Disney is a place where dreams come true not just for guests but for the remarkable cast members whose job is to make certain that all visitors have a magical day. For some cast members working at Disney is a dream come true. For others it’s a place to be discovered or a stepping stone to fame like those listed below who reportedly once received their paycheck from the mouse.
Walt Disney World
Ashley Eckstein – Actress – Cast Member Job: Dancer in the Hercules Parade
Kathryn Joosten – Actress – Cast Member Job: Streetmosphere entertainer
Kevin Richardson – Back Street Boys Singer – Cast Member Job: Aladdin and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle
Disneyland
John Bettis – Song Writer – Cast Member Job: Performer
Stephanie J. Block – Actress – Cast Member Job: Belle
Richard Carpenter – Singer – Carpenters with his sister Karen, Cast Member Job: Performer
Eden Espinosa – Actor - Cast Member Job: Pocahontas and the Little Mermaid
Terri Garr – Actress – Cast Member Job: Magic Kingdom parade dancer
John Lasseter – Animator – Chief Creative Officer Pixar & Walt Disney Animation Studios – Cast Member Job: Jungleland Cruise Captain
Steve Martin – Actor/Comedian – Cast Member Job: Merlin’s Magic Shop
Michelle Pfeiffer – Actress – Cast Member Job: Alice in the Main Street Electrical parade
Robin Williams – Actor/Comedian – Cast Member Job: Jungle Cruise Skipper
Tokyo Disneyland
Taye Diggs- Actor – Cast Member Job: Performer
Disney Cruise Line
Jennifer Hudson – Actress/Singer – Cast Member Job: Singer on Disney Wonder
Jodie Prenger – Actress and winner of Britain’s I’d Do Anything show – Cast Member Job: Singer on Disney Wonder
If there is anyone you know of missing from this list please let me know.
Stuart Sternberg is a founder of WDW Fan Zone you can find him on Google +, Facebook, and follow him on twitter @disneygeekdad.
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Wow, I had no idea so many famous people were cast members! Very cool!
What I wouldn’t give to sail Jungle Cruise with Robin Williams as skipper! The entire boat would be ROFL!
I was thinking the same thing!
Jennifer Hudson did a stint as a perf
You forgot Kara Monaco! She was Cinderella, Snow White, Alice and Ariel at WDW.
Very interesting!
I LOVE this list!! I also agree the Robin Williams on Jungle Cruise….AWESOME!
[...] dancerRobin Williams – Actor/Comedian – Cast Member Job: Jungle Cruise SkipperGo over and read the whole list and help them fill in any blanks they might be missing. This entry was posted in Actors, [...]
Wayne Brady (from Whose Line is it Anyway and Let’s Make a Deal, among other things), was Tigger at Walt Disney World. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ne00izOWhgM&t=9s
John McEuen, founder of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, worked alongside Steve Martin in the magic shop. He taught Martin to play banjo and recommended his brother, Bill McEuen, manage the young comedian’s career. The McEuens have been lifelong friends and frequent collaborators of Martin’s.
Depending on what your definition of “famous” is, here are a few other notable people who worked at the Comedy Warehouse and/or Epcot as part of the Sak Theatre performance troop in the Italy and U.K. pavilions:
Karey Kirkpatrick – Screenwriter (“The Rescuers Down Under”, “James and the Giant Peach”, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” and “Over the Hedge” (which he also co-directed))
Joel McCrary – Actor (Disney XD’s “Kickin’ It”, Prime Minister Motaz in the “Princess Diaries” movies)
Aaron Shure – Writer/Producer (“Everybody Loves Raymond”, “The Office”)
Paul Vogt – Actor/Perfomer (Lord Crawley in “Princess Diaries 2″, regular on “Mad TV”)
[...] over and read the whole list and help them fill in any blanks they might be [...]
cris judd worked in wdw entertainment and then at p.i. before marrying jennifer lopez. you can see him in the sing along songs beach party dvd/vhs as a pirate that was produced during his time as an entertainment cm.
larry sullivan (tv actor) is also a past wdw entertainment cm. he went on to dance with kids of the kingdom and at tokyo disneyland.
Leanza Cornett–Ariel at Voyage of the Little Mermaid (WDW)–Miss America 1993, went on to co-host “Entertainment Tonight”; has appeared in numerous TV shows, including “Weeds”.