ELEVEN NEW DISNEY LEGENDS TO BE HONORED DURING D23 EXPO 2019 IN ANAHEIM ON AUGUST 23

ELEVEN NEW DISNEY LEGENDS TO BE HONORED DURING
               D23 EXPO 2019 IN ANAHEIM ON AUGUST 23

Robert Downey Jr., Bette Midler, and Other Remarkable Talents to be Honored at
   a Special Awards Ceremony Hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger

BURBANK, Calif. (May 16, 2019) – Robert Downey Jr. and Bette Midler, along with
such luminaries as Wing Chao, Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Kenny Ortega,
Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Ming-Na Wen, and Hans Zimmer, will be
honored as official Disney Legends during D23 Expo 2019 for their remarkable
contributions to the Disney legacy. Hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, the
Disney Legends Awards ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 23, in
Hall D23 of the Anaheim Convention Center.

“The Disney Legends Award is the highest honor we can bestow; it’s a recognition of
talent, a celebration of achievement, and an expression of profound gratitude to the
remarkable men and women who have made an indelible mark on our company and our
creative legacy," said Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney
Company. “This year’s honorees have earned a place in our hearts and our history for
their significant contributions in film, television, and our theme parks around the world.”

The Disney Legends Awards program is a 32-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company,
and the first Disney Legend was Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded
Professor, The Happiest Millionaire), who was honored in 1987. The awards ceremony is
just one of the dozens of spectacular events that Disney fans can enjoy during the three-
day D23 Expo.

The 2019 Disney Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are:

WING CHAO For 37 years at Disney, Wing T. Chao played a vital role in designing and
developing exceptional and inspirational projects, worth over $12 billion dollars, at
Disney parks and resorts worldwide. Wing served as vice chairman of Walt Disney
Parks and Resorts for Asia Pacific Development as well as executive vice president of
Walt Disney Imagineering where he oversaw master planning, architecture, and design.
Wing directed development teams consisting of Disney Imagineers and many of the
world's most renowned architects and designers, developed and built projects including
resort hotels, parks, cruise ships, entertainment venues, water attractions, convention &
exhibition centers, sports stadiums, restaurants, retail spaces, recreational complexes,
office spaces, and two new-town communities at The Walt Disney Company's

properties in California, Florida, Hawaii, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other
locations worldwide.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. is a two-time Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe®
winner who has appeared in more than 80 films. Considered one of the industry’s most
talented and respected actors, Downey has embraced both dramatic and comedic roles,
including his Disney debut in the 2006 remake of The Shaggy Dog. After numerous
standout performances, Downey then went on to help launch Marvel Studios with his
celebrated performance as Tony Stark as Iron Man. His role has spearheaded the
iconic blockbuster franchises Iron Man and Avengers, for which he’s starred in three
Iron Man films, The Incredible Hulk (2008), Captain America: Civil War (2016),
and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017); and four Avengers films, including the most
recent, Avengers: Endgame (2019), which shattered box office records and became the
largest ever film debut, bringing in $1.2 billion worldwide in its opening weekend.
Downey will next star in the title role in 2020’s The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle and is in
pre-production on the third installment of the successful Sherlock Holmes franchise.

JON FAVREAU Jon Favreau started his career with appearances in film and television
and has since become one of Hollywood’s most successful producers and directors.
Jon’s first roles included appearances on TV shows such as Seinfeld and Friends, but
his big break came with the Miramax indie film Swingers (1996), for which he wrote the
screenplay, starred, and co-produced. His directing credits include Iron Man (2008), Iron
Man 2 (2010), the live-action remake of The Jungle Book (2016), and this year’s
reimagining of The Lion King. Jon also made appearances in several Marvel Cinematic
Universe films as Tony Stark’s loyal bodyguard, Happy Hogan. As an executive
producer for the Marvel Studios, John holds credits on such films as Iron Man (2008),
Iron Man 2 (2010), Iron Man 3 (2013), Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of
Ultron (2015), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). He has also voiced characters for
Disney television shows and feature films, including Hercules (TV, 1999), Buzz
Lightyear of Star Command (TV, 2000), G-Force (2009), Star Wars: The Clone Wars
(TV, 2010–13), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Jon is writing and executive
producing the live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian for Disney+, which will
premiere this November.

