Review: ‘Murder Has Two Faces,’ starring Robin Roberts, Mayra Escobar, Reina Solis, Roger Chiang, Bobby Chacon, Tiffany Taylor and Leroy West

May 6, 2025

by Carla Hay

Laci Peterson and Evelyn Hernandez in “Murder Has Two Faces” (Photo courtesy of ABC News Studios/Hulu)

“Murder Has Two Faces”

Directed by Lisa Cortés

Culture Representation: The three-episode documentary series “Murder Has Two Faces” features a racially diverse group of people (Latin, African American, white and Asian) who are connected in some way to U.S. murder cases that have been in the news.

Culture Clash: The series compares and contrasts media coverage and law enforcement’s handling of similar murder cases where the victims were white and the victims were not white. 

Culture Audience: “Murder Has Two Faces” will appeal primarily to people who are interested in watching true crime documentaries about how race plays a role in how people perceive crime victims.

Mayra Escobar and Robin Roberts in “Murder Has Two Faces” (Photo courtesy of ABC News Studios/Hulu)

“Murder Has Two Faces” is an admirable and candid true crime series that compares how similar murder cases are given different priorities by the media and law enforcement when the victims are white or not white. Robin Roberts hosts and does interviews with professional compassion. It’s not the first true crime documentary series to show how white supremacist racism can affect what happens to these murder cases. However, it’s the first that does a notable compare-and-contrast racial examination for well-known murder cases that have striking similarities.

Directed by Lisa Cortés (who is an executive producer of the series), “Murder Has Two Faces” has three episodes that all focus on the murders of women who were under the age of 35. The first episode, title Motherhood Interrupted,” compares and contrasts the cases of two murdered women who were eight months pregnant and were found dismembered separately in the San Francisco area in 2002: Laci Peterson (who was white) and Evelyn Hernandez (who was Latina). The second episode, titled “The Capitol Killings,” compares and contrasts the unrelated cases of two murdered women who worked for U.S. Congressmen in Washington, D.C.: Joyce Chiang (who was Asian) in 1999, and Chandra Levy (who was white) in 2001. The third episode, titled “Good Guys Gone Bad,” compares and contrasts the murder cases of killers who targeted sex workers who were the same race as the killers: Philip Markoff (also known as the Craigslist Killer) was white and was the prime suspect in a 2009 crime spree in Boston, while Khalil Wheeler-Weaver (also known as the Tagged Killer) is black and has been convicted of a 2016 series of murders that happened in New Jersey.

A few people who give commentary in all three episodes: Amara Cofer, creator of Black Girl Gone: A True Crime Podcast, talks about the racial disparities in coverage of cases involving white people versus coverage of cases involving people of color. Bobby Chacon is a retired FBI profiler who was involved in diving searches in the cases of Laci Peterson, Evelyn Hernandez and Joyce Chiang.

The cases in “Motherhood Interrupted” are so similar, for a period of time before one of these murders ended up being solved, investigators and the media mistakenly speculated that the same person could have committed both murders. The dismembered bodies of Peterson and Hernandez were both found on the shores of the San Francisco Bay. Both women were eight months pregnant with sons. Peterson and Hernandez were reported missing just seven months apart from each other.

Laci Peterson’s murder received worldwide media attention and is still the topic of many news reports and documentaries. She was reported missing in December 2002. The bodies of 27-year-old Laci and her unborn son Conner (who was her first child) were found in April 2003. It’s common knowledge that in 2004, her husband Scott Peterson was convicted of murdering Laci and Conner. In 2020, his death penalty sentence was overturned, and he was re-sentenced to life in prison without parole. Scott Peterson still maintains that he’s not guilty of these murders.

Hernandez, whose murder remains unsolved, was reported missing in May 2002, and her body was found in July 2002. She was a 24-year-old single mother who was pregnant with a son named Fernando. The father of Fernando is a married older man named Herman Aguilera, who worked as a limousine driver at the time of her disappearance. Just like Scott Peterson, the father of Fernando was an unfaithful husband who reportedly did not want this pregnancy. It’s mentioned in the documentary that murder is the number-one cause of death for pregnant women.

