Ilene Woods

Ilene Woods
Woods performing for ABC in the 1940s
Born
Jacqueline Ruth Woods

(1929-05-05)May 5, 1929
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, U.S.
DiedJuly 1, 2010(2010-07-01) (aged 81)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Occupations
  • Actress
  • singer
Years active1944–2006
Spouses
Stephen Steck Jr.
​
​
(m. 1946; div. 1954)​
​
(m. 1963)​
Children3
AwardsDisney Legend (2003)[1]

Jacqueline Ruth Woods[2] (May 5, 1929 – July 1, 2010),[3] better known as Ilene Woods, was an American actress and singer. Woods was best known as the original voice of the title character of Walt Disney animated film Cinderella, for which she was named a Disney Legend in 2003.[1]

Early life

Jacqueline Ruth Woods was born on May 5, 1929 in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.[4][2] Her mother worked behind the scenes of films, taking Woods with her. As a little girl, Woods dreamed about becoming a schoolteacher, but her mother wanted her to become a singer. By 1944, she gained her own radio program.[5][4] During World War II, she toured with Paul Whiteman and the Army Air Forces Orchestra.[4]

Career

Disney

In 1948, two of her songwriter friends, Mack David and Jerry Livingston, called Woods to record "Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo", "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes", and "So This is Love".[6] Soon, the songs were presented to Walt Disney so that they could be used in the English version of Cinderella. Walt Disney heard the demo recordings, and two days later asked Ilene to voice the star role of Cinderella. She gladly accepted the role, surprised that she had won against more than 300 others who had auditioned. She said in an interview for Classic Film, "Seeing it [the film] in its new form was breathtaking for me. It's so beautiful. The color is magnificent, it just took my breath away, it was so wonderful. I sort of forget when I'm watching the movie that I had anything to do with it. Yet, it brings back so many beautiful memories of working with the wonderful artists and working with Walt mostly. It brings back wonderful, wonderful memories."[6] To promote Cinderella, Woods voiced Snow White in the 1949 Disney audiobook release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.[7] Woods sang for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at his home in Hyde Park. She also sang at the White House for President Truman, after singing for soldiers and sailors.[3] Woods retired from show business in 1972, but she continued to appear at occasional autograph shows.

Radio and television

On radio, Woods was a featured performer on Sealtest Village Store[8] and portrayed the title character's girlfriend on A Day in the Life of Dennis Day.[9] She was the female vocalst on The Garry Moore Show,[10] was the singing star of The Jack Carson Show, and had her own program in 1948 as the summer replacement for the Carson show.[11] Her work on television included singing for two years on Arthur Godfrey's show and one year on Moore's show.[12] She also sang on Perry Como's program.[13]

Recordings

Woods had the title role in a 1950 Victor album based on the Cinderella film.[14] She provided the voice of Snow White on the Victor recording "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" (1960). A brief review in The New York Times said of the recording, "It includes the happy songs, but without the authority of the original Disneyland recordings."[15]

Later years

When Disney began releasing video cassette versions of its animated films, Woods was one of at least three actresses to file lawsuits over royalties for their performances; at the time of Woods' December 1990 filing, Peggy Lee of Lady and the Tramp (1955) had won her lawsuit the previous April and a 1989 suit by Mary Costa of Sleeping Beauty (1959) was still pending.[16][17] Voice actress Jennifer Hale replaced Woods as the voice of Cinderella in the 2002 film Cinderella II: Dreams Come True. In 2003, Woods was awarded a Disney Legend award for her voice work on Cinderella. In an interview with Starlog in 2006 Woods said, "I love the idea that after I’m gone, children will still be hearing my voice [as Cinderella]."[18]

Personal life

She married the first time at the age of 17[8] to trumpeter[11] Stephen Steck, Jr. and had a daughter, Stephanie.[8] After a divorce, she married The Tonight Show drummer Ed Shaughnessy in 1963. Woods and Shaughnessy had two sons, James and Daniel.[3][8]

Illness and death

Woods suffered from Alzheimer's disease. She resided at a care facility in Canoga Park, Los Angeles in the later years of her life. She didn't remember that she played Cinderella, but was mostly comforted by the song "A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes" and the nurses played it for her as often as possible, realizing she liked it. On July 1, 2010, at the age of 81, she died from complications of Alzheimer's disease.[4] No service was held, Woods was cremated, and her ashes were given to her family.[19]

