Since Mickey Mouse first whistled in 1928’s Steamboat Willie, music has played an integral role in the success of The Walt Disney Company, and for over 30 years, Chris Montan helped define that Disney signature sound. One of the most well-respected executives in Hollywood, Chris re-established Disney’s music as a cultural phenomenon. As he explains, …
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Jonathan Groff is a talented Emmy® and two-time Tony Award® nominee. Onscreen, he is the voice of Kristoff and Sven in the hit Walt Disney Animation Studios films Frozen (2013) and Frozen 2 (2019). He has also given voice to both characters in 2015’s Frozen Fever, 2016’s LEGO® Disney Frozen: Northern Lights, 2017’s Olaf’s Frozen Adventure, …
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Born and raised in Maine to a school secretary mother and an insurance salesman father, Patrick got his first taste of performing, surprisingly, via juggling—winning second place second place in the Juniors category at the 1981 International Jugglers’ Association Championship. But it was an invitation to audition for the tour of Harvey Fierstein’s play Torch …
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Playing a beloved television character for 19 seasons is no easy feat—but Ellen Pompeo has accomplished that, and so much more, in her nearly 22-year career in Hollywood. Born and raised in Massachusetts, Ellen eventually made the move to New York City, and then to Los Angeles. After making her TV debut in 1996, higher …
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Kenny Ortega grew up in a household filled with music and dance, so it was natural for him to turn to musical theatre and film for a career. “When I was a little boy, I remember watching my mother and father dance in the living room. They would jitterbug and mambo. Before we had TV, …
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Born and raised in Honolulu, Hawai‘i, Bette Midler was 12 when she saw her first stage show, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Carousel, recalling, “I couldn’t get over how beautiful it was. I fell so in love with it. Everything else in my life receded once I discovered theatre.” Bette moved to New York in 1965. Within …
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With an art house filmmaker father and a writer and actress mother, Robert Downey Jr. was born to make his mark on the silver screen. Growing up in New York City, London, Santa Monica, and Greenwich Village, among others—wherever his parents were working—he recalled, “I was raised by a black-and-white RCA TV. Rod Serling. Bill …
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Born in Germany, composer Hans Zimmer has scored more than 160 projects which, combined, have grossed more than $28 billion worldwide. Hans has been honored with an Academy Award® , two Golden Globes®, three Grammys®, an American Music Award, and a Tony Award®. Hans first gained fame as a member of the pop music group …
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Serving her country is in Robin Roberts’ blood. Her mother was Lucimarian Tolliver Roberts, the first African American to lead Mississippi’s Board of Education. Her father, Lawrence Roberts, served in World War II as a pilot with the famed Tuskegee Airmen, the first African American military aviators. Today, Robin Roberts serves her country and makes …
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In 1967, as a member of a touring singing group called “The Young Americans,” a talented California singer and dancer named Barnette Ricci helped Bob Hope kick off the 1967 United Crusade supporting the United Way and American Red Cross. Soon thereafter, Barnette joined The Walt Disney Company as a Disneyland Cast Member, and, in …
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