Aguilera, who was married at the time he and Hernandez had their affair, was last questioned by the San Francisco Police Department in August 2002, and he was never named as a suspect. Aguilera claims that he talked to Hernandez on the phone on the day that she disappeared, but he says he didn’t see her that day. Aguilera doesn’t have a solid alibi for the entire time that Hernandez could have disappeared that day. However, there has been no evidence that he saw her that day.

The documentary mentions that Aguilera could not be reached for comment. Unlike Scott Peterson, Aguilera has never publicly commented or given any interviews. The documentary does not disclose the name of his wife, but it’s mentioned that Aguilera and his wife stayed together after Hernandez’s disapperance and murder were in the news.

Hernandez also had a 5-year-old son named Alex from another relationship. Alex also went missing on the same day that Hernandez went missing. Although her body was found, the bodies of Alex and Fernando were not found. Fernando is presumed to be dead, but Alex is still officially a missing person.

The documentary also points out that socioeconomic class has a lot to do with prejudices in how murder cases are covered. Hernandez was a working-class immigrant who was originally from El Salvador. Laci Peterson was a middle-class homemaker who was born in the United States. Both had different experiences of the American Dream, but Laci was considered the more “important” story by the news media.

Although “Murder Has Two Faces” compares and contrasts what happened in the cases where the murder victims were white and were not white, it doesn’t spend too much time rehashing the enormous amount of media coverage that the white victims got. Instead, the docuseries makes sure that the women of color who were the murder victims get a thoughtful spotlight so that loved ones can talk about what these women were like when they were alive.

For “Motherhood, Interrupted,” the interviewees who knew Fernandez personally are Mayra Escobar, a Guatemalan immigrant, who was a friend of Hernandez since they were in high school together; Reina Solis, Hernandez’s sister who happens to be deaf; Twiggy Damy, a friend of Evelyn’s; and Berta Hernandez (no relation to Evelyn Hernandez), who was Evelyn’s drama teacher at a youth center called Casa de Los Jóevnes. They all describe Evelyn as someone who had an outgoing and strong personality.

Escobar says, “Evelyn had a light around her. Evelyn was such a charismatic person. She wanted to feel that she was important.” However, Escobar doesn’t sugarcoat the difficulties that Evelyn had in her life. According to Escobar, Evelyn left home at age 16 because Evelyn was not getting along with her strict mother. Evelyn also struggled financially.

Evelyn was also feeling despondent over her disintegrating relationship with Aguilera and his lack of enthusiasm for the arrival of their unborn child. For example, he wanted nothing to do with Evelyn’s baby shower that was supposed to take place a few days after she disappeared. (The baby shower was cancelled because of her disappearance.) Escobar says that during the last few months of Evelyn’s life, Evelyn distanced herself from her family and friends. Damy says that it wasn’t until after Evelyn disappeared that her friends and family found out that Aguilera was married.

Lyanne Melendez, a reporter for KABC-TV in San Francisco, says she was “outraged” about the disparity between the media coverage that Laci Peterson got compared to Evelyn Fernandez. However, she makes this admission when commenting on the media that covered the Evelyn Fernandez case: “We were not pushing police like we did with Laci Peterson.” Melendez later says of how Latin people are treated as crime victims compared to how white victims of similar crimes are treated: “As a Latina, it made me sad. It made me feel like we were not good enough.” She also notes of KABC-TV’s coverage of the Evelyn Hernandez murder: “We could’ve done better and not let go of the story.”

Dan Dedet, a detective who handles cold cases (investigations that have reached dead ends) at the San Francisco Police Department, comments in the documentary about the case of Evelyn Hernandez and her missing sons: “We could use the help from the public. We have a [phone] tip line where people can remain anonymous. I will never forget Evelyn and Alex. I would really like to close this case before I’m gone.”

The documentary mentions that there was also a language barrier that could have hindered the investigation because police investigators who know sign language are uncommon, and they weren’t readily available to communicate with Evelyn’s sister Solis, who is non-verbal. In the documentary, someone does voiceover interpretation for what Solis’ sign language. There are also sometimes culture barriers when most of the investigating officials in the U.S. are white and only know how to speak English, and they have to interact with communities where the majority are people of color whose first language is not English.

