{"id":3621,"date":"2026-07-11T11:35:30","date_gmt":"2026-07-11T06:35:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=3621"},"modified":"2026-07-11T11:35:30","modified_gmt":"2026-07-11T06:35:30","slug":"former-disney-exec-was-96","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=3621","title":{"rendered":"Former Disney Exec Was 96"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t<a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/don-iwerks\/\" id=\"auto-tag_don-iwerks\" data-tag=\"don-iwerks\">Don Iwerks<\/a>, the former <a href=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/tag\/disney\/\" id=\"auto-tag_disney\" data-tag=\"disney\">Disney<\/a> executive who innovated several cinematic advancements during his career, has died. He was 96.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThe Iwerks Entertainment co-founder died peacefully on Thursday at Ojai Community Memorial Care Center, \u201csurrounded by the love of family and friends,\u201d according to an obituary shared by his family.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\t\u201cThose who knew Don remember not only his extraordinary accomplishments, but the quiet grace with which he achieved them,\u201d the family said of Iwerks. \u201cLike his father, he delighted in solving problems, sharing knowledge, and celebrating the successes of others. Humble, endlessly curious, and unfailingly optimistic, he believed every challenge held the possibility of a solution.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tThey added, \u201cUp to the end he was sketching new inventions, cheering on the Los Angeles Dodgers, and watching classic films. <em>Mary Poppins<\/em> remained especially close to his heart\u2014a film whose optimism and enduring message that anything was possible perfectly reflected the way Don lived his life. \u2026 To the world, Don was an engineer, inventor, and Disney Legend. To those fortunate enough to know him, he was a devoted husband and father, a trusted mentor, a steadfast friend, and an eternal optimist.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tDisney CEO Josh D\u2019Amaro paid tribute to Iwerks in a statement. \u201cDon embodied that rare combination of heart, ingenuity and passion that has always defined Disney. Through his innovative contributions to some of our most iconic films and attractions, he helped create experiences that have delighted generations of fans around the world. All of us at The Walt Disney Company will miss him deeply, and we send our most heartfelt condolences to his family, whose enduring connection to Disney has helped shape its legacy for over a century,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-image \/\/  \">\n<figure class=\"o-figure   size-large alignnone lrv-u-max-width-100p\" style=\"width:100%; max-width:681px;\">\n<div class=\"c-lazy-image  \">\n<div class=\"lrv-a-crop-16x9\" style=\"padding-bottom:calc((1024\/681)*100%);\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" class=\"c-lazy-image__img lrv-u-background-color-grey-lightest lrv-u-width-100p lrv-u-display-block lrv-u-height-auto\" src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/themes\/pmc-deadline-2019\/assets\/public\/lazyload-fallback.jpg\" data-lazy-src=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?w=199\" alt=\"\" data-lazy-srcset=\"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg 851w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=100,150 100w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=199,300 199w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=681,1024 681w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=66,100 66w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=40,60 40w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=311,468 311w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=150,225 150w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=110,165 110w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=285,428 285w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=160,240 160w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=320,480 320w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=319,480 319w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=638,960 638w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=399,600 399w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=798,1200 798w, https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Don_Iwerks_Oscar.jpg?resize=511,768 511w\" data-lazy-sizes=\"(min-width: 87.5rem) 1000px, (min-width: 78.75rem) 681px, (min-width: 48rem) 450px, (max-width: 48rem) 250px\" height=\"1024\" width=\"681\" decoding=\"async\"\/><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div><figcaption class=\"c-figcaption  lrv-u-font-size-12 lrv-u-padding-tb-025\">\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\" lrv-u-font-size-16 lrv-u-font-size-14@mobile-max lrv-a-font-body-m u-font-style-italic lrv-u-font-weight-bold lrv-u-font-family-primary u-line-height-20 u-letter-spacing-0 u-line-height-18@mobile-max\">Don Iwerks accepts the Gordon E. Sawyer Award at the 1998 Academy Awards.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tBorn July 24, 1929 in Dallas, Texas, Iwerks grew up in Southern California, where his father, animator Ub Iwerks, became Walt Disney\u2019s business parter, co-creating Mickey Mouse and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIn 1950, Don followed in his father\u2019s footsteps when he began working at Walt Disney Studios\u2019 Process Lab, shortly before he served for more than a year in Germany as a U.S. Army Signal Corps photographer during the Korean War.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tDon returned to Disney in 1952, working alongside his father in the Studio Machine Shop to help develop cameras, optical printers and special effects systems for Disney films and theme parks, including the original Circle-Vision camera system, refinements to the sodium traveling matte process used in <em>Mary Poppins<\/em> (1964), and numerous projection technologies for Disney attractions around the world.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tAfter 24 years, Don and fellow Disney exec Stan Kinsey co-founded Iwerks Entertainment in 1986, which became a global pioneer in giant-screen theaters, motion simulators and immersive 3D experiences worldwide.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIn 1998, Don was awarded the Gordon E. Sawyer Award at the Oscars for his technical contributions to the motion picture industry. He and his father Ub were also honored with a dedicated Main Street, U.S.A. window in Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort.<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tDon is survived by survived by wife Betty; son Larry; son John and wife Chris; documentarian daughter Leslie and great-nephew Mike, both of whom went on to work at The Walt Disney Company. Don was preceded in death by his daughter Tamara, \u201cwhom he loved deeply and carried in his heart always.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"paragraph larva \/\/ lrv-u-margin-lr-auto     \">\n\tIn lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to the Community Memorial Continuing Care Center of Ojai and The Walt Disney Family Museum.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Don Iwerks, the former Disney executive who innovated several cinematic advancements during his career, has died. He was 96. The Iwerks Entertainment co-founder died peacefully on Thursday at Ojai Community Memorial Care Center, \u201csurrounded by the love of family and friends,\u201d according to an obituary shared by his family. \u201cThose who knew Don remember not&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3622,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/deadline.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/GettyImages-567421731.jpg?w=797","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3621","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-pics-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3621","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=3621"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3621\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/3622"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3621"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3621"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3621"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}