Elias Disney, Canadian-American farmer and businessman (born 1859)

Elias Charles Disney was a Canadian-American construction worker and entrepreneur. He was best known as the father of Roy and Walt Disney, co-founders of The Walt Disney Company. Elias was a strict and hardworking man who played a major role in shaping his sons' early lives, instilling in them a strong work ethic. He spent his early years as a construction worker for the World's Columbian Exposition, which was the inspiration for Disney's son, Walt Disney, and the Disney Kingdom he eventually created. His entrepreneurial tendencies were passed on to his son Walt, despite financial difficulties and business setbacks.