Solis says she is always praying for Evelyn, Alex and Fernando: “They’re in heaven, and they’re being taken care of now.” Escobar adds, “We want justice for Evelyn and the boys.” Other people interviewed in this episode are Holly Pera, a retired homicide detective for the San Francisco Police Department; and Kelly St. John, a reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle; Danielle Slakogg, professor of criminology at Cal State University.

“The Capitol Killings” episode features impactful and heart-wrenching interviews with Roger Chiang, Joyce Chiang’s younger brother, who was a tireless advocate in pushing the police and the media to not let Joyce’s case become forgotten. Joyce, who was 27 years old when she died, disappeared from Washington, D.C.’s Dupont Circle in January 1999. Her decomposed body was found in the Potomac River in April 1999.

Roger describes the childhood that he and Joyce had as two of four siblings born in the United States to parents who immigrated from Taiwan. He says that they experienced angry racist bullying from people when they lived in Chicago as children. Roger remembers that this was his parents’ response to the racism: “They pushed us to do better.”

Joyce was a protective sister, says Roger, who adds: “She was one of the most loving, caring human beings in the world.” Amy C. Well, who was Joyce’s classmate and friend at Smith College, describes Joyce as the life of the party. Judy Kim, who was Joyce’s best friend in college, also describes Joyce as caring and very charming.

After graduating from Smith College, Joyce took night classes at Georgetown University Law School while she had a day job as an immigration advisor to U.S. Congressman Howard Berman. After she graduated from law school and passed the bar, she became an attorney at the U.S. immigration and Naturalization Service, which was the job she had at the time she disappeared.

Chandra Levy was a 24-year-old intern who worked with then-U.S. Congressman Gary Condit at the time she disappeared in May 2001. Her decomposed remains were found in Rock Creek Park in May 2002. In the time period between her disappearance and when her remains were found, there was a media frenzy that included the scandal that Condit was having an affair with Levy.

Condit, who always denied accusations that he was responsible for Levy’s disappearance, was considered the main person of interest until Ingmar Guandique, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was caught and convicted of murdering Levy. A jailhouse informant gave a crucial tip that Guandique confessed to the crime, and DNA evidence proved that Guandique was the killer. His 2010 murder conviction was overturned in 2016, due to prosecutorial misconduct. Instead of getting a new trial, he was deported to El Salvador in 2016.

The widespread media exposure for the Levy case helped revive interest in the Joyce Chiang case. But some people believe that it’s a shame that the media will more likely pay attention to a case of a murdered person of color if it can be linked to a case of a white person who’s been missing or has been murdered. Naomi Ishisaka, assistant managing editor for the Seattle Times, comments on this racial inequality: “Our culture has ideas of what is a universal victim. And that is dictated by race and class and age … When it comes to Asian Americans, I think we’re largely invisible.”

Joyce Chiang’s family and other loved ones did not get the same closure for her case that there was for Levy’s case. There was the additional nightmare of Joyce’s case being erroneously described as a probable suicide by Terrance “Terry” Gainer, who was assistant chief of the Metropolitan Police of the District of Columbia from 1998 to 2002, and chief of the United States Capitol Police from 2002 to 2006. Gainer made those suicide theory remarks to the media after Joyce’s body was found. Roger Chiang believes there was some racial bias from Gainer (who is white) because Gainer pushed a theory that Joyce, who was under an internal investigation in her job, could have killed herself as part of Asian culture that teaches that suicide is an option for people who want to punish themselves for disgracing their families.

It wasn’t until 2011, when two murder suspects were identified as causing Joyce’s death, that the Metropolitan Police finally admitted their mistake and described Joyce’s death as a homicide that has been solved. The police believe that the two suspects—Steven Allen and Neil Joaquin—were drug users who robbed, kidnapped, and murdered Joyce because they saw her walking alone on a street and thought she would be an easy target. Allen and Joaquin became suspects because they committed similar robbery/kidnapping crimes, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The police theory is that the suspects dumped Joyce Chiang’s body in the Anacostia River (where some of her belongings were found), which leads to the Potomac River, where her body was found. Unfortunately, no one has been arrested or charged with her murder because not enough evidence was found to definitively link any suspects to the crime. Allen is currently serving a life sentence for an unrelated crime. Joaquin was last reported to be in his native Guyana and cannot be extradited for this case.