Work

Filmography

Television

Year Title Role Notes
1951 The Alan Young Show Singing Neighbor Uncredited
1980 Spring & Fall Socialite Episode: "Out of Line"
Television shows
Year Title Role Notes
1950 We, the People Herself Episode: "Gene Stanlee, Ilene Woods"
1951 The Garry Moore Show 19 episodes
1956 Of All Things Regular Performer

Film

Year Title Role Notes
1945 On Stage Everybody Talent Show Winner No. 3
1950 Cinderella Cinderella Voice
1972 The Godfather Elena The Matron
1975 Mirror Scrub Woman
1981 Mommie Dearest Elderly Audience Member

Radio

Year Title Role Notes
1944 The Philco Hall of Fame Singer Regular member
The Ilene Woods Show Herself / Host

Discography

  • Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs as Snow White (1949, RCA/Camden)
  • It's Late (1957, Jubilee Records JGM 1046, LP, mono)

Accolades

Year Award Category Result Nominated work Ref.
2003 Disney Legends Music—Voice Won Cinderella [1]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Ilene Woods". D23. Disney. Retrieved January 26, 2017.
  2. ^ a b Abrams, Rachel (July 8, 2010). "Voice of Cinderella dies; Ilene Woods starred in animated 1950 classic". Edmonton Journal. Variety. p. D5. ProQuest 607030601. She was born Jacqueline Ruth Woods on May 5, 1929 in Portsmouth, N.H., the daughter of a 'backstage mom' who got Ilene her start at age two.
  3. ^ a b c "Disney Legends – Ilene Woods". D23.com. Retrieved October 2, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d McLellan, Dennis (July 3, 2010). "Ilene Woods dies at 81; voice of Disney's Cinderella". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 6, 2010. Retrieved June 14, 2014.
  5. ^ "Ilene Woods, voice of Disney's Cinderella, dead at 81". CNN.com. July 2, 2010. Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved May 2, 2011.
  6. ^ a b "Ilene Woods, the Voice of Cinderella, Passes Away at 81". Disneyorama.com. Retrieved July 2, 2010.
  7. ^ 45 Discography for RCA Records – 47-0000 series Global Dog Productions, Retrieved June 21, 2017
  8. ^ a b c d Sibley, Brian (July 19, 2010). "Ilene Woods obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved October 6, 2022.
  9. ^ "(photo caption)". The Akron Beacon Journal. June 23, 1950. p. 34. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  10. ^ Dunning, John (1998). On the Air: The Encyclopedia of Old-Time Radio (Revised ed.). New York, NY: Oxford University Press. pp. 278–279. ISBN 978-0-19-507678-3.
  11. ^ a b "Radio Star Ilene Woods to Sing at Star-News Sports Jamboree May 26". Pasadena Star-News. May 18, 1948. p. Section 2, page 1. Retrieved November 20, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Miss Ilene Woods Returning To Assist With CP Telethon". The Post-Star. New York, Glens Falls. December 2, 1964. p. 3. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  13. ^ "Ilene Woods, Voice of Disney's Cinderella, Dies at 81". The New York Times. Associated Press. July 6, 2010. p. A 24. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  14. ^ Taubman, Howard (March 5, 1950). "Records: Purcell". The New York Times. p. 105. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  15. ^ Mitgang, Herbert (May 1, 1960). "Connoisseurship Among Children". The New York Times. p. X 12. Retrieved November 20, 2025.
  16. ^ Los Angeles Times News Service. "'Cinderella' files lawsuit against Disney," The New Mexican (Santa Fe, New Mexico), December 28, 1990, page A-3.
  17. ^ Associated Press (December 29, 1990). "'Cinderella' Sues Disney". The Washington Post.
  18. ^ Weaver, Tom (March 2006). "The Cinderella Waltz/Cinderella Story". Starlog (343): 18–21. Retrieved June 20, 2020.
  19. ^ Wilson, Scott (September 16, 2016). Resting Places: The Burial Sites of More Than 14,000 Famous Persons, 3d ed. McFarland. ISBN 9781476625997. Retrieved August 18, 2017 – via Google Books.
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