Ron Miller, son-in-Law to Walt Disney and Walt Disney Productions CEO from 1978 - 1984 has passed away at age 85.
During Mr. Miller’s tenure, Walt Disney Productions diversified into more adult films by starting up Touchstone Pictures and opened up “New Fantasyland,” which finally brought Walt Disney’s original vision for DISNEYLAND’s Fantasyland to life. He was also responsible for creating a relationship with George Lucas, which eventually resulted in the construction of Star Tours. While Mr. Miller’s tenure was portrayed as being less than stellar, he had inherited most of the problems the company was saddled with at the time and had actually started many of the changes his replacement would later get credit for.
After his tenure at the company ended, Mr. Miller moved to Napa where he and his wife ran the Silverado Winery. They later founded The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Mr. Miller was preceded in death by his wife, Diane Disney Miller, who passed away in 2013. Mr. Miller’s influence is still felt throughout the company; the blockbuster opening of Star Wars Land this summer has its roots in the relationship started by Mr. Miller in the early 1980’s.