During this episode, some of Joyce’s answering machine messages are played for people being interviewed, and it moves some people to tears when they hear the messages. Roberts gets tearful when talking to Roger, who is emotional during many moments. However, he also expresses gratitude that Joyce’s death is now rightfully classified as a homicide, not suicide. He and many people felt that the suicide theory was unnecessary damage to her reputation when she couldn’t defend herself.

Other people interviewed in this episode are Laura Ashburn, reporter for WJLA-TV Washington, D.C., from 1996 to 2000; Chuck Regini, a retired FBI agent; Joe Gentile, a retired public information officer for the Metropolitan Police; journalist Eddie Dean; and James Young, a a retired police detective for the Metropolitan Police.

The “Good Guys Gone Bad” episode is about serial killers who had deceptive appearances of being harmless and upstanding young men. Markoff, the so-called Craigslist Killer, was a medical student in Boston with no previous arrest record. He found his victims through ads that they placed on the website Craigslist. He was accused of robbing three sex workers and murdering one of them (Julissa Brisman), all during April 2009. Markoff was arrested and pleaded not guilty. In August 2010, when Markoff was 24, he committed suicide by asphyxiation in a Boston jail where he had been awaiting a trial whose start date had not been set at the time of his death.

Wheeler-Weaver, nicknamed the Tagged Killer, also used the Internet to find his victims. He contacted them through the Tagged social network. Just like Markoff, Wheeler-Weaver (who worked as a security guard) was in his early 20s and did not have a criminal record when he was arrested for murder. Because of DNA evidence and phone records, Wheeler-Weaver (who was born in 1996) was convicted of three murders that happened from September to November 2016. He received a sentence of 160 years in prison and won’t be eligible for parole until 140 years into his sentence, which means that he will die in prison.

The three murder victims—19-year-old Robin West, 20-year-old Sarah Butler and 33-year-old Joanne Brown—were strangled or asphyxiated, and their bodies were found in Orange, New Jersey, which was Wheeler-Weaver’s hometown. In 2022, Wheeler-Weaver was charged with the murder of 15-year-old Mawa Doumbia, who died of strangulation. He has maintained that he is not guilty of these four murders. At the time this documentary was released, a trial date had not been set for the Doumbia murder case.

This episode has perhaps the most blatant example of racial and socioeconomic prejudice when comparing how the authorities handled the Craigslist Killer case and the Tagged Killer case. In both cases, there were survivors who escaped attempted murder. But in the Craigslist Killer case, the survivors were immediately believed and the media issued widespread warnings about the Craigslist Killer’s methods and the types of women he was targeting. Markoff was arrested within two weeks of his killing spree.

By contrast, Tagged Killer survivor Tiffany Taylor (who escaped by convincing Wheeler-Weaver to go back to her motel room to retrieve her phone that had damning evidence) wasn’t taken seriously by police when she reported that Wheeler-Weaver raped her and tried to murder her by strangulation. Taylor said she knew Wheeler-Weaver’s name, address and other important identifying information. But when police questioned him, they believed his denials and didn’t investigate further. Taylor was dismissed as a disgruntled sex worker who wanted to get revenge on a customer.

Taylor is interviewed in the documentary and says she still struggles with knowing that Wheeler-Weaver killed Butler after he tried to murder Taylor. She and many other people believe that Butler’s murder could have been prevented if police had taken Taylor’s evidence seriously and had arrested Wheeler-Weaver. Instead of sensationalizing the gruesome aspects of the attempted murder, this documentary takes the time to let Taylor tell the circumstances that led her to become a sex worker.

Taylor says she and her single mother fell on hard times after her mother was diagnosed with cancer, and they became homeless. Taylor says she was “running the streets to survive.” She was five months pregnant when Wheeler-Weaver tried to murder her. Taylor says one of her biggest motivations to survive was to not only save herself but also her unborn child.

