"Life is made up of meetings and partings; that is the way of it.” That line, delivered by Kermit the Frog in The Muppet Christmas Carol, always feels extra fitting this time of year. With another year about to be put behind us, it’s time to pay respects to those the Disney community lost in 2023. At Disney, the salutation “Goodbye” is seldom used, so for this year’s in memoriam, we’ll keep to the vernacular and just say “See ya real soon.”
Dick Nunis
Disney Legend Dick Nunis, the prolific former chairman of Walt Disney Attractions passed away on December 13th at the age of 91. Hiring into what he thought was a summer job, Dick started his career with Disney at Disneyland in 1955. From 1967-74, Dick also served as chairman of the Park Operations Committee, and, in 1968, was bumped up to vice president of operations. By 1971, the year the Magic Kingdom opened at Walt Disney World, he was named executive vice president of Walt Disney World and Disneyland. On May 26th, 1999, exactly 44 years to the day since he joined the Company, Dick retired as chairman of Walt Disney Attractions.
Norman Lear
Iconic television and film producer Norman Lear lived to the ripe old age of 101, before sadly passing this year. Lear is known for producing several iconic television series like All in the Family, Good Times and The Jeffersons. On the film side, he executive produced classic movies like The Princess Bride and Fried Green Tomatoes. Lear was active in entertainment in recent years, earning Emmy Awards in 2019 and 2020 for installments of “Live in Front of a Studio Audience,” in which episodes of All in the Family, The Jeffersons and Good Times were reenacted with new performers.
Joss Ackland
British actor Joss Ackland was known to Disney fans for his role in The Mighty Ducks as Hans, a role which he reprised in D3: The Mighty Ducks. Ackland made his acting debut way back in 1952 with a supporting role in Ghost Ship. Some of his best known roles were in the action films Lethal Weapon 2 and The Hunt for Red October.
Suzanne Sommers
Suzzane Sommers got her big acting break in 1977 when she landed the role of Chrissy Snow on the ABC sitcom Three's Company – which is perhaps the role she’s still best known for. After a legal battle with ABC, she was fired from the sitcom, but made a return to the network in 1991 with Step by Step. In the world of Disney, Sommers hosted a TV special tied into the Totally Minnie campaign, which aired on February 25th, 1988 and appeared on the 20th season of Dancing with the Stars in 2015.
Shawna Trpcic
Emmy-nominated costume designer Shawna Trpcic created some of the most iconic costumes for The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and Ahsoka. She was considered something of a Star Wars historian by her peers, reading every making-of book she could find to better understand the techniques used in the films during various eras. In her studies, she specifically sought out material that included discussions between George Lucas and his designers and concept artists, which became the foundational ideas of her never-ending research into Star Wars costume design.
Pete Kozachik
Frequent collaborator to Tim Burton and Henry Sellick, Pete Kozachik, passed away from complications due to aphasia and primary progressive aphasia. Kozachik was a visual effects supervisor who earned an Academy Award nomination for his work on The Nightmare Before Christmas. Some of his other credits include Corpse Bride, James and the Giant Peach, Honey, I Shrunk the Kids and The Matrix. Before that, he worked as a visual effects camera operator on Howard the Duck, and he went on to contribute to Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home, Innerspace, Willow, Ghostbusters II, Hudson Hawk and RoboCop3.
Johnny Hardwick
Johnny Hardwick voiced Dale Gribble in Fox’s hit animated series King of the Hill, which is set for a revival from Hulu and 20th Television Animation. Hardwick was set to reprise his role for the returning series but he had not completed recording the new season at the time of his death. Prior to working on King of the Hill, Hardwick got his start doing stand-up comedy in 1990 and went on to make appearances on The Jon Stewart Show and at L.A.’s The Laugh Factory and the Montreal Comedy Festival.
Clifton Oliver
Clifton Oliver, a stage actor who appeared in The Lion King on Broadway, passed away following a lengthy illness. Oliver was a native of Jacksonville, FL, before moving to New York in pursuit of an acting career. In 2010, he joined the Broadway replacement cast of In the Heights in the role of Benny (opposite Jordin Sparks), and would appear in replacement casts of Wicked (in the ensemble and as Fiyero) and The Lion King (Simba). He also played Simba in the national Lion King tour, appearing in the Los Angeles and Las Vegas stagings of the enduring Disney musical.
