View source for Frank Wells

{{Short description|American film studio executive (1932–1994)}}
{{other people}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2017}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| name                = Frank Wells
| image               = Frank Wells.jpg
| office              = President of [[The Walt Disney Company]]
| term_start          = {{start date|df=yes|1984}}
| term_end            = {{end date|df=yes|1994}}
| predecessor         = [[Ron W. Miller]]
| successor           = [[Michael Ovitz]]
| office2             = [[Chief operating officer|COO]] of The Walt Disney Company
| term_start2         = {{start date|df=yes|1984}}
| term_end2           = {{end date|df=yes|1994}}
| predecessor2        = Ron W. Miller
| successor2          = Sanford Litvack
| birth_name          = Franklin G. Wells
| birth_date          = {{birth date|1932|03|04}}
| birth_place         = [[Coronado, California]], U.S.
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1994|04|03|1932|03|04}}
| death_place         = [[Lamoille, Nevada]], U.S.
| death_cause         = Helicopter crash
| occupation          = [[President (corporate title)|President]], [[The Walt Disney Company]]
| spouse              = {{marriage|Luanne Cosgrave|1956}}
| children            = 2
| alma_mater          = [[Pomona College]]<br/>[[University of Oxford]]<br/>[[Stanford Law School]] ([[Bachelor of Laws|LLB]])
| resting_place       = [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn Memorial Park]], [[Hollywood Hills]], [[Los Angeles, California]], U.S.
}}
'''Franklin G. Wells''' (March 4, 1932 – April 3, 1994) was an American businessman who served as President and [[Chief operating officer|Chief Operating Officer]] of [[The Walt Disney Company]] from 1984 until his death in 1994.<ref name="auto">{{cite web|url=https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/frank-wells/|title=Frank Wells|url-access=subscription |work=D23}}</ref>

==Life and career==
Wells was born in [[Coronado, California]] and traced his ancestry back to the ''[[Mayflower]]''.<ref name=Masters>{{cite news|last1=Masters|first1=Kim|title=The Epic Disney Blow-Up of 1994: Eisner, Katzenberg and Ovitz 20 Years Later|url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/epic-disney-blow-up-1994-694476|access-date=April 19, 2017|work=The Hollywood Reporter|language=en}}</ref> He attended [[Pomona College]], which he left as [[Phi Beta Kappa]] in 1953.<ref name=Chain>{{cite magazine|magazine=[[Daily Variety]]|title=Chain of Command Runs Deep At Warner Bros.|page=94|date=October 25, 1977}}</ref> Wells was a recipient of a [[Rhodes Scholarship]], through which he obtained a [[Bachelor of Arts|BA]] at [[Oxford University]].<ref name="auto"/> He went into the army for two years as an infantry first lieutenant<ref name=Chain/> and then graduated from [[Stanford Law School]] and became a lawyer.

Before his tenure with Disney, Wells had worked for [[Warner Bros.]] as its West Coast [[Vice President|vice president]] in 1969, then in 1973 as [[President (corporate title)|president]], and in 1977 as [[Vice Chairman|vice chairman]] until he left the company in 1982.

Disney directors [[Roy E. Disney]], [[Stanley Gold]] and [[Sid Bass]] had ousted President and CEO [[Ron W. Miller]] in 1984. The Disney board then recruited Wells to become Disney's president and chief operating officer (1984–1994), along with [[Michael Eisner]] as chairman and CEO, and [[Jeffrey Katzenberg]] as head of [[Walt Disney Studios (division)|Walt Disney Studios]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Hayes|first1=Thomas C.|title=DISNEY'S CHIEF IS FORCED OUT|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/09/08/business/disney-s-chief-is-forced-out.html|work=The New York Times|date=September 8, 1984|access-date=April 19, 2017}}</ref> Wells was unique among the management troika in that he had the highest academic achievement. Although the number-two executive at Disney, Wells reported to the board of directors and not to Eisner.<ref name=Masters />

==Seven Summits==
Wells was an avid [[Mountaineering|alpinist]] and came close to achieving his goal of climbing the [[Seven Summits]], the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Only Everest eluded him, as bad [[weather]] had forced his party to descend when just 3,000 feet from the [[summit]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://people.com/archive/movie-mogul-frank-wells-and-financier-dick-bass-become-the-old-men-of-seven-mountains-vol-21-no-6/|title=Movie Mogul Frank Wells and Financier Dick Bass Become the Old Men of Seven Mountains|publisher=People Magazine}}</ref> His partner in the Seven Summits attempt, [[Richard Bass|Dick Bass]], an entrepreneur who developed the [[Snowbird, Utah|Snowbird]] ski resort in [[Utah]], later made it up all seven peaks, the first man to do so. At the [[Matterhorn Bobsleds]] attraction at [[Disneyland]], Wells' love of mountain climbing is honored with exploration equipment emblazoned with the words "Wells Expedition," which can be seen during the ride's downhill descent, as well as on a [[List of Disney Main Street window honors|window on Main Street USA]] honoring him.