One of the most emotionally moving parts of the entire series is when Robin West’s father Rev. Leroy West meets up with Taylor and comforts her. Taylor tells him, “I really appreciate you checking up on me.” He responds, “I’ve lost a daughter but gained a daughter.” They embrace in a very heartfelt moment that looks completely authentic, not staged.

Earlier in the episode Leroy West and his son Azrien Lee-West talk about what Robin was like. They both describe her as having a lively personality but she began to become rebellious at age 15 when her parents separated in 2016. Leroy says that whatever sex worker activity that Robin was involved with, she was new to it when she was murdered. Leroy comments on being angry at Wheeler-Weaver: “My anger is not going to bring my daughter back. Helping people is a way of keeping Robin alive.”

Other people interviewed in the “Good Guys Gone Bad” episode are Michael Krusznis, retired lieutenant of the Newark Police Department; Paul Sarabando, retired sergeant of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office; Lea Webb, New York state senator of the 52nd District; Anthony Johnson of WABC-TV New York; and journalist Julia Martin.

If there’s any constructive criticism of this docuseries, it’s that documentary could have had an episode for a murder case involving an Indigenous/Native American person. Cases involving missing and murdered people have devastated a significant percentage of the Native American population but these cases rarely get national media coverage. During the media frenzy when travel vlogger Gabby Petito went missing in Wyoming in 2021, there were 51 Indigenous/Native American people (most of them women) who were reported missing in Wyoming in 2021, according to the National Crime Information Center. None of these cases for Indigenous/Native American people got even a tiny fraction of the media attention that Petito’s case got.

“Murder Has Two Faces” might not eliminate the problem of racial inequalities in how murders are reported by the media and investigated by law enforcement. However, this documentary series is a definite step in the right direction in bringing more awareness to the added injustice of certain crime victims being treated as inferior because of their race. And hopefully, this documentary will inspire more people to make a difference in reducing this problem.

Hulu premiered “Murder Has Two Faces” on May 6, 2025.

2019 D23 Expo: Disney Legends ceremony to honor Robert Downey Jr., James Earl Jones, Bette Midler, Diane Sawyer, Jon Favreau, Robin Roberts, and more

May 16, 2019

The following is a press release from D23:

Robert Downey Jr. and Bette Midler, along with such luminaries as Wing Chao, Jon Favreau, James Earl Jones, Kenny Ortega, Barnette Ricci, Robin Roberts, Diane Sawyer, Ming-Na Wen, and Hans Zimmer, will be honored as official Disney Legends during D23 Expo 2019 for their remarkable contributions to the Disney legacy. Hosted by Disney Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, the Disney Legends Awards ceremony will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, August 23, in Hall D23 of the Anaheim Convention Center.

“The Disney Legends Award is the highest honor we can bestow; it’s a recognition of talent, a celebration of achievement, and an expression of profound gratitude to the remarkable men and women who have made an indelible mark on our company and our creative legacy,” said Iger, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, The Walt Disney Company. “This year’s honorees have earned a place in our hearts and our history for their significant contributions in film, television, and our theme parks around the world.”

The Disney Legends Awards program is a 32-year tradition of The Walt Disney Company, and the first Disney Legend was Fred MacMurray (The Shaggy Dog, The Absent-Minded Professor, The Happiest Millionaire), who was honored in 1987. The awards ceremony is just one of the dozens of spectacular events that Disney fans can enjoy during the threeday D23 Expo.

The 2019 Disney Legends Award honorees (listed alphabetically) are:

WING CHAO For 37 years at Disney, Wing T. Chao played a vital role in designing and developing exceptional and inspirational projects, worth over $12 billion dollars, at Disney parks and resorts worldwide. Wing served as vice chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts for Asia Pacific Development as well as executive vice president of Walt Disney Imagineering where he oversaw master planning, architecture, and design.  Wing directed development teams consisting of Disney Imagineers and many of the world’s most renowned architects and designers, developed and built projects including resort hotels, parks, cruise ships, entertainment venues, water attractions, convention & exhibition centers, sports stadiums, restaurants, retail spaces, recreational complexes, office spaces, and two new-town communities at The Walt Disney Company’s
properties in California, Florida, Hawaii, Tokyo, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and other locations worldwide.

