7 Of The Coolest Disney Legends Honored This Year

• 7. Kelly Ripa

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  Kelly Ripa is one of the most powerful voices in media, with a diverse body of work both on and off camera. With over 30 years at ABC, Kelly has welcomed viewers with her sharp wit every morning as co-host and executive producer of the nationally syndicated show Live. Beginning her career in entertainment as an actress, Kelly has starred in numerous television series, like All My Children and Hope & Faith. Kelly and her husband/co-host, Mark Consuelos, ventured into the development side of entertainment when they began their production company, Milojo Productions. Milojo has produced the Emmy-nominated documentary The Streak for ESPN and the critically-acclaimed documentary Off The Rez for TLC. Kelly has earned numerous accolades over the years, including multiple Daytime Emmy Awards, an Excellence in Media Award from GLAAD, and Glamour’s Woman of the Year Award. In September 2022, Kelly added New York Times best-selling author to her resume, when her collection Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories was published.

• 6. Angela Bassett

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  The next 2024 Legend is this inspiring actress, who had he breakout role as single mother Reva Devereaux in John Singleton’s Boyz n the Hood (1991). Angela’s unique voice and delivery commands audiences’ attention. The Black Panther star has portrayed many real-life characters, including Coretta Scott King and Rosa Parks, but it was her powerful portrayal of Tina Turner in What’s Love Got to Do with It (1993) that earned her numerous accolades, including an Academy Award nomination and a Golden Globe for Best Actress, making her the first Black performer to win in this category. She received two Emmy nominations for outstanding narrator for National Geographic’s The Flood (2018) and the Disney+ docuseries The Imagineering Story (2019). Bassett was nominated for her second Academy Award, this time in the Best Supporting Actress category, for the role of Queen Ramonda in Black Panther: Wakanda Forever (2022). She is also the star and executive producer of the hit drama 9-1-1, voiced Dorothea Williams in the Academy Award-winning animated feature Soul (2020), and received an Honorary Academy Award in 2024.

• 5. Harrison Ford

  Harrison Ford has portrayed some of the most iconic action heroes ever. After appearing in a small but impressive role in American Graffiti (1973), directed by fellow Disney Legend George Lucas, Ford proved to be perfect for the role of Han Solo in the original Star Wars trilogy. Harrison is also best known for his starring role in the Indiana Jones films. Over his decades-long career, Harrison has been widely decorated for his many contributions to the film industry. More recently, Harrison revisited a couple of his most celebrated roles in 2015’s Star Wars: The Force Awakens and the fifth Indiana Jones installment, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023). Harrison is also set to appear as President Thaddeus “Thunderbolt” Ross in the Marvel Studios upcoming Captain America: Brave New World.

• 4. Miley Cyrus

  Miley Cyrus is practically the poster-child for Disney Channel star, so it is no surprise she has been dubbed a Legend. Now as an award-winning singer-songwriter, Miley first rose to fame at 13 years old when she snagged the lead for the Disney Channel series, Hannah Montana. The series premiered in March 2006 to the largest audience for a Disney Channel Original Series, drawing an average of 4.4 million viewers per episode. A 2007 episode of the series still ranks as the highest-rated basic cable series telecast ever, with 10.7 million total viewers. She embarked on her wildly popular Best of Both Worlds Tour in 2007, and in 2008, she voiced the character of Penny in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ feature Bolt. For the film, Miley earned a Golden Globe Award nomination for Best Original Song (“I Thought I Lost You”). The following year, she took center stage once again for the lead in Hannah Montana: The Movie, which included the iconic song “The Climb.” 2023 saw the release of Miley’s album Endless Summer Vacation, which inspired the documentary concert special, streaming on Disney+. At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Miley was honored with her first-ever wins for Record of the Year and Best Pop Solo Performance. Making history once again, Miley is now the youngest honoree ever to be named a Disney Legend at 31 years old.

• 3. James Cameron

  Acclaimed filmmaker James Cameron is another Disney Legend to be honored this year. With his oceanic exploring background and passion for environmental protection, some of Cameron’s most memorable films include The Terminator (1984), Aliens (1986), The Abyss (1989), Titanic (1997), Avatar (2009), and Avatar: The Way of Water (2022). The director is currently in post-production on Avatar 3, and in pre-production on Avatar 4 and 5. Teaming up with Walt Disney Imagineering in 2011, James helped to steer the creation of an Avatar-inspired area at Disney World in Florida. He created interactive environment Pandora – The World of Avatar, an area that immerses guests in popular attractions like Avatar Flight of Passage and Na’vi River Journey. Cameron is also known for his 12 documentaries, six of those about Titanic. He also executive produces National Geographic’s Secrets series, including the Emmy-winning Secrets of the Whales.

• 2. John Williams

  The unforgettable music of composer John Williams has been featured in many iconic soundtracks. In a career spanning more than six decades, Williams has created the music for more than 100 films including all nine Star Wars saga films and all five Indiana Jones films. Born and raised in New York, John moved to Los Angeles with his family in 1948. Venturing back to the East Coast to attend The Juilliard School, he later returned to Los Angeles to commence his film career. Early in his career, John composed the music for more than 200 television films and numerous television series including Lost in Space. The composer’s artistic 50-year partnership with Steven Spielberg led to an introduction to fellow Disney Legend George Lucas. Williams has received five Academy Awards and 54 Oscar nominations, making him the Academy’s most-nominated living person and the second-most-nominated person in the history of the Oscars, a number second only to Walt Disney himself.

• 1. Jamie Lee Curtis

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  Before becoming the actress we all know today, Curtis was actually planning to major in law enforcement. It was suggested to her by an acting manager to try auditioning for acting, seeing that her parents were also actors. To her surprise, she was signed to a contract at Universal. She was later cast as iconic “Scream Queen” Laurie Strode in John Carpenter’s classic Halloween (1978), establishing her trajectory as a bonafide movie star. The Oscar winner has demonstrated her versatility with a variety of captivating roles over her career, with True Lies (1994) Freaky Friday (2003), Everything Everywhere All at Once (2022), and the 2023 Haunted Mansion remake. For her many performances, Curtis is an Oscar winner, a two-time Golden Globe winner, and she has received a British Academy Film Award.