Bill Shirley - my 218th pick to be named a Disney Legend

Bill Shirley, another Disney Prince voice actor, is my 218th pick to be named a Disney Legend. was the original voice actor for Prince Phillip. He appeared in many films, then he retired from acting in 1963, four years after Sleeping Beauty. 26 years later, in 1989, he died at the age of 68.

From an article by Al Hunter - "in 1959, Bill Shirley made the film appearance he is most remembered for by today’s fans when he appeared as the voice of Prince Phillip in Walt Disney Pictures’ Sleeping Beauty. It was an impressive feat considering that he was one of only three lead voices in the entire film. The film would take nearly an entire decade to produce. The story work began in 1951, the voices were recorded in 1952 and the animation production began in 1953 and did not conclude until 1958 with the musical score recorded in 1957. During the original release on January 29, 1959, the film was considered a box office bust, returning only one half of the Disney Studios’ investment of $6 million. It was widely criticized as slow paced with little character development. Time has been much kinder to the film and today’s Disney fans and critics alike hail it as one of the best animated films ever made with successful releases in 20 foreign countries. To date the film has grossed nearly $500 million, placing it in the top 30 highest grossing films of all time.... By the way, what is the trivia question attached to Irvington’s Bill Shirley? Prince Phillip was the first of the Disney Princes to have a first name. Cinderella’s and Snow White’s previous princes had gone nameless."