JAMES EARL JONES James Earl Jones started his acting career with television and
film roles, including appearances in As the World Turns (1966) and Dr. Strangelove
(1964). But the Oscar®, Emmy®, and Tony® Award-winning actor is well known for his
iconic voice acting, beginning with the role of Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope
(1977). This villainous vocal performance was reprised in subsequent Star Wars films,
including most recently in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and TV shows like Star
Wars Rebels (2014–18). His voice can also be heard in Disney Parks around the globe,
including recurring vocal performances as Darth Vader for Star Tours: The Adventures
Continue. Other Disney credits include ABC’s Recess in 1998 as the voice of Santa
Claus, narrator for the Disneynature film Earth (2009), segment host for Fantasia/2000
(2000), and as the celebrity narrator for the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland.
Audiences also recognize the actor’s basso profundo as that of Mufasa in The Lion King
(1994), a role James would return to in The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride (1998), The Lion
Guard: Return of the Roar (2015), and this summer’s reimagining of The Lion King.

BETTE MIDLER When the Disney studio set out to expand the breadth of its film
production with Touchstone Pictures, it was Emmy®, Grammy®, Golden Globe®, and
Tony® winner Bette Midler who helped lead the way to box office success for the new
division. She appeared in a string of hit comedies including Down and Out in Beverly
Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), and Big Business
(1988). Touchstone’s 1988 drama Beaches not only proved to be a smash with
audiences, but it also included Bette’s platinum-selling rendition of “Wind Beneath My
Wings.” Other Disney films followed, including Stella (1990) and Scenes from a Mall
(1991), as well as a memorable vocal performance as the spoiled poodle Georgette in
Oliver & Company (1988). Bette is well known to Disney audiences for her role as the
witchy Winifred in the perennial Halloween classic Hocus Pocus (1993). She also
starred in The Lottery (1989), a short film produced for the Disney-MGM Studios Theme
Park (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Florida for guests of the park’s Backstage
Studio Tour.

KENNY ORTEGA is a multi-award-winning director, choreographer, and producer. His
first work with Disney was choreographing the TV special Disney’s Totally
Minnie (1988), followed by Mickey’s 60th Birthday the same year, and he would go on to
direct three episodes of Touchstone Television’s Hull High in 1990. In 1992, Kenny
directed his first feature film, the beloved Disney musical Newsies, which was followed,
in 1993, by the perennial Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus. In 2006, he helmed the
Disney Channel smash hit High School Musical, and the success of the first film would
bring him back to direct—and choreograph—the sequels High School Musical 2 (2007)
and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008). Ortega also produced and staged
the High School Musical Concert Tours, as well as the Miley Cyrus and Jonas
Brothers Best of Both Worlds Tour. His other Disney credits include directing the 2014
short The Making of Frozen, The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006), and most recently the
international phenomenon Descendants (2015), Descendants 2 (2017),
and Descendants 3, which will be released this summer.

BARNETTE RICCI Barnette Ricci started her career with The Walt Disney Company as
a choreographer at Disneyland. In the late 1960s, Barnette created and directed Kids of
the Kingdom before going on to choreograph and direct many parades, including
Christmas parades, America on Parade, and the Main Street Electrical Parade. She
worked on the grand openings of Walt Disney World, EPCOT Center, and Tokyo
Disneyland and directed popular stage shows such as Golden Horseshoe Revue at
Disneyland and the Diamond Horseshoe Revue in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney
World Resort. Perhaps her biggest project to date is the creation of Fantasmic! Debuting
at Disneyland in 1992, the production combines state-of-the-art special effects with live
performers along the Rivers of America. The show continues a successful run at
Disneyland, Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, and now Tokyo
DisneySea. Following Fantasmic!, Barnette moved to The Walt Disney Studios as the
vice president/show director of Special Events. After more than 40 years with The Walt
Disney Company, Barnette retired in 2013.

ROBIN ROBERTS In 1990, Robin Roberts joined ESPN and would quickly become a
frequent contributor to the network’s programming. In her 15 years at ESPN, she
contributed to NFL Primetime and hosted SportsCenter and In the Game with Robin
Roberts. Robin began making appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) in

1995, and in 2005 left ESPN to join the show full-time as co-anchor. Since joining GMA,
the show has won four Emmys® for Outstanding Morning Program. For ABC, Robin has
hosted In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: All Access Nashville, as well as ABC’s red
carpet coverage of the Academy Awards®, and has created original broadcast and
digital programming for the network through her production company, Rock’n Robin
Productions. In 2007, Hyperion publishing released Robin’s first book, From the Heart: 7
Rules to Live By. Among Robin’s many awards are the Walter Cronkite Award for
Excellence in Journalism, membership in the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and
being named one of Glamour's Women of the Year.

