2004 Disney Legends Ceremony
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The next honoree was Matthew Garber (Film), who as a small boy was brought to the attention of Disney Casting by Shakespearian actor, Roy Dotrice. Teamed with co- star, childhood friend and fellow Legend, Karen Dotrice, Matthew lives forever in Disney’s classic live action pictures “The Three Lives of Thomasina�?, “Mary Poppins�?, and “The Gnome Mobile.�? After these pictures, he returned to England and unfortunately died at 21. His award was accepted by his brother, Fergus Garber.
Karen Dotrice
Introduced next was Karen Dotrice (Film) for her work in “The Three Lives of Thomasina�?, “Mary Poppins�? and “The Gnome Mobile.�? In addition to her Shakespearian father, her godfather was famed Charles Laughton. Karen began her career at age 4 on the stage for the Royal Shakespeare Company. When she came to the United States to work at Disney, her father had to remain in England as he was performing “King Lear�? on the stage, Walt became a Daddy figure to little Karen and she began calling him Uncle Walt. After the three films for Disney she returned to England and continued performing in films as well as television and was named Best Female Newcomer by the Evening News British Film Awards. After playing Desdemona in “Othello�? on Broadway, and retired from acting to be a full time mom. Recently she contributed her voice to a Mary Poppins Read Along and appeared in an ABC documentary “Walt Disney, Man Behind the Myth.�?
Irwin Kostal
Next Legend was Irwin Kostal (Music), who received Oscar nominations in the category of Best Music, Original Song Score and Adaptation for “Mary Poppins�?. “Bedknobs and Broomsticks�? and “Pete‘s Dragon.�? In his early career he worked on Sid Caesar’s television series “Show of Shows�?, conducted on The Gary Moore Show�?. He received Emmy nominations for his work on the Julie Andrews Show a well as “Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde�? starring Kirk Douglas. On Broadway he orchestrated “West Side Story�?, “A Funny thing Happened on the Way to the Forum�?, amongst others. He received two Academy Award for orchestrating and supervising the score for “West Side Story�? and as well as orchestrating and conducting “The Sound of Music.�? Other film contributions were “Chitty, Chitty, Bang, Bang�? and “Charlotte’s Web.�? He composed and conducted for the beloved holiday short, “Mickey’s Christmas Carol.“ Irwin Kostal died, while serving as president of the American Society of Music Arrangers and Composers. His award was accepted by his son, Irwin Kostal Jr.
Bill Anderson's daughters Shelby and Christina
Legend Bill Anderson (Film, Television & Administration) was hired by Disney, when the Studio was dedicated to producing training films for the U. S Armed Forces. First he started in the production control department, then moved to oversee the reorganization of feature animation’s ink and paint department, which led to a position as assistant to the Studio’s production manager. Later he was named Production Manager and eventually Vice President in charge of Studio Operations. After Walt’s death he became part of a small group of producers, who guided Studio motion picture productions. Bill produced such films as “Swiss Family Robinson“, “The One and Only, Genuine Family Band�?, “The Computer Wore Tennis Shoes“, “The Barefoot Executive“, “The $1,000,000 Duck“, “The Apple Dumpling Gang“, “The Shaggy D.A.�?, amongst many others. as well as numerous television episodes. In addition to all of the above Bill dedicated 24 years of service to its board of directors. Bill died in 1997 and his award was accepted by his daughters, Shelby and Christina.