ROBERT DOWNEY JR. is a two-time Academy Award® nominee and Golden Globe® winner who has appeared in more than 80 films. Considered one of the industry’s most talented and respected actors, Downey has embraced both dramatic and comedic roles, including his Disney debut in the 2006 remake of The Shaggy Dog. After numerous standout performances, Downey then went on to help launch Marvel Studios with his celebrated performance as Tony Stark as Iron Man. His role has spearheaded the iconic blockbuster franchises Iron Man and Avengers, for which he’s starred in three Iron Man films, The Incredible Hulk (2008), Captain America: Civil War (2016), and Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017); and four Avengers films, including the most recent, Avengers: Endgame (2019), which shattered box office records and became the largest ever film debut, bringing in $1.2 billion worldwide in its opening weekend. Downey will next star in the title role in 2020’s The Voyage of Doctor Dolittle and is in pre-production on the third installment of the successful Sherlock Holmes franchise.

JON FAVREAU Jon Favreau started his career with appearances in film and television and has since become one of Hollywood’s most successful producers and directors. Jon’s first roles included appearances on TV shows such as Seinfeld and Friends, but his big break came with the Miramax indie film Swingers (1996), for which he wrote the screenplay, starred, and co-produced. His directing credits include Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), the live-action remake of The Jungle Book (2016), and this year’s reimagining of The Lion King. Jon also made appearances in several Marvel Cinematic Universe films as Tony Stark’s loyal bodyguard, Happy Hogan. As an executive producer for the Marvel Studios, John holds credits on such films as Iron Man (2008), Iron Man 2 (2010), Iron Man 3 (2013), Marvel’s The Avengers (2012), Avengers: Age of Ultron (2015), and Avengers: Infinity War (2018). He has also voiced characters for Disney television shows and feature films, including Hercules (TV, 1999), Buzz Lightyear of Star Command (TV, 2000), G-Force (2009), Star Wars: The Clone Wars (TV, 2010–13), and Solo: A Star Wars Story (2018). Jon is writing and executive producing the live-action Star Wars series The Mandalorian for Disney+, which will premiere this November.

JAMES EARL JONES James Earl Jones started his acting career with television and film roles, including appearances in As the World Turns (1966) and Dr. Strangelove (1964). But the Oscar®, Emmy®, and Tony® Award-winning actor is well known for his iconic voice acting, beginning with the role of Darth Vader in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977). This villainous vocal performance was reprised in subsequent Star Wars films, including most recently in Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016) and TV shows like Star Wars Rebels (2014–18). His voice can also be heard in Disney Parks around the globe, including recurring vocal performances as Darth Vader for Star Tours: The Adventures Continue. Other Disney credits include ABC’s Recess in 1998 as the voice of Santa Claus, narrator for the Disneynature film Earth (2009), segment host for Fantasia/2000 (2000), and as the celebrity narrator for the Candlelight Ceremony at Disneyland. Audiences also recognize the actor’s basso profundo as that of Mufasa in The Lion King (1994), a role James would return to in The Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride (1998), The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar (2015), and this summer’s reimagining of The Lion King.

BETTE MIDLER When the Disney studio set out to expand the breadth of its film production with Touchstone Pictures, it was Emmy®, Grammy®, Golden Globe®, and Tony® winner Bette Midler who helped lead the way to box office success for the new division. She appeared in a string of hit comedies including Down and Out in Beverly Hills (1986), Ruthless People (1986), Outrageous Fortune (1987), and Big Business (1988). Touchstone’s 1988 drama Beaches not only proved to be a smash with audiences, but it also included Bette’s platinum-selling rendition of “Wind Beneath My Wings.” Other Disney films followed, including Stella (1990) and Scenes from a Mall (1991), as well as a memorable vocal performance as the spoiled poodle Georgette in Oliver & Company (1988). Bette is well known to Disney audiences for her role as the witchy Winifred in the perennial Halloween classic Hocus Pocus (1993). She also starred in The Lottery (1989), a short film produced for the Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park (now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) in Florida for guests of the park’s Backstage Studio Tour.

