Ilene Woods

Ilene Woods
Born
Jacqueline Ruth Woods

(1929-05-05)May 5, 1929
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
DiedJuly 1, 2010(2010-07-01) (aged 81)
Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California
Cause of deathAlzheimer's disease
Occupation(s)Actress, singer
Years active1944–2004
SpouseEd Shaughnessy (1963–2010; her death)
AwardsDisney Legend (2003)

Jacqueline Ruth "Ilene" Woods (May 5, 1929 – July 1, 2010) was an American singer and actress who voiced Cinderella in the 1950 Disney movie.

Early life

Woods was born on May 5, 1929 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire. As a child Woods was led into singing by her mother. By the age of 11, Woods had her own radio show.

Career

In 1948, at the age of 18, Woods recorded several songs for friends Mack David and Jerry Livingston. The songs ("Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo", "So This is Love", and "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes") were then played for Walt Disney. He chose Woods out of 300 other girls to play the part of Cinderella for the Disney movie Cinderella. Recording the part took about 2 years, working off and on.

Later years

Woods was first married to Stephen Steck Jr. They had one child, a daughter named Stephanie. After a divorce, in 1963 she married Ed Shaughnessy. They had two sons, James and Daniel. In 2003 she was recognized as a Disney Legend for her work in Cinderella.

Death

Woods died on July 1, 2010 from causes related to Alzheimer's disease in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California. She was 81.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Mclellan, Dennis. "Ilene Woods dies at 81; voice of Disney's Cinderella". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
  2. ↑ "Ilene Woods, Voice of Disney's Cinderella dead at 81". CNN. 2010-07-02. Retrieved 2010-07-02.
  3. 1 2 3 Hicks, Chris. "Landing coveted Disney role was Cinderella story for voice actress". Deseret News. Archived from the original on 2015-07-03. Retrieved 2011-03-28.
  4. 1 2 "Disney Legends bio". Disney. Retrieved 2011-03-28.