Meet the Disney heirs rallying behind Bob Iger

• Eight grandchildren of Disney's cofounders are pushing back against activist investors.
• They signed two letters to shareholders in support of Disney CEO Bob Iger.

The Disney dynasty is banding together to thwart activist investors who want to infiltrate the company built by their grandfathers.

Collectively, eight of the grandchildren signed a pair of letters to shareholders in which they defended the legacy of Disney founders Roy and Walt Disney, and voiced support for the current CEO Bob Iger.

In their letters, the heirs of the Disney cofounders name-dropped billionaire Nelson Peltz among the activist investors that "must be defeated."

"They haven't made any arguments for why they should be entrusted with the keys to the kingdom our family built," one letter said.

But, who are these eight descendants of Roy and Walt who are taking a stand?

Roy O. Disney's grandchildren

Roy O. Disney had one son with his wife Edna Francis — Roy E. Disney, a long time Walt Disney Company executive. Roy E. had four children with his ex-wife Patricia Ann Dailey, all of whom signed the letters.

Roy P. Disney

Roy P. Disney's father, Roy E. Disney, stepped down from the Disney board in 2003, and the family hasn't been involved in the company's operations since.

The 66-year-old told The New York Times that the activists have no interest in "preserving the Disney magic."

In a 2010 interview, Roy P. Disney said he worked as an investor based in California.

Abigail Disney

Abigail Disney, 64, said she and her siblings grew up upper middle class before Disney's stock price skyrocketed and thrusted their family into wealth.

She has degrees from Yale, Stanford, and Columbia, and she's been a vocal supporter of taxing the rich.

In the past Abigail has been critical of Iger's job as CEO of the Mouse House, but she put those differences to the side for the letter to shareholders.

"I have my differences with Bob Iger, but I know for a fact that the worst thing that could happen to the company is Nelson Peltz," she told the Times.

Susan Disney Lord

Business Insider previously reported that Susan Lord ran a Los Angeles-based restaurant called The Bel-Air. Yelp reports that the location is now closed, and it hasn't received new reviews on the site since 2020.

Tim Disney

Tim Disney graduated from Harvard University in 1983 with a degree in fine and studio arts, according to his LinkedIn page. He spent nine years as the Chairman of the board for the California Institute of the Arts until June 2023.

He works as a screenwriter and boasts a diverse portfolio of real estate, BI previously reported.

Walt Disney's grandchildren

Walt Disney had two daughters, Diane Disney Miller, who had seven children — not all of whom signed the shareholder letters — and Sharon Disney, who had three children — who also didn't sign the letters. Diane Miller's husband, Ron Miller, was once CEO of Walt Disney Productions.

Walter Elias Disney Miller

Walter Miller is the co-founder of the Walt Disney Family Museum, which opened its doors in 2009.

This past October Walter Miller became the President of the board of directors for the museum. According to IMDb, Walter Miller also has some producer credits on titles associated with the Disney family.

Joanna Sharon Miller

Joanna Miller and her sisters have spent much of their lives out of the public eye.

"We're all pretty shy and I think some of our first experiences being in parades and the like at age 2, 3 and 4 … that was probably the most traumatic stuff we did with grandpa," Joanna said to Jim Hill Media in 2011. "But we did it for him."

Tamara Diane Miller

Tamara Miller spent four years as the President of the board of directors of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

In a 1998 interview with People, Tamara Miller said she and her siblings grew up without a nanny and their mother, Diane Disney Miller, took care to raise them how she was raised. At the time of the interview, none Diane's adult children were involved in the business.

Jennifer Miller-Goff

Jennifer Miller-Goff said in 2011 that she and her siblings were protected and had "such a normal life" growing up, according to Jim Hill Media.