| Birth: | Mar. 4, 1914
Minneapolis
Hennepin County
Minnesota, USA | | Death: | Jul. 8, 2002
Arcadia
Los Angeles County
California, USA | 
One of Walt Disney's original "Nine Old Men" animators/advisors. He joined the Disney Studios on April 2, 1934. He worked for Walt Disney Productions until his retirement on August 31, 1973, but he remained with Disney as an advisor for many years afterward. He worked on nearly every Disney animated feature film and many shorts. He was a Director as well as an Animator. He is most often associated with the character, Jiminy Cricket that he developed and animated. Ward Kimball collaborated with scientist, Werner von Braun when he directed/created three Disneyland television programs: 1955’s “Man in Space,” “Man and the Moon” and 1957’s “Mars and Beyond.” It has been reported that President Eisenhower requested copies of the programs for governmental use, and that these programs had a large influence on the development of the USA's space program. Ward Kimball was the recipient of many awards including the 1953 Oscar for “Toot, Whistle, Plunk, Boom” and in 1969 he received a second Oscar for directing “It’s Tough to Be a Bird.” In 1989 Ward Kimball was a recipient of the "Disney Legends Award." In 2000 he received a "Sparky" award. Ward Kimball was a life-long railroad/train enthusiast, a hobby and interest he shared with Walt Disney. He had an extensive collection of antique toy trains and even had his own backyard full-sized railroad (Grizzly Flats Railroad) with steam locomotives. Ward Kimball was also a founding member of the "Firehouse Five Plus Two" Dixieland jazz group, in which he played the trombone. Ward Kimball was the only person that Walt Disney was ever known to have called a "Genius." (bio by: Alan Davis)
Family links:
Spouse:
Betty Lawyer Kimball (1912 - 2010)*
*Calculated relationship
Search Amazon for Ward Kimball | | | Burial:
Unknown |
Maintained by: Find A Grave
Originally Created by: Alan Davis
Record added: Aug 30, 2004
Find A Grave Memorial# 9382977 |
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(4.3 after 58 votes)
