Benjamin Luther "Ben" Sharpsteen was an American film animator, director, and producer for Disney, where remained for 33 years from 1929 to 1962 when he formally retired, but returned on occasion for a few projects. He won two Academy Awards for his work on the True-Life Adventures documentaries Ama Girls and White Wilderness.
Born in 1895 in the state of Washington, Sharpsteen worked as an inker for Hearst International. He subsequently enjoyed tenures at various animation studios, including Fleischer and Paramount before settling at Disney. While there, he started as an animator for many Silly Symphonies before becoming a director for shorts and later films, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Pniocchio, and Dumbo. Upon becoming a supervisor, he oversaw productions, like Melody Time, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, and Alice in Wonderland before becoming involved with the Disney anthology series from 1954 and received much acclaim for his contributions to the True-Life Adventures series.
Outside of Disney, Sharpsteen created a museum documenting the history of California's first millionaire, Sam Brannan, and the history of the Upper Napa Valley as well as more on Sharpsteen's life and work at the Sharpsteen Museum located in Calistoga, California.
He died in Sonoma County, California. In 1998, Sharpsteen was posthumously named a Disney Legend.
Disney filmography
| Year | Film | Position |
|---|---|---|
| 1929 | When the Cat's Away | animator |
| 1929 | The Karnival Kid | animator - uncredited |
| 1929 | Mickey's Choo-Choo | assistant animator - uncredited |
| 1929 | The Plowboy | animator - uncredited |
| 1929 | Jungle Rhythm | animator |
| 1930 | Cannibal Capers | animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | Frolicking Fish | animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | The Fire Fighters | animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | Arctic Antics | animator |
| 1930 | Midnight in a Toy Shop | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | The Shindig | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | The Chain Gang | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | Monkey Melodies | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | The Gorilla Mystery | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | The Picnic | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | Winter | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | Pioneer Days | Animator - uncredited |
| 1930 | Playful Pan | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | The Birthday Party | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | Birds of a Feather | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | Traffic Troubles | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | Mother Goose Melodies | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | The China Plate | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | The Cat's Out | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | Egyptian Melodies | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | Fishin' Around | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | The Beach Party | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | Mickey Cuts Up | Animator - uncredited |
| 1931 | Mickey's Orphans | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | The Duck Hunt | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Mickey in Arabia | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Just Dogs | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Mickey's Nightmare | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Trader Mickey | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | The Whoopee Party | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Touchdown Mickey | Animation supervisor - uncredited |
| 1932 | The Klondike Kid | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Babes in the Woods | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Santa's Workshop | Animator - uncredited |
| 1932 | Mickey's Good Deed | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Building a Building | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | The Mad Doctor | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Birds in the Spring | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Mickey's Mellerdrammer | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Ye Olden Days | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Father Noah's Ark | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Mickey's Gala Premier | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Mickey's Mechanical Man | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Old King Cole | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Puppy Love | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Lullaby Land | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | Giantland | Animator - uncredited |
| 1933 | The Night Before Christmas | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | Shanghaied | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | The Grasshopper and the Ants | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | Funny Little Bunnies | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | Gulliver Mickey | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | The Hot Chocolate Soldiers | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | Hollywood Party | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | The Wise Little Hen | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | The Flying Mouse | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | Peculiar Penguins | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | Mickey Plays Papa | Animator - uncredited |
| 1934 | Two-Gun Mickey | Director - uncredited |
| 1935 | Mickey's Service Station | Director - uncredited |
| 1935 | The Cookie Carnival | Director - uncredited |
| 1935 | Mickey's Fire Brigade | Director - uncredited |
| 1935 | On Ice | Director - uncredited |
| 1935 | Cock o' the Walk | Director |
| 1935 | Broken Toys | Director - uncredited |
| 1936 | Moving Day | Director - uncredited |
| 1936 | More Kittens | Director |
| 1936 | Mickey's Circus | Director - uncredited |
| 1936 | Donald and Pluto | Director - uncredited |
| 1937 | The Worm Turns | Director |
| 1937 | Don Donald | Director -uncredited |
| 1937 | Moose Hunters | Director -uncredited |
| 1937 | Hawaiian Holiday | Director - uncredited |
| 1937 | Clock Cleaners | Director - uncredited |
| 1937 | Pluto's Quin-puplets | Director - uncredited |
| 1937 | Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | Sequence Director Post-Production Coordinator - uncredited |
| 1938 | Mickey's Trailer | Director - uncredited |
| 1938 | Polar Trappers | Director - uncredited |
| 1938 | The Fox Hunt | Director |
| 1940 | Pinocchio | Supervising Director |
| 1940 | Fantasia | Production Supervisor Producer - uncredited Segment Director - uncredited |
| 1941 | Dumbo | Supervising Director |
| 1947 | Fun and Fancy Free | Production Supervisor |
| 1948 | Melody Time | Production Supervisor |
| 1948 | Seal Island | Production Supervisor |
| 1949 | The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | Production Supervisor |
| 1950 | Cinderella | Production Supervisor |
| 1950 | In Beaver Valley | Production Supervisor |
| 1951 | Alice in Wonderland | Production Supervisor |
| 1951 | Nature's Half Acre | Production Supervisor |
| 1952 | The Olympic Elk | Production Supervisor |
| 1952 | Water Birds | Director |
| 1953 | Bear Country | Associate Producer |
| 1953 | The Alaskan Eskimo | Associate Producer |
| 1953 | Prowlers of the Everglades | Associate Producer |
| 1953 | The Living Desert | Associate Producer |
| 1954-1972 | The Magical World of Disney | Himself: "The Disneyland Story" Producer Director Sequence Director Production Supervisor |
| 1954 | The Vanishing Prairie | Associate Producer |
| 1954 | Siam | Producer |
| 1955 | Switzerland | Director |
| 1955 | The African Lion | Associate Producer |
| 1955 | Men Against the Arctic | Associate Producer |
| 1956 | The Blue Men of Morocco | Associate Producer |
| 1956 | Secrets of Life | Producer |
| 1956 | Sardinia | Director |
| 1956 | Samoa | Director |
| 1957 | Lapland | Director |
| 1958 | Portugal | Producer |
| 1958 | Ama Girls | Producer |
| 1958 | White Wilderness | Producer |
| 1959 | Mysteries of the Deep | Production Associate Director |
| 1960 | Islands of the Sea | Production Associate Director |
| 1970 | Dad, Can I Borrow the Car? | Production Supervisor |
| 1975 | The Best of Walt Disney's True-Life Adventures | Producer |
| 1980 | Mickey Mouse Disco | Director |
| 2000 | Fantasia 2000 | Production Supervisor - Segment "The Sorcerer's Apprentice" |