==Death==
Wells died in a [[helicopter]] crash on April 3, 1994 while returning from a [[heliskiing]] trip in Nevada's [[Ruby Mountains]].<ref name="McGilligan 1999, p.488">{{cite book |last = McGilligan|first = Patrick|title = Clint: The Life and Legend|publisher = [[HarperCollins]]|year = 1999|isbn = 0-00-638354-8}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Reynolds|first=Christopher|date=1998-04-19|title=Back to Nature -- by Helicopter|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1998-apr-19-tm-40655-story.html|access-date=2021-07-07|website=Los Angeles Times|language=en-US}}</ref> Pilot Dave Walton and [[Rock climbing|rock climber]] [[Beverly Johnson (climber)|Beverly Johnson]] were also killed in the crash.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-04-04-mn-42417-story.html |title=Disney President Wells Killed in Copter Crash : Accident: Executive was among three who died on Nevada skiing trip. He is credited with helping firm achieve new prosperity. - Los Angeles Times |work=[[The Los Angeles Times]] |date=4 April 1994 |access-date=11 January 2021}}</ref> He was a good friend of [[Clint Eastwood]], who had been skiing with Wells that weekend. Eastwood left in his own helicopter just an hour before Wells' departure.<ref name="McGilligan 1999, p.488"/> Because of poor weather in the area, the chartered Bell 206 helicopter carrying Wells had landed at a remote location about two and a half hours prior to the crash. While waiting for improved weather conditions, snow fell on the helicopter. During the subsequent takeoff and ascent, the engine lost power and the aircraft crashed on a 30-degree slope, followed by a rollover, during an attempted emergency landing. The [[National Transportation Safety Board]] determined that the probable cause of the accident was "the ingestion of foreign material (snow) in the engine, which resulted in a flameout (loss of engine power)." Of the five persons on board, four were killed. The sole survivor was [[Mike Hoover]].<ref>NTSB Aviation Accident Final Report SEA94FA096; June 5, 1995</ref>

Wells was buried at [[Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)|Forest Lawn - Hollywood Hills Cemetery]]. At the funeral, Eastwood sang a tribute of [[The Beatles]]' "[[Hey Jude]]", which Wells liked to sing on the slopes.<ref name="McGilligan 1999, p.488"/> ''[[The Lion King]]'', which came out the summer after Wells' death, includes a dedication right before the [[Walt Disney Pictures]] logo appears (though the 2003 Platinum Edition, the 2011 Diamond Edition and the 2017 Signature Edition have the dedication at the end of the credits). The building housing the Walt Disney Archives at [[Walt Disney Studios (Burbank)|Walt Disney Studios]] was also named in Wells' honor.

==References==
<references />

==Sources==
*{{cite book |last= McGilligan |first= Patrick |title= Clint: The Life and Legend |publisher= [[HarperCollins]] |year= 1999|isbn=0-00-638354-8}}

==External links==
{{Portal|Biography}}
*{{DisneyAtoZ}}
* {{Find a Grave|7479}}

{{S-start}}
{{s-bus}}
{{succession box | title=Disney COO | before=[[Ron W. Miller]] | after=Sanford Litvack | years=1984–1994 }}
{{succession box | title=Disney President | before=[[Ron W. Miller]] | after=[[Michael Ovitz]] | years=1984–1994 }}
{{S-end}}

{{Disney Legends Awards 1990s}}
{{Disney}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Wells, Frank}}
[[Category:1932 births]]
[[Category:1994 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century American businesspeople]]
[[Category:People from Coronado, California]]
[[Category:American Rhodes Scholars]]
[[Category:Stanford Law School alumni]]
[[Category:American film studio executives]]
[[Category:Burials at Forest Lawn Memorial Park (Hollywood Hills)]]
[[Category:California lawyers]]
[[Category:Disney executives]]
[[Category:Warner Bros. people]]
[[Category:Accidental deaths in Nevada]]
[[Category:Pomona College alumni]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford]]
[[Category:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1994]]
[[Category:Victims of helicopter accidents or incidents in the United States]]