KENNY ORTEGA is a multi-award-winning director, choreographer, and producer. His first work with Disney was choreographing the TV special Disney’s Totally Minnie (1988), followed by Mickey’s 60th Birthday the same year, and he would go on to direct three episodes of Touchstone Television’s Hull High in 1990. In 1992, Kenny directed his first feature film, the beloved Disney musical Newsies, which was followed, in 1993, by the perennial Halloween favorite Hocus Pocus. In 2006, he helmed the Disney Channel smash hit High School Musical, and the success of the first film would bring him back to direct—and choreograph—the sequels High School Musical 2 (2007) and High School Musical 3: Senior Year (2008). Ortega also produced and staged the High School Musical Concert Tours, as well as the Miley Cyrus and Jonas Brothers Best of Both Worlds Tour. His other Disney credits include directing the 2014 short The Making of Frozen, The Cheetah Girls 2 (2006), and most recently the international phenomenon Descendants (2015), Descendants 2 (2017), and Descendants 3, which will be released this summer.

BARNETTE RICCI Barnette Ricci started her career with The Walt Disney Company as a choreographer at Disneyland. In the late 1960s, Barnette created and directed Kids of the Kingdom before going on to choreograph and direct many parades, including Christmas parades, America on Parade, and the Main Street Electrical Parade. She worked on the grand openings of Walt Disney World, EPCOT Center, and Tokyo Disneyland and directed popular stage shows such as Golden Horseshoe Revue at Disneyland and the Diamond Horseshoe Revue in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. Perhaps her biggest project to date is the creation of Fantasmic! Debuting at Disneyland in 1992, the production combines state-of-the-art special effects with live performers along the Rivers of America. The show continues a successful run at Disneyland, Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World, and now Tokyo DisneySea. Following Fantasmic!, Barnette moved to The Walt Disney Studios as the vice president/show director of Special Events. After more than 40 years with The Walt Disney Company, Barnette retired in 2013.

ROBIN ROBERTS In 1990, Robin Roberts joined ESPN and would quickly become a frequent contributor to the network’s programming. In her 15 years at ESPN, she contributed to NFL Primetime and hosted SportsCenter and In the Game with Robin Roberts. Robin began making appearances on ABC’s Good Morning America (GMA) in
1995, and in 2005 left ESPN to join the show full-time as co-anchor. Since joining GMA, the show has won four Emmys® for Outstanding Morning Program. For ABC, Robin has hosted In the Spotlight with Robin Roberts: All Access Nashville, as well as ABC’s red carpet coverage of the Academy Awards®, and has created original broadcast and digital programming for the network through her production company, Rock’n Robin Productions. In 2007, Hyperion publishing released Robin’s first book, From the Heart: 7 Rules to Live By. Among Robin’s many awards are the Walter Cronkite Award for Excellence in Journalism, membership in the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame, and being named one of Glamour’s Women of the Year.

DIANE SAWYER Diane Sawyer is an ABC News anchor, tackling some of the biggest issues of our time with original reporting, primetime specials, long-form interviews, and in-depth investigations. One of the most respected journalists in the world, she has traveled the globe delivering breaking news reports, and has conducted interviews with almost every major newsmaker of our time. Her primetime documentaries have won critical acclaim for shedding light on difficult and previously under-reported topics, including her reporting on the realities of poverty in America. Sawyer’s reporting has been recognized with numerous awards, including duPonts; Emmys®; Peabodys; the grand prize of the premier Investigative Reporters and Editors Association, an IRTS Lifetime Achievement Award; and the USC Distinguished Achievement in Journalism Award. In 1997 she was inducted into the Television Academy Hall of Fame. After more than a decade in television news, Sawyer joined ABC News in February 1989 as coanchor of Primetime. She was named co-anchor of Good Morning America in January 1999, and held the post until taking over the World News anchor chair in December 2009.

