JoAnn Dean Killingsworth

JoAnn Dean Killingsworth, often credited professionally as JoAnn Dean (September 23, 1923 – June 20, 2015), was an American actress, dancer and professional figure skater. Dean became the first person to portray Snow White at Disneyland upon the theme park's opening on July 17, 1955. Since Dean's debut in 1955, more than 100 actresses have played Snow White at Disneyland.

In 1931, her family relocated to Los Angeles, California, during the Great Depression.

Career In 1939, Killingsworth, who was 15 years old, convinced her mother to allow her to audition for an ice skating show at the Long Beach ice rink. Killingsworth, a 5-foot-3 dancer with dark brunette hair, was described as a bearing a strong resemblance to Disney's animated Snow White.

Her tenure as Disneyland's first Snow White ended at the closing of the theme park's first day. It was the only time the actress played Snow White at Disneyland. According to Killingsworth, it remained her best known role.

However, Killingsworth's role as Disneyland's first Snow White remained largely forgotten until 1987, which marked the 50th anniversary of the release of Disney's 1937 animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. That year, The Walt Disney Company celebrated 50th anniversary by re-releasing Snow White in theaters and public appearances by the character, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Rose Bowl.

Disney also launched a search for actresses who had played Snow White at Disneyland, Disney World and its overseas parks for a planned reunion. However, the company could not locate or identify Disneyland's first Snow White from its opening day, since Killingsworth had been employed by ABC, rather than the Walt Disney Company, for the television special. Killingsworth remained unaware of Disney's planned 1987 Snow White reunion until she was told by a friend about the planned event. She contacted the company and attended the event. Killingsworth was one of approximately 50 former Snow Whites who attended the reunion. She told the Associated Press at the time, "I didn't realize Disney was looking for me...If I had, I would have called somebody and said, 'Here I am. Here's Snow White'." Bob Roth, Disney's spokesperson at the time, confirmed that "I'm really quite certain this is the right person." The company gave her a jewelry box to mark the 50th anniversary.

Personal life In 1958, Killingsworth and her then husband, Jim Killingsworth, moved from Hollywood to the Balboa Island area of Newport Beach, California. Killingsworth did not want to commute from Balboa Island to Hollywood, so the move effectively ended her dancing career in the entertainment industry. In a 2014 interview, she reiterated that she had no regrets about the end of her dancing career due to the move to Newport Beach, "I’ve had a great life."

Killingsworth and her husband published two publications focusing on Orange County, California. Soon after moving to Balboa, the couple launched a weekly tabloid newspaper, The Newporter, in 1959. Their second publication, Orange County Illustrated, was a lifestyle magazine focusing on the Orange Coast. The magazine ceased publication in 1977 following the couple's divorce. Killingsworth became a salesperson at Neiman Marcus after the magazine's closure.

She suffered a crushed vertebra in her sleep at her Balboa home during the 1970s when she was in her early 50s. The unusual injury limited her mobility at the time. To compensate, Killingsworth took up painting. Most of her work featured scenery or wildlife from destinations she had visited, including Spain, the home of Paul Cézanne in France, and wild gerenuks from Africa. Killingsworth sold only one of her paintings, a piece featuring fish, to Robert Guggenheim of the Guggenheim family. Guggenheim has noticed the painting hanging in her Newport Beach magazine office and paid $200 for the artwork. Most of her other paintings were gifted to friends and family. An exhibition of her art was held at her retirement community in Brea, California.

Killingsworth moved from Balboa Island to the Oakmont of Capriana retirement village in Brea, California, in 2013.

Death JoAnn Dean Killingsworth died from cancer at her home in Brea, California, on June 20, 2015, at the age of 91. She was survived by her stepsons, Bill and Larry Killingsworth, and her brother, Donovan Dean. Her former husband, Jim Killingsworth, died in 1993.

Her death came less than one month before the 60th anniversary of Disneyland and her debut as the park's first ever Snow White.