Paul Reubens
The world lost a comedic legend as we said goodbye to the actor/comedian Paul Reubens, after losing a private battle with cancer. Best known for creating the character of Pee-Wee Herman, Reubens had a lengthy career in the entertainment industry. Just after the debut of Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure, he could be heard in 1986’s Flight of the Navigator, providing the voice of Max, the ship’s robotic pilot that commands the ship. His role as Max is what landed him another robotic pilot role, that of RX-24 in the iconic Disney Parks attraction, Star Tours, as it appeared in its original form from 1986 until 2010. He reprised this role again in an episode of Star Wars: Rebels, “Droids in Distress,” and later returned as RX-24 became DJ-R3X in Oga’s Cantina at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Jim Korkis
Jim Korkis was a beloved Disney historian who authored dozens of books focused on the history of Disney Parks and other aspects of the company, including titles like Final Secret Stories of Walt Disney World: Conclusion of the First 50 Years and several volumes of The Vault of Walt. Many of his books can be found here. He can also be heard in several episodes of The Sweep Spot podcast right here on LaughingPlace.com.
Manny Coto
American Horror Story writer Manny Coto grew up near Walt Disney World in Orlando, and harbored a love of film from a young age, making a horror film with his dad’s Super8 camera. He moved to Los Angeles in 1983, where he was able to meet and persuade actress Tippi Hedren to star in his murder mystery film, Twist, which got him into the American Film Institute. In the world of Disney, Coto served as executive producer on four seasons of American Horror Story and two seasons of American Horror Stories, directing the 2021 episode “Feral” of the latter. He also directed the 2001 Disney Channel Original Movie, Zenon: The Zequel.
Randy Fullmer
Walt Disney Animation Studios effects animator and producer of titles like Chicken Little and The Emperor’s New Groove, Randy Fullmer, got his start at Don Bluth Productions in the early 1980s. In 1987, he joined the team at Walt Disney Feature Animation (now Walt Disney Animation Studios) for a three-month contract working on Who Framed Roger Rabbit, which extended into an 18 year career at the studio. At the studio, he worked on Oliver & Company, The Little Mermaid, The Rescuers Down Under, Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and The Hunchback of Notre Dame. Fullmer also served as a producer on the ill-fated Kingdom of the Sun, which eventually became The Emperor’s New Groove. His final credit with Disney was 2005’s Chicken Little.
Tina Turner
Music icon Tina Turner began recording in the 50s while she was still attending high school, later signing with Ike Turner and his band. Widely known for their personal relationship, Ike and Tina eventually performed together as part of the Ike and Tina Turner Revue, where they were far more successful as performers than in their marriage. In 1984, she returned to the spotlight as a solo act which lifted her to megastardom with her album, Private Dancer and its major hits, “Private Dancer,” “Better Be Good to Me” and “What’s Love Got to Do With It.” The latter of which went on to win three awards at the 1985 Grammys. Turner is recognized among Disney fans for her contributions alongside Phil Collins to the official soundtrack for the Walt Disney Animation Studios film, Brother Bear, where she sang the song “Great Spirits.”
Ray Stevenson
Irish actor Ray Stevenson, best known for his roles as Porthos in 2011’s The Three Musketeers and as Volstagg in Marvel Studios’ Thor and Thor: The Dark World, passed away in May. His passing came before the release of Star Wars: Ahsoka, in which he played the villainous Baylan Skoll – a highlight of the show for many fans. He also played the title character in Lionsgate’s Punisher: War Zone in 2008, making him one of the few actors who have portrayed multiple Marvel Comics characters through the years.
Barry Humphries
Tony award-winning Australian comedian Barry Humphries was known throughout the world for his stage persona, Dame Edna Everage. Though mostly known for his Dame Edna character, Disney fans and fans of animation are sure to know Humphries for his voice role in the 2003 Pixar Animation Studios film, Finding Nemo, where he lent his talents to bringing Bruce the shark to life.
