- Born
- Died
- Birth nameJohn Devereaux Wrather Jr.
- Oil millionaire who bought the rights to "The Lone Ranger". Also produced "Lassie and "Sgt. Preston of the Yukon". He built the Disneyland Hotel, founded Los Angeles' PBS station KCET and turned the Queen Mary and Howard Hughes' experimental airplane, "The Spruce Goose", into tourist attractions in Long Beach, California. The Spruce Goose was later moved to Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon.
- IMDb mini biography by: <leighton@kingsnet.com>
- SpousesBonita Granville(February 5, 1947 - November 12, 1984) (his death, 2 children)Mollie O'Daniel(July 31, 1941 - October 23, 1946) (divorced, 2 children)
- ChildrenMolly O'Daniel Wrather (Dolle)
- Walt Disney personally convinced Wrather to build the Disneyland Hotel when Disney could not raise the money to do so--his credit was all tied up in building the theme park itself. After the phenomenal success of Disneyland, Disney attempted to buy the hotel, but Wrather steadfastly refused to sell. Long after Wrather's and Walt Disney's death, the Disney Company bought the Wrather Corporation and, with it, acquired the Disneyland Hotel, plus the Queen Mary AND Spruce Goose attractions in Long Beach, CA, as well as the rights to The Lone Ranger (1949) TV series, among other properties.
- Ex-father-in-law of Lana Wood.
- His first wife, Mollie O'Daniel, was the daughter of Texas Gov. Wilbert Lee O'Daniel (who served from 1938-42) and later as US Senator. He was a flour baron with a radio show and sang with The Light Crust Doughboys. He was played by Charles Durning in O Brother, Where Art Thou? (2000).
- Daughter Linda Wrather and son Christopher Wrather with Bonita Granville; son Jack Wrather Jr. and daughter Mollie Wrather with Molly O'Daniel.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content
