The year 2023 marks 100 years since the Walt Disney Company was founded. It’s incredible to believe that it’s been a whole century (the official anniversary date is October 16th). There have been countless people since then who have made legendary contributions to the studio, and there are a few who were born around the same time the studio was originally founded. Now in their 90s, I thought it would be nice to acknowledge them and their contributions, beginning with actors:
- David Frankham (97): Frankham’s most iconic Disney contribution is undoubtedly voicing the courageous Sergeant Tibbs the Cat in One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961). Prior to that film Frankham also appeared in the live-action Disney Films Johnny Tremain (1957) and Ten Who Dared (1960), where he had the rare of privilege of getting to meet Walt Disney himself while shooting on location in Dead Horse Point State Park, Utah, a privilege that Disney voice actors in general, didn’t get.
- Bob Newhart (93): Newhart’s most iconic Disney contribution is voicing the shy, but soft-hearted mouse Bernard in The Rescuers (1977), a role that he reprised in the film’s sequel The Rescuers Down Under (1990). While it was an important one, it remains Newhart’s only Newhart’s only Disney role. Though, in addition to be a television icon for sit-coms such as The Bob Newhart Show (1972-1978) and Newhart (1982-1990), he is also children’s/family movie icon for having voiced Leonard the Polar Bear Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Movie (1998) and for portraying Papa Elf in Elf (2003).
- Dick Van Dyke (97): Van Dyke’s iconic Disney role is portraying Bert the Chimney Sweep and Mr. Dawes Sr. in the blockbuster Mary Poppins (1964). Van Dyke also starred in the films Lt. Robinson Crusoe (1966) and Never A Dull Moment (1968) and cameoed as Mr. Dawes Jr. in Mary Poppins Returns (2018). He also portrayed himself, hosting the television special Donald Duck’s 50th Birthday (1984) and narrated the documentary Walt: The Man Behind the Myth (2001).
- Glynis Johns (99): Johns is currently the oldest surviving Disney Legend at 99. Her best-known Disney performance is playing Mrs. Winifred Banks, mother of Jane and Michael and wife to George Banks in Mary Poppins (1964). Prior to that film, however, Johns also starred in the live-action Disney films The Sword and the Rose and Rob Roy, the Highland Rogue, both of which were released in 1953. Three years after those films, Johns made The Court Jester (1956) starring Danny Kaye and future Disney legend Angela Lansbury, and in 1995 Johns appeared in While You Were Sleeping released by the Disney-owned Hollywood Pictures Company and starring Sandra Bullock.
- Nancy Olson (95): Olson was fortunate enough to star in five live-action films for Disney. The most popular is probably when she played the love-interest-turned-wife of Fred MacMurray in The Absent-Minded Professor (1961), because “Absent-Minded Professor,” was the very first live-action Disney film to spawn a sequel, Son of Flubber (1963) released two years later. Olson also starred in Pollyanna (1960), which was the feature film debut of Hayley Mills, Smith! (1969), and Snowball Express (1972), opposite Dean Jones. She made a cameo in Disney’s remake of “Absent-Minded Professor,” Flubber (1997), which starred Robin Williams. Besides her Disney roles, Olson was the inspiration for the song “I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face,” in the Original Broadway Production of My Fair Lady (1955) written by Frederick Lowe and Alan Jay Lerner, having been married to Lerner at the time.
- Mary Costa (93): Costa’s best-known Disney performance is voicing Princess Aurora, aka Sleeping Beauty in Sleeping Beauty (1959). While that is Costa’s only Disney role, as well as the most popular role of her entire career, she had a brief stint in movies, including the romantic comedy Marry Me Again (1953), which was written and and directed by her future husband, Frank Tashlin, who at the time was a former employee of Disney’s. She also voiced to the radio series The Great Gildersleeve (1941-1954) and the radio-turned-television series The Voice of Firestone (1928-1963). As of 2023, Costa remains one of two surviving voice actress of Disney Leading Ladies from films that Walt Disney personally produced. (The other is Kathryn Beaumont who voiced Alice in Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Wendy Darling in Peter Pan (1953)).
I think we have enough legends to close this week, but we will look at more next week. Hope you enjoyed this introduction!
