During a 43-year Hollywood career that spanned the development
of the motion picture medium as a modern American art, Walter
Elias Disney, a modern Aesop, established himself and his product
as a genuine part of Americana. David Low, the late British
political cartoonist, called Disney "the most significant figure in
graphic arts since Leonardo."
A pioneer and innovator and the possessor of one of the most fertile imaginations the
world has ever known, Walt Disney, along with members of his staff, received more than
950 honors and citations from every nation in the world, including 48 Academy Awards®
and seven Emmys® in his lifetime. Walt Disney's personal awards included honorary
degrees from Harvard, Yale, the University of Southern California, and UCLA; the
Presidential Medal of Freedom; France's Legion of Honor and Officer d'Academie
decorations; Thailand's Order of the Crown; Brazil's Order of the Southern Cross;
Mexico's Order of the Aztec Eagle; and the Showman of the World Award from the
National Association of Theatre Owners.
The creator of Mickey Mouse and founder of the Disneyland® and Walt
Disney World® Theme Parks was born in Chicago, Illinois, on December
5, 1901. His father, Elias Disney, was Irish-Canadian. His mother,
Flora Call Disney, was of German-American descent. Walt was one of
five children, four boys and a girl.
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