Diane Disney Miller

Who was Diane Disney Miller?

Diane Disney Miller was the elder and only biological child of Walt Disney and his wife Lillian Bounds Disney. Diane and her husband, Ron W. Miller, had seven children. She had a younger sister, Sharon Mae Disney, whom the Disneys adopted at birth in 1936. Sharon died in 1993.

Ron W. Miller was CEO of The Walt Disney Company until 1984, when Diane's cousin, Roy E. Disney, supported his ouster in favor of Michael Eisner, Frank Wells and Jeffrey Katzenberg.

In the early-1970s, the Millers purchased a vineyard in Napa Valley, California. Their intention was to upgrade the property, replant to premium varietals, install new trellising and frost protection, but not to build or run a winery. Disney Miller and her husband decided to construct their own winery in 1980. Since 1981, they have operated Silverado Vineyards Winery on a tract of their Napa property.

Disney Miller was instrumental in pushing ahead with the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles. The project was initiated with a $50 million gift from Lillian Disney, but got bogged down in wrangling over costs. Miller ensured the original design by Frank Gehry went ahead, and Walt Disney Hall finally opened in 2004.