In 1930, Roy Williams started his career at The Walt Disney Studios as an artist and later a storyman, until the advent of television. Then, one day, Walt Disney personally cast the “300 pounds of walking pixie” in a new role. As Roy later recalled, “Walt was in my office when suddenly, he looked up at me and said, ‘Say, you’re fat and funny looking. I’m going to put you on the Mickey Mouse Club and call you the Big Mooseketeer!” Roy, with his impish grin, became an instant favorite with children around the world.
Born in Colville, Washington, Roy grew up in Los Angeles. While attending Fremont High School, he developed a unique ability to make people laugh with the outrageous cartoons he sketched. After high school, he was offered a sports scholarship to the University of Southern California, but instead, applied for a job at the up-and-coming Walt Disney Studios, where he was personally hired by Walt.
During those early years, Roy worked on most all of the animated shorts… read more
In 1930, Roy Williams started his career at The Walt Disney Studios as an artist and later a storyman, until the advent of television. Then, one day, Walt Disney personally cast the “300 pounds of walking pixie” in a new role. As Roy later recalled, “Walt was in my office when suddenly, he looked up at me and said, ‘Say, you’re fat and funny looking. I’m going to put you on the Mickey Mouse Club and call you the Big Mooseketeer!” Roy, with his impish grin, became an instant favorite with children around the world.
Born in Colville, Washington, Roy grew up in Los Angeles. While attending Fremont High School, he developed a unique ability to make people laugh with the outrageous cartoons he sketched. After high school, he was offered a sports scholarship to the University of Southern California, but instead, applied for a job at the up-and-coming Walt Disney Studios, where he was personally hired by Walt.
During those early years, Roy worked on most all of the animated shorts produced by the Studio, while attending evening classes at Chouinard Art Institute. He moved to the story department after presenting a Donald Duck gag scenario to Walt. In the gag, Donald swallowed a magnet and attracted every metal object imaginable. Walt was so impressed with Roy’s unbridled imagination that he tripled his salary.
Roy E. Disney, vice chairman of The Walt Disney Company, recalled, “Roy was amazing. You’d ask him for gags for a situation and he’d give you literally hundreds of them.”
As a story man, Roy contributed to such animated films as “Saludos Amigos,” “The Three Caballeros” and “Make Mine Music,” while as an artist, he contributed to “The Night Before Christmas,” “The China Shop,” among others.
During World War II, he designed more than 100 insignias for the armed forces, including the award-winning Flying Tigers insignia. His fun-loving nature and immense talent also made him a perfect publicity representative for the company. On numerous occasions, Roy traveled across the country to promote the re-release of such films as “Cinderella,” while in 1959, he served as goodwill ambassador for The Walt Disney Studios. Later, he worked as a Disney comic strip artist, cartoonist at Disneyland and consultant on the traveling arena show, “Disney on Parade.”
For four seasons he played “Big Roy” on the “Mickey Mouse Club” and is credited with designing the trademark ears worn by cast members. Even today, Roy continues to be recognized and loved by new generations of children, who watch reruns of the “Mickey Mouse Club” on the Disney Channel.
Roy Williams died November 7, 1976, in Burbank, California. —Disney Legends