DIANE SAWYER Diane Sawyer is an ABC News anchor, tackling some of the biggest
issues of our time with original reporting, primetime specials, long-form interviews, and
in-depth investigations. One of the most respected journalists in the world, she has
traveled the globe delivering breaking news reports, and has conducted interviews with
almost every major newsmaker of our time. Her primetime documentaries have won
critical acclaim for shedding light on difficult and previously under-reported topics,
including her reporting on the realities of poverty in America. Sawyer's reporting has
been recognized with numerous awards, including duPonts; Emmys®; Peabodys; the
grand prize of the premier Investigative Reporters and Editors Association, an IRTS
Lifetime Achievement Award; and the USC Distinguished Achievement in Journalism
Award. In 1997 she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. After more
than a decade in television news, Sawyer joined ABC News in February 1989 as co-
anchor of Primetime. She was named co-anchor of Good Morning America in January
1999, and held the post until taking over the World News anchor chair in December
2009.

MING-NA WEN can currently be found saving the day as Agent Melinda May, aka “The
Cavalry,” on the ABC series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ming is also known for her
seven years playing Jing-Mei Chen on ER. Ming-Na Wen found success on the big
screen when she appeared in the acclaimed Hollywood Pictures adaptation of Amy
Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. Five years later, she would find animation immortality as the
title star of the Disney classic Mulan, a role for which she would receive an Annie
Award. Ming-Na returned to the role of heroic Fa Mulan in a slew of projects, including
an animated sequel, videogames Kingdom Hearts II and Disney Infinity, on
television’s House of Mouse and Sofia the First, and in the Walt Disney Animation
Studios film Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Ming-Na has been well known to
audiences for her television projects, including her voice work in Disney
Channel’s Phineas and Ferb, Disney XD’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Milo Murphy’s
Law, the upcoming six-part digital short Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, and a recurring
role in ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat.

HANS ZIMMER has scored more than 160 projects which, combined, have grossed
over $28 billion worldwide. Zimmer has been honored with an Academy Award ®, two
Golden Globes®, three Grammys®, an American Music Award, and a Tony® Award. In
addition to his long list of credits, including notable projects such as Gladiator and The
Dark Knight trilogy, Hans has had a great history with The Walt Disney Company. His
early work for them includes additional music for White Fang (1991) and co-writing
music for Cool Runnings (1993). His groundbreaking, Academy Award®-winning
instrumental score for The Lion King (1994) was followed by many memorable projects,

including Crimson Tide (1995), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), The Rock (1996), Pearl
Harbor (2001), King Arthur (2004), and Iron Man (2008). Hans is the guiding force
behind the music of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, serving in various
composing, editing, and producing capacities for The Curse of the Black
Pearl (2003), Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), and On Stranger
Tides (2011). Hans composed the music for this summer’s reimagining of The Lion
King.

Honorees receive a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies the
imagination, creativity, and magic they have brought to the Company. Disney Legends
Award recipients will also participate in a handprint ceremony at the end of the event,
and their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at the
Company’s Burbank headquarters.

Admission to the ceremony will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is included in
the price of a ticket to D23 Expo 2019.

Including this year’s honorees, a total of 288 Disney Legends have been named. Past
Disney Legends include Tim Allen, Julie Andrews, Beatrice Arthur, Howard Ashman,
Annette Funicello, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Jennings, Sir Elton John, Angela Lansbury,
George Lucas, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Regis Philbin,
Marty Sklar, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Betty White, and Robin Williams.
Beginning with the inaugural D23 Expo in 2009, thousands of Disney fans have been
able to enjoy the Disney Legends Awards ceremony live.

Tickets for D23 Expo 2019 are available for $89 for one-day adult admission and $69
for children 3–9. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase
tickets for $77 for a one-day adult admission and $59 for children 3–9. For more
information on tickets and D23 Expo 2019, visit D23Expo.com.

About D23 Expo 2019
D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings together all the worlds of Disney
under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts,
sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented access
to Disney films, television, games, theme parks, and celebrities. For the latest D23 Expo
2019 news, visit D23expo.com. Presentations, talent, and schedule subject to change.
To join the D23 Expo conversation, be sure to follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook,
Instagram, and YouTube, and use the hashtag #D23Expo.

About D23
The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt
Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in
Disney’s 90-plus-year history. It gives its members a greater connection to the entire
world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly
publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content;
member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.

Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($99.99), Gold Family Membership ($129.99),
and General Membership (complimentary) levels at D23.com. To keep up with all the
latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube.

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NOT FOR PRINT: For images, press releases, and the official media credential
application, please visit D23ExpoPress.com.

Contact:

Jeffrey Epstein
The Walt Disney Company
(818) 560-8125
Jeffrey.R.Epstein@Disney.com