Diane Disney Miller, the eldest daughter of Walt Disney and Lillian Bounds Disney, was born on December 18, 1933. Weeks before Diane’s birth, Walt wrote a letter to his mother, Lillian, saying, “I suppose I’ll be as bad a parent as anyone else. I’ve made a lot of vows that my kid won’t be spoiled, but I doubt it…I bought my baby a present last week. I found a nice half-thoroughbred mare, which I thought would make a wonderful present for my baby. Of course, I figured I could make use of it until the baby got old enough to use it.” The mare joined the five polo ponies Walt already owned, which he called his “only sin,” given that he didn’t involve himself with vices such as gambling. Three years later, in 1936, Diane’s younger sister, Sharon Mae Disney, was adopted by the couple. In 1954, Diane married Ronald W. Miller, who later served as president of Walt Disney Productions. The couple had seven children—Christopher D. Miller, Joanna Miller, Tamara Scheer, Jennifer Miller-Goff, Walter Elias Disney Miller, Ronald Miller, and Patrick Miller. Diane went on to write a biography of her father in 1956.