MING-NA WEN can currently be found saving the day as Agent Melinda May, aka “The Cavalry,” on the ABC series Marvel’s Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Ming is also known for her seven years playing Jing-Mei Chen on ER. Ming-Na Wen found success on the big screen when she appeared in the acclaimed Hollywood Pictures adaptation of Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. Five years later, she would find animation immortality as the title star of the Disney classic Mulan, a role for which she would receive an Annie Award. Ming-Na returned to the role of heroic Fa Mulan in a slew of projects, including an animated sequel, videogames Kingdom Hearts II and Disney Infinity, on television’s House of Mouse and Sofia the First, and in the Walt Disney Animation Studios film Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018). Ming-Na has been well known to audiences for her television projects, including her voice work in Disney Channel’s Phineas and Ferb, Disney XD’s Guardians of the Galaxy and Milo Murphy’s Law, the upcoming six-part digital short Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors, and a recurring role in ABC’s Fresh Off the Boat.

HANS ZIMMER has scored more than 160 projects which, combined, have grossed over $28 billion worldwide. Zimmer has been honored with an Academy Award®, two Golden Globes®, three Grammys®, an American Music Award, and a Tony® Award. In addition to his long list of credits, including notable projects such as Gladiator and The Dark Knight trilogy, Hans has had a great history with The Walt Disney Company. His early work for them includes additional music for White Fang (1991) and co-writing music for Cool Runnings (1993). His groundbreaking, Academy Award®-winning instrumental score for The Lion King (1994) was followed by many memorable projects,
including Crimson Tide (1995), Muppet Treasure Island (1996), The Rock (1996), Pearl Harbor (2001), King Arthur (2004), and Iron Man (2008). Hans is the guiding force behind the music of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, serving in various composing, editing, and producing capacities for The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), Dead Man’s Chest (2006), At World’s End (2007), and On Stranger Tides (2011). Hans composed the music for this summer’s reimagining of The Lion King.

Honorees receive a two-foot-tall bronze Disney Legends sculpture that signifies the imagination, creativity, and magic they have brought to the Company. Disney Legends Award recipients will also participate in a handprint ceremony at the end of the event, and their bronzed prints will be displayed in the Disney Legends Plaza at the Company’s Burbank headquarters.

Admission to the ceremony will be on a first-come, first-served basis and is included in the price of a ticket to D23 Expo 2019.

Including this year’s honorees, a total of 288 Disney Legends have been named. Past Disney Legends include Tim Allen, Julie Andrews, Beatrice Arthur, Howard Ashman, Annette Funicello, Whoopi Goldberg, Peter Jennings, Sir Elton John, Angela Lansbury, George Lucas, Steve Martin, Alan Menken, Hayley Mills, Fess Parker, Regis Philbin, Marty Sklar, Dick Van Dyke, Barbara Walters, Betty White, and Robin Williams. Beginning with the inaugural D23 Expo in 2009, thousands of Disney fans have been able to enjoy the Disney Legends Awards ceremony live.

Tickets for D23 Expo 2019 are available for $89 for one-day adult admission and $69 for children 3–9. Gold Members of D23: The Official Disney Fan Club can purchase tickets for $77 for a one-day adult admission and $59 for children 3–9. For more information on tickets and D23 Expo 2019, visit D23Expo.com.

About D23 Expo 2019 D23 Expo—The Ultimate Disney Fan Event—brings together all the worlds of Disney under one roof for three packed days of presentations, pavilions, experiences, concerts, sneak peeks, shopping, and more. The event provides fans with unprecedented access to Disney films, television, games, theme parks, and celebrities. For the latest D23 Expo 2019 news, visit D23expo.com. Presentations, talent, and schedule subject to change. To join the D23 Expo conversation, be sure to follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube, and use the hashtag #D23Expo.

About D23 The name “D23” pays homage to the exciting journey that began in 1923 when Walt Disney opened his first studio in Hollywood. D23 is the first official club for fans in Disney’s 90-plus-year history. It gives its members a greater connection to the entire world of Disney by placing them in the middle of the magic through its quarterly publication, Disney twenty-three; a rich website at D23.com with members-only content; member-exclusive discounts; and special events for D23 Members throughout the year.

Fans can join D23 at Gold Membership ($99.99), Gold Family Membership ($129.99), and General Membership (complimentary) levels at D23.com. To keep up with all the latest D23 news and events, follow DisneyD23 on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.

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