “Three Little Pigs”; daughter Diana born. |
| 1936 | 35 | Adopted daughter Sharon; developed multiplane camera. |
| 1937 | 36 | Released Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. |
| 1938 | 37 | Acquired land in Burbank for new studio; mother Flora died. |
| 1939 | 38 | Won honorary Academy Award for Snow White. |
| 1940 | 39 | Released Pinocchio and Fantasia; studio issued shares. |
| 1941 | 40 | Released Dumbo; animators struck and unionized; toured South America; US entered WWII; father Elias died. |
| 1942 | 41 | Released Bambi and Saludos Amigos; began morale-boosting films. |
| 1944 | 43 | Re-released Snow White successfully. |
| 1946 | 45 | Reassigned Mickey Mouse voice; released Song of the South. |
| 1947 | 46 | James Baskett won honorary Academy Award; testified before HUAC. |
| 1948 | 47 | Premiered Seal Island; visited Chicago railroad fair, planned home railroad. |
| 1949 | 48 | Seal Island won Academy Award. |
| 1950 | 49 | Released Cinderella and Treasure Island. |
| 1953 | 52 | Created Buena Vista Film Distribution Company. |
| 1954 | 53 | Contracted with ABC for TV program; bought land for Disneyland. |
| 1955 | 54 | Released Lady and the Tramp; Disneyland opened; introduced “Mickey Mouse Club.” |
| 1960 | 59 | Served as Head of Pageantry for 1960 Winter Olympics. |
| 1961 | 60 | Planned California Institute of the Arts. |
| 1964 | 63 | Released Mary Poppins, received Presidential Medal of Freedom; designed World’s Fair exhibits. |
| 1965 | 64 | Purchased land in Orlando for EPCOT. |
| 1966 | 65 | Died on December 15. |
