The Old Maestro sat in the stands of Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum soaking up the warmth of the southern California autumn sun. Down on the field, the Chicago Cardinals and the hometown Los Angeles Rams collided again and again in the raucous fashion for which the early NFL was known. Walt Disney didn’t care for football; it was too brutish. He cared for sport, to be sure, most notably baseball and polo — games which take a bit more mental acumen than simply running headlong into another man clad in leather armor.
Walt turned his attention to the game as Rams quarterback Norm Van Brocklin checked a pass down to a rookie tight end. Before the rookie could turn upfield, the elbow of Cardinals star Dick Lane — “The Night Train” — smashed into his face and knocked him unconscious.
Disgusted, Walt left the Coliseum; he never saw another football game again.
However, at the end of the season, Walt did speak to that Rams rookie. “You know, I don’t want to be the father to your children,” Disney said to his son-in-law. “You’re going to die out there. How about coming to work with me?” Ron Miller left the Rams and joined Team Disney in 1957.
Miller, who married Walt’s eldest daughter Diane in 1954 while both were attending the University of Southern California, would go on to become a central figure in the history of The Walt Disney Company. In the late ’50s through the ’60s, Miller served as an assistant and full producer on several Walt Disney Productions theatrical releases, mostly the live-action films. He also produced The Wonderful World of Color on NBC for which he won an Emmy in 1971, along with five other Emmy nominations between 1966 and 1977.
Following the tragic deaths of Walt and Roy O. Disney in 1966 and 1971, respectively, Miller, along with longtime Disney brass, Card Walker and Donn Tatum, led the Disney-less Walt Disney Productions as each of the three men swapped the company’s top three positions between 1972 & 1984.
During his time as President (1978–1983) and CEO (1983–1984), Miller continued Walt’s tradition of innovation, championing experimental works like 1982’s Tron and stop-motion shorts from upstart animator Tim Burton. He laid the ground work for future successes as well, most notably securing the film rights to Who Framed Roger Rabbit which became a huge hit for the company after his tenure. Miller created Touchstone Pictures as a way for Disney to work with more mature material while keeping Walt Disney Pictures’ audience and family-friendly reputation intact. Miller also brought Disney into the burgeoning cable television industry with the founding of The Disney Channel in 1983.
Amid stockholder turmoil and dissatisfaction among traditionalists on the Board of Directors, Ron Miller was replaced by Michael Eisner as Walt Disney Productions’ CEO in 1984. Miller and Diane relocated north to California’s Napa Valley where they founded Silverado Vineyards in 1981. Miller brought his pioneering spirit to winemaking, keeping Silverado on the leading edge of environmentally friendly agricultural practices.
Miller supported and partnered with Diane’s passion for keeping her father’s memory alive. He produced the 2001 documentary Walt: The Man Behind the Myth. Diane founded The Walt Disney Family Museum in the Presidio of San Francisco in 2009, and, along with aiding his wife in the creation and opening of the museum, Miller served on the Board of Directors since its inception. Following Diane’s death in 2013, Miller succeeded her as President of The Walt Disney Family Museum’s Board.
On February 9, 2019, Ron Miller finished a life filled with more adventures and accomplishments than most could ever dream. The 85-year-old had been a college football star with the USC Trojans, served his country in the Korean War and played NFL football for his hometown team all before he turned 24. Miller learned from the Old Maestro, made his name as a Hollywood film producer and led Walt Disney Productions into the future, pioneering computer graphics and branching out into cable television and edgy cinema. And, ostensibly in retirement, he created an ecologically responsible vineyard and helped his wife achieve her dream, The Walt Disney Family Museum, which he continued to faithfully steward after her passing.
Ronald William Miller, you were a real pal! We’ll see ya real soon.
Austin Vaughn is a Columnist for the Boardwalk Times