Lance Reddick
Actor Lance Reddick was perhaps best known for his role as Charon in the John Wick franchise of films. On the small screen, he had starring roles in The Wire, Fringe and Bosch. Reddick’s largest role in the world of Disney, was as Matthew Abaddon in the iconic ABC series Lost. He made a creepy, but memorable appearance as Papa Legba in the third season of FX’s American Horror Story: Coven, reappearing in the eighth season, Apocalypse. One of his final roles is in the new Disney+ adaptation of Percy Jackson and the Olympians, where he portrays Zeus.
Rolly Crump
Disney Legend Rolly Crump had a long and storied career with Disney, where he got his start working on animated classics such as Peter Pan, Lady and the Tramp and One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Moving over to WED Enterprises, he contributed significant designs to The Enchanted Tiki Room, “it’s a small world,” and The Haunted Mansion. In the 1970s, Crump left Disney to work on numerous other theme park projects, including the wildly popular Knott’s Beary Tales dark ride at Knott’s Berry Farm. He returned to Disney in 1976, helping with The Land pavilion at EPCOT and early planning for the Wonders of Life pavilion, before leaving again in 1981 to launch his own firm. He returned to Disney once again in 1992, joining as an executive designer at WDI for EPCOT. He retired from the company in 1996, and was named a Disney Legend in 2004.
Russell Merritt
Russell Merritt was a film historian who, among his many areas of focus, was a source of immense knowledge on early Disney animation. Merritt co-authored two books focusing on the early days of Disney animation – Walt in Wonderland: The Silent Films of Walt Disney and Silly Symphonies: A Companion to the Walt Disney Cartoon Series. He spent his career gifting his passion of film to students, first at the University of Wisconsin-Madison for two decades before moving to California in 1986 to teach at the University of California-Berkeley.
Burny Mattinson
Burny Mattinson was the longest-serving cast member in the history of The Walt Disney Company and, prior to his passing, was due to receive his 70th anniversary service award (the first ever). Among Mattinson’s achievements were a solo directing credit on the 1983 animated featurette Mickey’s Christmas Carol, and a role as producer as well as co-director of the 1986 Disney feature The Great Mouse Detective. Mattinson was still working full-time at Walt Disney Animation Studios as a story consultant and mentor at the time of his passing. Long before Strange World and Big Hero 6, he worked as an artist on such classics as Lady and the Tramp, One Hundred and One Dalmatians, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book and The Rescuers. He was featured posthumously in-person in Once Upon a Studio, the brilliant short celebrating Disney’s 100th anniversary.
Charles Kimbrough
Perhaps best known for his role as Jim Dial on the long-running CBS sitcom Murphy Brown, Charles Kimbrough also voiced characters in multiple Disney projects, including Victor from The Hunchback of Notre Dame. His other Disney credits include Mort Chalk in Recess, his Murphy Brown character Jim Dial in Family Guy and Brain Pod #29 in Buzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure Begins. He also reprised his role as Victor in one of the many Kingdom Hearts games.
Cindy Williams
Actress Cindy Williams was best known for playing Shirley in the Happy Days spin-off Laverne & Shirley, which ran for eight seasons on ABC. After that series wrapped in 1982, she starred in three TV movies for Disney (The Leftovers, Help Wanted: Kids, and Save the Dog) and also appeared in the Disney Channel series Just Like Family, a spin-off of Help Wanted: Kids that ran for one season. During this era, she did the ribbon cutting for Mickey’s Birthdayland at Walt Disney World, an area of the Magic Kingdom that is now home to Storybook Circus.
Gregory Allen Howard
In writing the script for sports drama Remember the Titans, Gregory Allen Howard became the first African American screenwriter for a $100 million drama. Harriet, originally titled Freedom Fire, was Howard’s first feature assignment more than 28 years ago at Disney. Eventually, the movie was made and released in 2019, starring Cynthia Erivo, Leslie Odom Jr., Janelle Monae and Joe Alwyn, and directed by Kasi Lemmons.
Chris Ledesma
The passing of longtime music editor for The Simpsons, Chris Ledesma, was announced via a beautiful tribute in an episode of the show. Ledesma had a long career with The Simpsons, working on every episode from the show's launch in 1989 until his retirement in May 2022. In September 2021, Ledesma marked a “significant milestone,” tweeting that he had worked on The Simpsons for half of his life.
